Hello Contineo students, parents, volunteers, and visitors! This is the monthly newsletter for the Contineo Student Ministry at 22nd Street Baptist Church! Every month, on the first Wednesday of the month, come here to get an update on the ministry and a preview of events to come in the next few months. Every newsletter will also begin with a short devotional where I will reflect on a passage of Scripture.
I hope that these newsletters will keep you informed and encourage you to continue sincerely seeking the Lord as you grow in your faith!
Contineo Connect Group
Sundays @ 9:45 AM-10:45 AM
Current Series: The Psalms
 (1)__largepreview__.webp)
Contineo on Sunday Evenings
Sundays @ 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
Current Series:
Dealing With Doubts: How to Navigate Real Doubts
in a Culture Hostile to Christ
__largepreview__.webp)
Hello Contineo! Sadly, Zona Camp 2025 is behind us. It was an awesome time filled with fun, worship, and community! I know that those of you who attended gained a lot from it, and it has been a joy to hear from you about what you got from camp.
Obviously, one of the most important aspects of Zona Camp is the teaching. We get lots of information from camp. Many of you resonated with Pastor Scott's "sticky statements," short statements, grounded in Scripture, that tell you about who God is and what He wants for us. Being informed, however, is not much use to us unless it forms us. That is, we don't get much from great teaching unless we put it into practice in some way in our lives.
Take a moment now to read Matthew 3:8. Some context is important for understanding this text. In Matthew 3, we read about John the Baptizer. John the Baptizer was a forerunner to Christ, the last great Old Testament prophet. His ministry was to prepare people for the coming of Jesus Christ onto the scene. He did this in two ways: through preaching and baptizing. When people responded to his teaching, he would baptize them "for the repentance of sins." This meant that the people who had received his teaching acted on it by turning away from their sin toward God, and that repentance was expressed by baptism.
John the Baptizer, however, was aware of a human tendency not to act on our commitments. This is true of all human beings in a fallen world: we're good at making commitments, but we're not good at keeping them. Therefore, John the Baptizer says, "Make good on the commitment you made through baptism. You've repented. Now live that way." John the Baptizer was realistic about our sinful tendencies, so he encouraged his audience to follow through.
Many of you have been impacted in some way by camp. That is awesome! Praise God that He used camp to reach your heart! Now, follow through. Don't let this opportunity slide.
How do you need to follow through? Some of you have been Christians for some time, but you know you're not really making Jesus a priority. Other things - maybe sports, friends at school, money, or pleasure - are getting in the way of following Jesus. Maybe you need to follow through by changing around your schedule to make it to church each Sunday and read your Bible and pray daily. Some of you are not yet Christians - you haven't come to that point of decision yet and placed your faith in Christ for salvation. You're not even really sure what that looks like, but you have a desire in your heart to take the next step and go all in for Jesus. Maybe you need to talk with me or one of the other youth leaders to gain clarity on what it looks like to make that next step. Maybe you need to take that next step.
Whatever the next step is, heed John the Baptizer's words. Produce fruit in keeping with the commitment you made to Jesus at camp.
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
- Matthew 3:8 (NIV)
Summer Break is almost here! During the Summer Break, we’re going to focus on various things:
See the calendar here for tentative dates for upcoming summer events! If you have any questions, you can reach out to Pastor Kevin.
Followers of Jesus Christ are called to share His love with others by serving those in need. Many Palo Verde students lack essential supplies that we take for granted. Over the next two weeks, we will be gathering supplies for those students. Please pray about how you can help to serve these students!
)__trust__.webp)
When I moved to Arizona, they told me, "At least it's a dry heat." They didn't tell me I'd get absolutely COOKED in this heat! Y'all, my eyes are chapped. We love the summer and being out of school, but we're staying inside for the time being, thanks.