Elevate

Halloween Hope Night!

2008-10-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,

Halloween Hope Night is coming, and we get to be a part of it!
Check this out!

Halloween Hope Night Promo from Flamingo Road Church on Vimeo.

Here's the lowdown:

We're hoping to get 40 TRUNKS to be able to give candy to 200 Children between 5pm and 8pm on October 31.
We need you here to help us as we give to other children in need.

Here's what you'll ned:
1. A car or pick up truck (if you don’t have the car, supply the theme and decoration and we will supply the car)
2. An idea to decorate – you can also dress up
-There ideas: Superheros, Cartoons, Cowboys, Pirates, High School Musical, etc.; No evil or scary themes.
3. Some candy – we will supply the rest
4. A willing heart as you pass out candy to these Special Kidz!
5. Set it up and be ready to pass out candy by 5pm – Only 2-3 hours of your time!

If you need further instructions, here's an informational video we made for Trunk or Treat last year that can work as a guide (It's almost the same thing :)

Trunk or Treat Promo '07 from Mauricio Tinoco on Vimeo.

We'll be mentioning more about this as time goes on, so be on the lookout for more info!

Confession

2008-10-14T04:26:00.001-07:00

Hey gang,

I found this post over at Michael Spencer's blog. It's not light reading, but it's one of the most honest things I've read all week. Here's an excerpt:

Some Christians love to talk about the sins of Obama or gays or the mainstream media, but get really animated when I suggest we need to talk about our own, even if they are listed in the Bible dozens of times.
If the Gospel isn’t grabbing you by the real sins in your real life, just exactly what is the Gospel doing for you? Or you with it?

I don’t like the fact that I can give a really good talk on prayer when I rarely pray.

I don’t like it that I can read Matthew 5:23-24 and, as far as I can recall, never take a single step toward obeying it.

I don’t like that I can sin and then condemn someone else’s sin in almost the same breath.

I don’t like it that I’m convinced people need to understand me, but I take so little time to understand others.
I regret that I’ve spent so much of my life seeking to make myself happy in ways that never led to real happiness at all.

Click here to see the rest, and let me know what you think of it.

Authenticity

2008-09-29T19:37:00.000-07:00

As Mauricio and I are sitting down watching CNN's Anderson Coopers's 360 show have discussions about the bailout being rejected and covering Sarah Palin's campaign (discussing it heavily) especially as the vice presidential debates gets closer this Thursday...

One of the commentators mentioned that part of the preparation for the debates is to have a mock-debate where they ask her questions and see how she will answer. They will take measures to ensure she is knowledgeable so she is able to answer "authentically" as opposed to being a puppet and having an advisor speak through her... Hmmmmm..... Now, please don't mistake this post with promoting one political party or candidate over another... it's definitely not about that!

But honestly, that comment is still echoing in my mind.... "she needs to answer authentically" Why? I found the comment very interesting especially considering the discussion tonight in Elevate. Why is authenticity so important during this presidential campaign? Do you trust the platform you're planning to vote on? Do you feel they're authentic enough that they've won your authentic vote? Think about it.... if you don't trust a candidate and feel they're genuine, then you probably won't buy into what they "so-called" represent. Its kind of similar to our relationship with Christ!

If you attended Elevate at Cooper City or Doral tonight then I'm sure you engaged with your small group and discussed the topic of having an authentic relationship with Christ. If you're planning on attending Hallandale campus this Thursday at 7 PM, here's a heads up! :) We looked over Matthew 6:1-23 and learned that yes, we may sometimes forget that we should be living a life for an audience of one: God. That's why we need to be reminding that when we give, pray, fast, and work on building our treasures (not just here on earth but primarily for heaven) we need to make sure we're doing it with a sincere heart for God.

As you go to school, work, church, the gym, the mall... stop and think about areas in your life that you may need to work on so you'll grow more intimate with God; in doing so you'll learn about the reward He has for your! ;) Authenticity... the definition has such great significance. How authentic is your relationship with your heavenly father?

For my ladies in Cooper City: might I add that you need to watch the movie "The Prestige" (wink wink)

Be blessed!

Steph

GEARS

2008-09-26T05:50:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday at all of our campuses... you will not want to miss GEARS! Whether you've been at Flamingo Road Church forever .. or haven't been once .. this is your opportunity to see what we're all about directly from our lead Pastor Troy ... I hope to see you there! Register now here!

