4:12 Biweekly Newsletter

What's happening?

Dec 24 No 4:12 Activities, join the special Christmas Eve services.

Dec 31 No 4:12 Activities (New Year's Eve)

Jan 7 Youth Group – 6:30-8:00 pm

Jan 14 Youth Group – 6:30-8:00 pm

Christmas at 4:12

We closed the year at 4:12 with an incredible Christmas Special! The message focused on the Light of Christ coming into the world—not only to shine in us and transform us with His love but also to equip us to share that light with others.

Our students are hungry—for real spirituality, for truth, and for meaning beyond mere religion. That’s exactly what Jesus came to bring: not a list of rules, but a restored relationship with the Creator.

At our last meeting, over 30 students made a profession of faith or recommitted their lives to Jesus, and more than 100 students worshiped together.

As a youth minister, I encourage you to nurture your child’s faith. Let this be an opportunity to awaken your own faith and model its importance to your children. Whether we like it or not, parents are the biggest influence in their lives.

Let’s join together in prayer for this generation—that God would guide every student to follow Christ and find true meaning in Him!

Gonzo Santillan

Minister of Discipleship

Don't Forget to Sign Up!

^{Don’t forget to register your child for the Winter Retreat!}

^{Get ready for our 4th Annual 4:12 Winter Weekend—a two-night retreat packed with fun, friendship, and life-changing spiritual growth!}

^{Early Bird Special: Register by December 31st to save!}

^{Don’t miss out—this is the perfect chance to connect with friends, grow closer to God, and make memories that last a lifetime!}

Details and sign-up forms here: https://marionmethodist.org/winter-retreat/

4:12 Spark

This has been my first week back in the office at Marion Methodist, and wow, am I excited to join Spark again this week! In case you haven't met the little guy, Elijah Archer was born on October 20th. Little Eli seems to love church already. Thank you for all the well wishes these last eight weeks.

One quick reminder- as fun as 4:12 is and as much as we love to see so much enthusiasm from our Spark students, it seems timely to review our youth group behavior values. Our values are as follows:

I plan to review these with the students upon my return. If needed, I will follow up with families individually. It's so important that all students have a voice at youth group, which can be difficult when others are distracting or disrupting the conversations. A quick reminder from you would be super helpful! I appreciate your collaboration with this.

-Brianna, Director of Youth and Adult Connections

Family Resources

Our kids feed off our attitudes, energy, and emotions. If we are not taking care of ourselves first, we will likely struggle to give our kids our best as parents. Each of us is wired uniquely, requiring different ways we take care of ourselves. However, I believe there are four ingredients all of us should use for parenting self-care.

Family Resource

Marion Methodist Church

5050 REC Drive

Marion, IA 52302

(319) 377-4856