Rob Flint

One of the most common questions I get from parents before we leave for camp is; ‘What are the accommodations like?’ Well here is a great picture of the cabins that we live in while at camp:

The cabins are actually nicer than one would expect. But what are even more impactful are the ‘spiritual accommodations’ of Camp SWO. This is a place where God is made much of; where He is honored above all else and our students are truly responding to that truth this year. In the last two nights we have had four guys surrender their lives to Christ. How AWESOME is that??! And while God is bringing hearts to Him in salvation He is also remolding the hearts of those students who are already Christ followers. Just last night I had the privilege to sit down with a young man who is struggling to give his all to God. He doesn’t know how he can completely turn away from his selfish desires and pursue Christ completely. Jen Schepps, one of our awesome EPIC volunteers and a leader on this trip also had great conversations with some girls last night about how to put Christ on the throne of their lives and not look to boys for their happiness. These are just a taste of the conversations that take place at Camp.

One of the truths that we repeatedly drive home with the students is the fact that they are not here by accident; God providentially designated them to be right here, right now- and from where I sit, it is so easy and so joy-filling to see the beauty in this truth. God is good. And I truly believe God is not done working in the hearts and minds of these students here at Camp. Please keep praying with us.

When parents ask me the above question from now on, this will be my default answer: The accommodations are good enough to help facilitate God moving.

-Rob Jr.

We’re on Day 3 – and camp is really getting good!! Last night we had a phenomenal service time. The Camp Pastor, Brody Holloway, really laid out the truth of the Gospel and challenged the students that they cannot stay neutral about the truth of Jesus Christ. There is no gray area, we must either receive or reject Jesus. And many of our students were challenged and moved closer to making their own personal Decisions about Jesus. I actually had the privilege to talk with four students who are very close to surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ- please be praying for them; that God would keep working and moving in their lives and many other students’ lives. There was a
student who did give his life to Christ last night and it is so encouraging and affirming to us as leaders and many of the students. God is working!

Last night also included the Dunk Contest and Student Block Party. Our students had a blast and our very own Antuan Applin won the dunk camp-wide dunk contest for the second year in a row!! Today our entire group heads down the river as we get crazy with some white water rafting! For many of us this is the highlight of the rec aspect of camp.

Please keep praying form the SWO staff and our leaders. Our leader include; John Cooper, Scott Averitt, Jessie Waycaser, Sara Watson, Jenn Schepps, David Nyugen, Shannon Conley, Antuan Applin, Shea Vosler and myself. Pray for strength, wisdom, discernment and patience. It truly is a privilege to have this front row seat to see God work and move!

Enjoy the pictures and keep praying.

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We are here, we are safe and God is already working. The ride up was was long to say the least. Sleeping in a bus always presents challenges but it was a great time of talking and anticipation for what was coming at camp. The ride up culminates with our stop at Stone Mountain. We trek up a relatively easy side of the mountain about a half a mile up to a big clearing:

It is an awesome time to get to know all the students and leaders on the trip, especially those students who have yet to directly connect with EPIC Student Ministry. And it is a great time of spiritual preparation as we do our first daily devotion of the week there spread across the mountain rock-face. Then we have the students and leaders pair up with another person they do not know and spend some time connecting beyond their own social circle. Remember one of the ultimate goals of camp is to get students connected beyond this week. Students need consistency and we believe that relationships create retention!

As we arrived at camp yesterday, students went through orientation, unpacked, signed up for rec and had dinner all in a giant whirlwind. The first camp service began at 9:15pm and it was a strong spiritual launch point for the week.

We haven’t had any serious accidents yet and other than the average quarrels that can be attributed to extreme fatigue from the bus ride, we have had a great start to the week.

This morning students are in break out sessions learning now to read the bible on their own and how to grow in their faith. And this afternoon will be the first day of rec and the students will be doing all kinds of things from canoeing, skeet shooting, river-rafting, puddle jumping and even horseback riding and mountain biking. Please continue to pray for safety and for God to continue to impact and break down the students.