Flashback

2008-09-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself in that place where you really want to make a difference somewhere, but really aren't sure where to start, email Kristy Selecky, our local missions coordinator, and she will get you hooked up like a tow truck!

Speaking of making a difference, check out what this group of guys did to help serve their local neighborhood and be inspired.

Benched from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

Look what we've got!

2008-09-09T12:28:00.001-07:00

Coming soon to your friendly neighborhood campus
(unless you're from Elevate Hallandale...we've got flyers for you instead)

It's your turn

2008-08-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

What was your favorite part of the show?

Elevate worship night is tonight!

2008-08-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

After last week's Tropical Storm delay, we are back and fully on course to having a great night of worship and some spoken word. Bring your Bibles and your pens, you might learn somethin'!

The Worship Night is here again!

2008-08-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hey there, kiddos!
Great news! This Monday we are bringing back the multi-united campus awesomeness with the return of the Elevate Worship night!

Come join all your favorite EV peeps from Doral and Cooper City for a united evening of song, dance, and Scripture from 7 PM until we kick everyone out (Usually around 9 or so).

So, grab your dormmate, your roomate, your favorite Starbucks Barista, and your dog (seeing eye dogs only) and bring them out to THE place to be on Monday night. Alex and the team have been prepping for it, and if you have ever been to one, then you know that you don't want to miss this. We're looking forward to seeing you soon! Here's the address in case you forgot:

12401 Stirling Road
Cooper City, FL 33330

The Dive - Children's Ministry Auditorium

See you all there!

No Elevate Tonight

2008-08-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

In light of Tropical Storm Fay, there will be no Elevate at Doral or Cooper. All things Elevate will resume next Monday. Until then, stay dry and drive safe.

See you next Monday!

Ana

GSUS 1101

2008-08-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Have you taken GSUS (1101)?

Well, I have news for you. Elevate's current series, "GSUS 1101: basics of Christianity" is going to knock your socks off. Don't worry,
there won't be a test at the end.

This Monday, if you're at Cooper, the Palacios' will be visiting. Heather will teach the ladies and Raul will teach the guys.

If you're at Doral, Mo will be kicking off GSUS (1101) and he will bring a SURPRISE. Oh, and the super awesome graphic for this series was designed by Mike P from Elevate Doral.

Don't forget to leave a comment with what you think Mo's SURPRISE is.

Also, Hip Hop 4 High Tops is quickly approaching! Click Here for more info.

-Ana Sanchez

Doral Representin' for Hip Hop 4 High Tops

2008-08-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

From left to right: Idys, Mel and Danny (Jose in the background)

Can you come up with a caption for this picture?

Leave a comment with your caption.

Need more info about Hip Hop 4 High Tops? Click here!

It's coming soon!

2008-08-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, here is our first trailer for the upcoming show. Enjoy!

(HT to Luis "The Dominican Papi" for editing this one for us.)

For more info about the event, Click Here

Hip Hop 4 High Tops Q & A

2008-07-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hip hop for what?

It's a concert, but not just a concert. It's a way to empower the least and the lost in our community.

How does it work?

The Broward Outreach Center educates and provides job training for men and women in Broward county. As a part of this process, they provide shoes for the folks that they train. This is where you come in. The new pair of business or casual shoes that you bring to the show will help to change a life.

Where is it?

The show will take place at the Hallandale Beach Campus of Flamingo Road Church on Friday, August 29th, 2008. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

Who is performing?

The show will feature local artists M.O.T.C., Justin-credible, Realize, and Prodigal Son.

Got more questions? Email us at frcelevate@gmail.com

Maybe you'll find this interesting...

2008-07-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

The room the Cooper City Elevate crew meets in every Monday hasn't always been a children's ministry auditorium. At one point, it was the youth room, and before that, the main auditorium at Flamingo Road Church.

A friend of mine sent me this video from back in '99 (yes, that's almost ten years ago) when we used to have youth group in the Cooper City room.

Hope you enjoy it!

Here's a fun idea: Count how many current Flamingo Road Church people you know who were kids in this video. Whoever names the most wins!

HT: Eric "DJ Otaku" Mesa

Relationship Help?

2008-07-17T05:23:00.000-07:00

If you've ever asked yourself any of the following questions:

-Am I ever going to meet that special guy?

-What's the big deal with pre marital sex?

-How much physical intimacy before marriage is okay?

-What in the world am I going to do with my life?

