April 16, 2015 To: Parents of current high school students I am so

 Micah Cating Student Minister mcating@istrouma.org 10500 Sam Rushing Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70816 (225) 295-­‐0775 ext. 173 April 16, 2015 To: Parents of current high school students I am so excited for summer with the students at Istrouma. One of the best things about summer is the chance to get out of town with a group of students and spend a week intentionally focused on Jesus. This summer, we have a chance to do this exact thing through High School Beach Week – a beach camp specifically designed for high school students. This camp experience is for ANY student currently in 9th-­‐12th grade. It doesn’t matter if or where your family attends church. If you have a student in your family, we would LOVE to have them with us! Check out some details below and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me. My contact info is listed above. High School Beach Week What is the focus of Beach Week? Our camp focus is New. At camp, we will examine how becoming a follower of Jesus results in living a brand new life! Who is invited? Beach Week is for any student that is currently in high school. ***Students that complete eighth grade in May 2015 have an opportunity to go to Istrouma’s middle school camp, Camp Fuego. Students completing eighth grade are not able to participate in Beach Week. When & Where: June 15-­‐19, 2015 in Orange Beach, Alabama. We will be staying at Romar Beach Baptist Church’s Lighthouse Retreat Center. What does an average day at Beach Week look like? Each morning will begin with breakfast, and a personal Bible study. After that, we will have a large group worship gathering followed by small groups and lunch. In between lunch and dinner our students will have three to four hours of supervised free time at our retreat center and at the beach our facility is located on. Following dinner, we will have another large group worship gathering and some time to process through what we are learning as a group. Then we go to bed and do it all over again! Who are the leaders/sponsors/chaperones for Beach Week? Our Beach Week leaders are people within our church that love Jesus and love students! Some leaders are Istrouma staff members, some are parents of students, and some are volunteers within our student ministry. ALL of our leaders are known individuals that we trust and want to invest in the lives of our students. At Beach Week, we will have at least one adult for every seven students that attend. ***Background checks are run on every leader that serves with any event in the Istrouma Student Ministry. Cost: $285. This cost covers all meals once we arrive in Orange Beach, a Beach Week shirt, transportation via charter buses, lodging for 4 nights, all large group worship sessions, free time activities, and other supplies. ***Not covered: • 2 fast food meals on the road (lunch going to & coming from Beach Week) • Any snacks your student may want purchase during the week. What do I need to do to sign up? 1. Register online (istrouma.org/beachweek) or fill out a card at the church. 2. Turn in a NOTARIZED Istrouma Medical Release Form which can be found at istrouma.org/beachweek 3. Pay your deposit and balance according to the schedule given below: a. $50 deposit due by Sunday, May 17. b. Final balance for camp is due at the parent meeting on Sunday, June 7. You can submit your payment in one of two ways: 1. Pay online at istrouma.org/beachweek 2. Pay by check made out to Istrouma. Drop your check off at the church office or mail it to: Istrouma Baptist Church Attn: Beach Week 10500 Sam Rushing Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70816 How is the group getting to Orange Beach? Our group will be traveling by charter bus. Where will we be staying? Our entire group will be staying at Romar Beach Baptist Church’s Lighthouse Retreat Center in Orange Beach, Alabama. Every participant at camp will sleep in a bunkroom of 12-­‐20 people. Each room has its own private restroom. Find more info about our lodging facility at beachretreatcenter.org Who will be the camp speaker & worship leader at Beach Week? Our camp speaker this year will be Chris Brooks, college minister at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Chris is an experienced camp speaker and has partnered with Istrouma in previous year for DNOW weekend. Istrouma’s Christian Anders and The Grove’s Connor McClendon will lead our group in worship each day. If I have a conflict, can I arrive late or leave early from Beach Week? Yes! If a student’s parent proactively communicates with the Istrouma Student Ministry office, we can easily make that happen. **Parents will need to provide travel arrangements for this situation. When/where is the Beach Week Parent Meeting? Sunday, June 7th from 5:00 to 6:00pm in the Kidz Building Fellowship Hall. **We will have a notary present as well as all needed forms. Thank you for taking the time to read through this letter. If I can answer any questions for you or help you get connected in any way, please let me know. In Christ, Micah Cating Student Minister, Istrouma Baptist Church