SWOtrece has officially begun.

Step 1:

Pack with your Student!  Please help your student pack.  This will help eliminate unwanted items being brought to camp but even more importantly it will help students to pack what is needed not just what they want to bring to camp!  It always helps to have a paternal touch on packing – they forget less and you will have more peace of mind knowing that your student has what they need!

Step 2:

Ask Questions!  There are no dumb questions and if you need answers – we’re here for you!! You can comment below, email us at students@stfchurch.com or simple call 813-251-1515 Ext: 201  We would be delighted to hear from you!

Step 3:

Talk with your Student.  We truly believe this will be a transformational week for your Student; and if you help them manage their expectations going into the week it will make it even easier to talk about what God did once they return.  Talk about spiritual expectations, social expectations.  Discuss past experiences if they have been with us in previous years.  Share your own memories.  Camp is so much more than just a fun week for your Student; our hope and prayer is that it is a step in the spiritual development of the entire family!  And the more you talk about Camp on the front end the better the conversations will be on the other side of the trip

Step 4:

The camp verse for the week is:

I would encourage you to read through these verse each day between now and when your student leaves, asking that God will truly use the truth of these verses to challenge and encourage your student while we are at Camp!

Step 5:

Get ready for our return.  Some of the best experiences of your student’s year will have just happened at camp.  From all the exciting events, new friendships, inside jokes and crazy cabin stories to all of the spiritual challenge and growth – a lot has happened and they will be ready to talk about it.  Schedule some time now to be intentional with the post camp ‘debrief.’  The moments your student experience at camp will last a lifetime; and for parents- having the time to talk about it with them are moments you will most certainly cherish.

Camp is Coming!  You can check out all the picture updates on Twitter – @EP!STUDENTS and on Instagram – epicstudents

-Rob Jr.

This is a picture of all our students last summer as we made our annual stop at Stone Mountain, GA – they were all ‘planking.’  Great way to kick off the Camp experience!

Step 1:

Hopefully you are signed up by now; but if not – GET ON IT! Go to www.thestudentwebsite.com  There are 2 spots left!

Step 2:

Pack NOW! DO NOT wait til the last minute!  You can get a hold of the packing list on the student site. You will inevitably forget something; but the sooner you pack the less you will forget!  And dont forget to pack something fun to wear for the rafting trip! AND feel free to forget you Chacos at home… or just burn them before we leave!

Step 3:

This is the Camp verse for the week; MEMORIZE IT!

Step 4:

Spend some time with God on your own.  Ask Him to prepare your heart and mind for what He is going to do in you life this week.  Camp comes with lots of fun and craziness but the ultimate goal of camp is lead you to a greater dependence on God.  Ask God to help you, show you, break you, hold you, comfort you, protect you and reveal Himself to you this summer at Camp.  Just like Hayden challenged us last week at EPIC –  Ask God to give you the inability to do nothing!

Step 5:

Get ready to have fun!!! And drink all the Cheerwine you little stomachs can hold!

-Rob Jr.

Focus…

Calling. Purpose. Dreams. Fulfillment.  These are words I hear again and again from students in our ministry.  They long to be a part of something bigger than themselves.  Students cry out for purpose and meaning in their lives.  The funny thing is, parents do too! But by the time we are adults we have learned how to mask the longing as we hide behind our children, jobs or the pursuit of happiness.

A while ago I read this quote;

For a Christian, our greatest fear should not be of failure but at succeeding in life at things that don’t really matter.

-Francis Chan

As I read this quote I reflected back on my life.  After overcoming the disappointment of not being in a boy band (yes – that was a serious dream of mine) and not ever getting to be a tuxedo-wearing spy (a less serious, but equally as fun dream of mine) I was able to truly pick apart what my heart was all about.  My purpose and yours is simply to embrace what matters.  This sounds simple enough, but what is it that truly matters?