-Can I be in a fraternity and still do God's will?

-How do I know what God's will is for me after graduation?

...then this is the website for you. It's called Boundless, and it's a great read for anyone in the collegiate world. Check it out!

Holy Cheap Dates, Batman!

2008-07-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Looking for a great way to spend a Friday evening with that special someone?
Why not take them to this move:

For a mere $5! Can you believe it??

Yes, it's true, ladies and gentlemen of the Elevate collegiate ministry, for less than the cost of popcorn, you get to join us THIS Friday, July 18th for the 10:30 PM showing of The Dark Knight at the Regal Cinema on Pines Blvd. & Dykes Road (Aren't you glad you logged onto the blog today??).

Seats are limited, so if you're interested, click here to send me an email letting me know that you're in (Another way of putting this would be: make sure you send me an email or you may end up having to pay full price when you arrive because someone else followed instructions and you didn't).

See you guys there!

The Leadership Summit

2008-07-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

Am I really a leader?

I think that most of the time, our answer to that question is more of a guess than a confident response. If you think about the way most of us have been raised, it's no surprise. We've grown up in an education system that for the most part taught us how to memorize and regurgitate information rather than how to think. For many of us in high school, our biggest decision up until our senior year was who to ask to Homecoming.

Things are different now, though, aren't they?

Now you've got classes you can either go to or skip, parties you probably wouldn't have even thought twice about going to a few years ago, and challenges to your faith you may not have realized you were unprepared for.

What does leadership have to do with all this?

The short version is this: success in life demands leadership.

Think I'm exaggerating? Who are the most successful people you've ever heard of? Who are the champion athletes you know (not the ones ruined their career because they've got 20 kids with 25 different women or are juiced up on steroids. I mean guys like Michael Jordan)? Who is making the kind of money you want to make one day? Who is making an impact in our culture and our world that is going to last beyond their years? What names out there are really making their lives count for something huge?

For every name on that list, it is a guarantee that leadership has played a role in that success. It started with leading themselves (self-discipline) and, for the ones who are really knocking it out of the park, it led to leading others. But it all started with leadership.

I am convinced that every Monday night, we are sitting in a room full of potential leaders. People who can help shape the world for Christ. However, the question is, are you willing to believe that your life can count for something huge? Are you able to dream bigger than the ruts and the habits that have defined so much of your life? God calls us to not only be disciples, but to make disciples, to lead others into a growing relationship with Christ, the way we have been led.

This summit can help us get there. It's only $75 to sign up and be a part of what may be the start of a great journey for you, but you've got to take the first step.

Are you going to the leadership summit?

TrueU.org

2008-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hey gang, I want to take a minute to plug a website that I think you all will really like.

It's called TrueU, and it's a website dedicated exclusively to college students. It's got articles on everything from worldviews to dating to dorm life and is one of my favorite resources for everything collegiate. If you've got a minute, check it out! We linked it on the blogroll for your convenience.

Do you have any sites that you like that we might like to link to? Comment and let us know!

Monday Night Worship

2008-07-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,

Here's a word from our resident musical guru Alex (You may recall him as the leader worshipper on the keys last Monday night at Cooper City Elevate).

Hello Everyone! I just wanted to say how great it was to worship with you guys on monday night. It was our very first time doing a worship night here at Elevate, but I believe that we had a great time. Thank you to the band members who took time off of there busy schedule to help create this event and make it possible. Danny Vega, Willy Vega, Liz Mesa, Miguel Umanzor, Sammy Diaz, Janely Ramos. These guys did such a great job, with little time to prepare. I hope that everyone enjoyed the night as much as we did. It's amazing that we can freely worship Christ in our environment, sometimes we take it for granted. This fourth of july we should remind ourselves what a gift it is to worship God freely in this country, when others don't have that privilege. We'd love to hear what you felt about worship night? and which songs our your favorite songs to worship to ? Thank You and God Bless.

Alexander Salcedo

2008-07-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

This is Lauren. Environment Director at Elevate Doral.

(ooo ... fancy title just made that up right now)

Over at Doral we are doing so well! I am psyched for the opportunity to be One Church Where You Are with our college ministry now! Doral looks fantastic with our awesome design work done by our team! A huge shout out goes to everyone at Doral Elevate that helps set up and tear down everything. And to all the amazing ladies I share my Monday nights with! Love you!

