We're celebrating at Mercy Street as we launch into another school year! A new year means a clean slate for many of our summer interns who have responded to Christ's call to discipleship; it means a fresh opportunity to begin living out some of the life-changing lessons they learned over the summer. For other students, it means another year of returning to the same demons that faced them last year: old hook-ups, competitive friends, battles with academia, and countless other obstacles that face the youth of the 21st century.
Our hope at Next Phase is to create a space for all the high school students in West Dallas to walk through our doors, get bear hugs and high fives, and to feel free to let their guards down for just a little while. Our prayer is that they'll have a place to come and be known for who they are, beyond all the fronts and facades they're forced to create to get by.
The main place this will take place throughout the year is at our Next Phase Bible Study on Tuesday nights. We meet at 6:30pm at Mercy Street every Tuesday night for dinner and fellowship. Then we move into a time of teaching the Scriptures, followed by age and gender specific small groups. It's become a family for many of our students, where they feel safe to open up about things they've never shared with another soul their entire lives. It's also just a blast because we laugh enough to get a workout every time!
The year long Bible study will begin with our Back to School Rally next Tuesday, September 11th. We're encouraging all our high school students, along with their mentors and parents, to join us for a kick-off party, where we'll roll out the plan for the upcoming year. Please join us! If you think you might be able to attend, RSVP to Julie@mercystreetdallas.org. Also, if you're interested in providing a meal for one of our Tuesday night Bible studies this year, we would LOVE IT. There is definitely a need and it's the ideal way for you to catch a glimpse of the Lord's hand moving at Mercy Street!