In Acts 9:17-18 we see the very moment where Paul (formerly Saul) has regained his sight after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  Paul’s conversion was dramatic, immediate and sincere. This was the beginning of something very real for Paul.  From here he went on to lead multiple missionary journeys, plant churches, disciple younger brothers in Christ and battle with a few Pharisees along the way.   Paul wasn’t consumed with finding his passion; Jesus simply revealed it to him.  Sometimes I think we need to be a little more oblivious like Saul (Paul) was.  Time and again I see people so consumed to find their passion they miss Jesus himself.  Passion and meaning have almost become an idol for some as they use Jesus to simply find their fulfillment in this life.  Simply said, Jesus is what matters.  He is our fulfillment and meaning.  In Him we have forgiveness, hope and purpose.

Jesus is not simply a means to an end, he is the end.  If we look closely at vs 17 again;

¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

For Paul, regaining his sight was the means to the end of making much of Jesus.  Sight was the first step; being filled with the Holy Spirit was the second.  I encourage you right now, where ever you may be as you read this, realign your sight with Jesus.  Stop the pursuit of temporary happiness and embrace the eternal fulfillment of Jesus.  Ask God to help you focus on what matters; Jesus Christ.

-Rob Jr.

Easter is coming.  It’s the time of year where we celebrate our Risen Savior; we come together to recognize our messiah – Jesus Christ.  People who wouldn’t normally darken the door of a church confidently (or begrudgingly) stroll in to participate in worship services across the world. There is even a movie about the Easter story – ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ it was a great movie but I would recommend it for the youngsters. Nevertheless, Easter comes and goes, and though the church does a great job of celebrating Easter; families too often let this important season pass by without a plan to help our children and students understand what Easter is all about.

As a way for families to actively engage in the Easter season, I have created a list of five opportunities for families to celebrate together:

1. Unpack the STORY – Too often I realize students don’t really understand facts of Easter.  Or perhaps they know the details of Jesus and the end of His life but they cannot link these facts with any significance to their own lives.  Easter is the time to help our children and students know what Christianity is all about: Jesus, his sinless life, his resurrection and our response to this.  There are many resources available at www.focusonthefamily.com   But I think the best way to help children and students understand is to let them hear your story parents; share your personal testimony with your family!  This can be powerful and a great lead-in to deeper and meaningful discussion.
2. Watch the Movie – ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ – it is a great teaching aide or reminder as to what the last few days of Jesus’ life may have looked like and what he most likely went through to pay the price for our sin.  As I mentioned above, it is intense and graphic – the movie is actually rated ‘R’ and rightly so.  However, for families with older students who want to see the Easter story this is a phenomenal tool.  I would recommend being prepared for discussion after the movie is over, emotions may be running high and questions are sure to come flowing out.
3. Create Space (the no cell-phone zone) – Plan something out of the box for Easter weekend.  Usually hotels run specials and retreat centers have deals, but just do something with the entire family that you don’t normally do.  Perhaps a picnic or a family visit to the park; or maybe it’s a family game night or time with all the phones, computers and television turned off.  Really, the point of this activity is to create space or margin so that families are ‘forced’ to talk face to face.  You might be surprised at the discussions that will happen when the electronics are all turned off.
4. Dine Together – Plan a special meal together; whether at home, out at a restaurant or even a picnic.  Breaking bread together is a great way to laugh, share details about life and engage with one another around the table.  And while you have the whole family in one place at one time you may even considering reading the Easter story together and talking through it.
5. Attend Service – Attach Service– Though this idea is closely related to #4 it is still worth mentioning; obviously we encourage families to attend a weekend service and here at South Tampa Fellowship we have options for you; Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday morning.  But regardless of what service you go to attach a family event to it.  A great option would be to serving together at a local ministry or simply helping a family in need.  Perhaps you could take an early breakfast to a family in need before Sunday morning services or a late night snack pack to a needy family after the Saturday night service.  Whatever you choose to do, the point is to serve and serve together!  We here at STF believe in this so much that we have cancelled Awana and EPIC that Sunday as to provide more time for families that weekend.