I wanted to give everyone some pictures to check out. These are some pictures of some of the Doral elevate crew hanging out a couple Mondays ago and some pictures of our pretty decor.

Mo is Teaching the Loft!

2008-07-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,

I just got word yesterday that I'll be teaching the Loft tonight @ 7:00 PM in the Dive (Where Cooper City Elevate meets).

If you're free tonight and want to represent (pronounced "re-pruh-zint," with your hands thrown in the air, preferably with lots of "bling" on them) our crew, feel free to come check it out.

If I don't see you there, I'll see you on Saturday at the BBQ.

Peace!

Monday Recap at Elevate Doral

2008-06-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

We had 20 people at Elevate Doral Monday night - it was awesome. As many of you know, we have been praying about this for a long time and finally we have our very own Elevate at Doral! We get together to create an environment where people feel welcomed, we have food teams that bring dinner & we have girls and guys small groups where we dig deeper in God's word. So, basically we do the same thing Elevate Cooper does.

Grandpa Moe joined us this past Monday & while you guys were playing laser tag - Doral was occupied in much more spiritual matters ... lol... I kid. Anyway, we ate Chinese food (props to Iva for cooking Lo Mein - it was delicious), we saw "Sunday" from Rob Bell's NOOMA series (after overcoming some technical difficulties) and engaged in discussion afterwards.

Even though sometimes I feel like we don't know what we're doing, we show up and God shows up every time. It's amazing to think back at all the challenges we faced prior to starting this group. A lot of prayer, sweat and tears went in to this project and now we are seeing the fruits. Mariella, who co-leads the girls group with me once told me: "The greater the calling, the greater the passion, the greater the test." This is so true and while we continue to face challenges, the reward of seeing lives changed is worth it! I can't wait until next Monday - the girls are starting a book study called "Do you think I'm Beautiful?" and the guys will continue with the NOOMA series. Let's continue to go after it!

Love you guys,

Ana

p.s. A special shout out to my girls at Doral and also to Amy & my old small group at Cooper and to Carson and Maria.

LaserTag, Pizza, Friends and more LaserTag!!!

2008-06-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,

here's a guest post from our very own Evan Garcia!
Check it out:

Well I have been waiting for this for weeks now. Laser tag is one of my most favorite things to do and to do it along with the peeps from Elevate made it just so much better. When I saw the amount of people that were going I said to my self "This is going to be CRAZY!!" And Crazy is the only one word I can find to describe the onslaught of laser fire that ensued between us in there.

When we arrived, which by the way was perfect timing we had minutes to spare, we got these little cards that we gave to the guy with the mic so he could input our code names which btw mine was OBI (muffin cake was the best one LOL) then we moved into the briefing room where the "Guy with the mic" explained the procedures, rules, and... blah blah blah. I just wanted to get started. After saying the Lazertag rules like as if we were saying the pledge of allegiance in kindergarted again, we put on on our packs, engaged our lasers, dropped the activators into "The Vortex" that was just the top handle part of an abandoned tool box that's probably lying in some back room some where, we were finally ready to commence the coolness that is laser tag.

And I was off!! Instantly I notice who made groups, the snipers, the hiders that popped out of nowhere and decide to shoot you in the face then realize that that doesn't work and then try to shoot my sensors but then notice they cant cuz Ive already shot them like twice, and of course the ones that just took a while for the whole experience of shooting each other endlessly with lasers to sink in. As for me I never stayed in one place for too long I found a good shot took down some people then continued on my search for more people to take out, which wasn't too hard cuz everyone kept screaming at each other. Oh the music in there was pretty good too the Pirates of the Caribbean Theme really got me pumped for some reason.

After two games of intense laser tagging, the sweating of major bullets(at least I did) and realizing that my eyes glowed like a zombie (thanks Josh) we had pizza and drinks and just chilled before we all went on our separate ways. Overall i say it went well, very well. Kristy you did AWESOME!! We all met someone we didn't know before (which is always good) and just had fun. Oh in the end we invited two of the workers to come to Elevate so if you see a really tall guy with braids its the guy from lazer tag with the mic. Who woulda thought that shooting someone else would bring people together and be so much fun.

Thats what I thought about our event I wanna hear from you guys. I know Im not the only one that had fun. Feel free to leave comments.

See you guys around
-Evan Garcia

Volunteers Needed!

2008-06-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings and salutations!

We're writing to give you a heads up on a sweet volunteer opportunity that's right around the corner!

Starting July 5, FRC is starting a weekly event called "Hot Summer Nights". Basically, it's a theme night that will be taking place every Saturday night in July.

We've been asked to help out in this by helping with food preparation and serving. To that end, we need some willing volunteers to come out over those six Saturday nights who are willing to service for about an hour.

If you're able and interested, please email Kristy Selecky at kmselecky@liberty.edu.

See you there!

Monday

2008-06-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

This Monday, June the 23, we're going to play Laser Tag!

Where: Laser Quest in Sunrise (just North of Sunrise Blvd. on University Drive)
When: Meet @ 7:00 PM in the Dive @ the Cooper City Campus. We'll drive over to Laser Quest @ 7:30 PM.
Cost: This is the best part! It's just $13 if you're going to play and $18 if you're going to play and eat.
What: The cost includes 2 games and the pizza is from Papa John's. Plus, we'll have the games to ourselves. It's an Elevate exclusive! Bring a friend!

UPDATE: We have updated information. The cost if you're eating Pizza will be $18, and the $13 price includes 2 games, not three. Sorry for the confusion!

Tonight

2008-06-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

Hey gang,

welcome to the blog.

As I'm sure you remember, tonight was the "doubt" talk, which I hope many of you got something out of.

I remember thinking this week as I prepared the lesson that doubt really isn't a fun topic, but I think it's an important one. I can remember staying up during some really late nights during my days at FSU wrestling with the frustrations of realizing that my faith was going to be a lot harder to hang on to here than it had ever been in my life.

I was living in a world that included temptations, hostile professors, new ideas, and other daily challenges to my faith, and I realized that I had to figure out a way to stay dialed in to what I knew in my head was true, but what my heart had allowed itself to forget.

The cool thing is that God wasn't surprised by it, and he never left me. Sometimes it came easy, other times I really wanted to walk away from the whole thing, but at the end of the day, I kept finding myself at the place where Peter was after so many disciples had left Jesus.

He asked his guys, "are you going to leave me, too?," to which Peter replied, "to whom would we go? You alone have the words of eternal life."

To whom would we go?

Where else would I go?

At the end of so many of those rough times, the knowledge that - for me at least - disbelief would not be an option, helped me to hang in there when things looked shaky. I called it furious belief. Pastor Troy calls it perseverance.

I could go on for a bit about all the ways I've learned to deal with doubt, but I'd like to hear from you guys. When you're struggling with faith, how do you deal with it?

-Mo

PS: for more on the topic, check out Jason Boyett's article on doubt over at trueu.org. Most of what I talked about was directly influenced by his words.

It Matters: Serving

2008-05-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

May 26, 2008

Acts 2:44-47

44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need... And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts chapter 2 is our core scripture for our series “IT” Matters. In these verses we read that the people truly served one another.

Question: What are some ways that you can serve the people in your small group?

Question: What are the positives when we serve one another?

1 Corinthians 12:12 & 27

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one body. So it is with the body of Christ...27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”

To be a part of the body you have to belong or be attached to the body.

Question: In what ways are you attached to the body of Flamingo Road Church?

Question: In what ways do you serve or care for your church?

Question: Is there a need in the “body” that you have noticed and feel that you could help in?

Small Group - It Matters

2008-05-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Monday, May 19, 2008

Acts 2:44-47

44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts chapter 2 is our core scripture for our series “IT” Matters. Verse 47 says, “And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”

Question: What was so appealing that people, both young and old, were drawn to this new idea of church?

Question: What, if anything, is appealing about your Small Group that would cause other college students to want to be a part of it?

Question: What can your Small Group do or become so that others want to be a part of it?

Hebrews 10:25

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Question: What is the urgency mentioned in this scripture?

Question: Some college students attend FRC but don’t come to Elevate. Why do they choose NOT to attend?

What could YOU do to get them to show up AND enjoy it?

Welcome Elevate!

2008-05-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Elevate Blog!

Elevate is the college ministry at Flamingo Road Church. We currently meet at the Cooper City campus and the Doral campus on Monday nights at 7:00pm.

On this blog, we will be posting:
-Small Group Lessons. In case you miss a week or just want to review what we talked about in our small groups.
-Activity Announcements/Schedules
-Activity Recaps
-Guest Bloggers from guest speakers that speak at Elevate

Thanks for coming to check us out.

See ya Monday and don't forget to bring a friend!