As with any new family tradition or just those moments when the whole family is together around a table moments can seem awkward or uncomfortable; I encourage you to push through the tunnel of awkward to get to some real conversation about Jesus – really there’s no better time of the year than Easter.  Happy Hunting!

-Rob Jr.

 As we prepare to dive into our new series at EPIC about dating and relationships I wanted to be sure to encourage our parents to be ‘in the know’ about our topics, discussions and our stance on dating in High School.  We are excited to discover with our student God’s design for relationships.  Check it out:

Dear EPIC Parents,

Valentine’s Day has come and gone but love is still in the air as we launch our new series at EPIC! I wanted to take a moment to inform you about the upcoming series with our High School students here at South Tampa Fellowship. It is called Facebook Official and deals specifically and candidly with relationships during the high school years. This weekend we kick things off with part 1 of our four week series. Here are the details for the remaining weeks of the series:

• February 24: Relationships
  Taught by Pastor Rob
  The relational phases of friends, crushes and significant others.
• March 3: The Relationship Equilibrium
  Taught by Pastor Rob
  What makes up a dating relationship? And why does it matter?
• March 10: The Guy Girl Split:

Guys – Living in a Sex Saturated Society. 

Taught by Pastor Todd Roberts

Girls – Image, Self-Worth and Jesus

Taught by Pastor Tom Fox & wife Tricia

• March 17: The Ultimate Goal & Question and Answer Time
  Taught by Pastor Rob
  If the ultimate goal of dating is a Godly marriage where do we  go from here? Followed by a Q & A time of questions directly from students.

We are greatly anticipating this series and we’re praying for scores of commitments and life-change regarding a Biblical understanding of relationships.

I’m sharing these insights with you so you will know what your student will be hearing, and so you can use them as launching pads for discussion. I also wanted to give you this “heads up” because I recognize some of you may not feel the timing is appropriate for your teenagers’ specific needs – if this is the case, please feel free to have them attend the adult worship service with you as appropriate.

Thanks for allowing our EPIC Student Ministry team to play a small part in God’s plan for your student’s life!

Rob Flint
Student Pastor

EPIC meets in The DI Campus 6:30pm Sundays

We had a great time with our parents this last Sunday night at the EPIC Parents Meeting!  If you were unable to attend here is the link to the podcast – PARENTS.  We talked about upcoming dates, family challenged and even discussed a Top Ten list of the challenges our students are facing today:

1. Busyness
2. Spiritual Apathy in the home
3. Alcohol abuse
4. Gospel Ignorance
5. Sexting/pornography – Apps like Snap Chat and Instagram should be monitored regularly
6. Self Image issues
   1. Check their social media

7. Dating & Relationships
8. The pressure to be tolerant and fit in
9. Daddy Issues
10. Stress – growing up too fast/ parental pressure

We are so excited and thankful that so many parents chose to attend and invest in the lives of their students!    J.C. Ryle wrote, “Youth is the seed-time of full age, the molding season in the little space of human life, the turning point in the histtory of a man’s mind.”  Or, in other words, what students will eventually become in life largely depends on what they become now.  The habits they are developing and embracing now are what they will live with long term. I am humbled by the parents who are taking this sentiment seriously!

We have some truly EPIC parents!

-Rob Jr.

On the heels of our exciting and encouraging EPIC Parent Meeting I want to remind our parents that we have our Family Assessment still available to be completed and filled out.  We truly value your input parents, and this is a great way to help us strategically as we lead your students.  The survey will take you less than 10 minutes and it will truly be of great service to us!

Click HERE to jump in and take the assessment now!

-Rob Jr.