THE 12- PART 6: Judas the Villain

 This week, leading up to Easter, we continued our look at 'THE 12' by focusing our attention on one of the biggest villains of the Bible. In fact, Judas is such a villain that his name is in the dictionary! When you call someone a "Judas", it means that a person is "treacherous enough to betray a friend".

 The Bible tells us that Judas betrayed Jesus, turning him over to armed soldiers in the middle of the night, for 30 pieces of silver. Of course, we also know that he famously betrayed Jesus with a kiss. This helped the soldiers identify who Jesus was, but it was also the ultimate way to betray someone, because a kiss, in that culture, was often a sign of friendship, loyalty and respect.

Matthew 27 tells us that when Judas discovered that Jesus would be condemned to die, he was filled with horror and remorse. He returned to the priests who had payed him for the betrayal and tossed the money on the ground, refusing to keep it. He then ran out and hung himself. His guilt was so great that he committed suicide. This was a pretty horrible end for someone who had spent three years walking, talking and learning from Jesus.

How could this happen? How could a disciple who saw Jesus do the things that he did ever decide to betray him? We don't really have the answers to that question, although it's hinted at in the Bible that it was because he was consumed with greed.

JUDAS WAS GUILTY, BUT THOUGHT HE COULDN'T BE FORGIVEN!

Judas definitely sinned. He was directly involved in the murder of an innocent man for money...but that innocent man also happened to be the Son of God! There are some people who think that Judas could never have been forgiven for what he did, but I tend to disagree.

As a Star Wars fan, I love a good redemption story. Darth Vader was someone who did unspeakable evil (even killing little children), and most people (including Obi-Wan and Yoda) felt that he was beyond redemption-- that he had done just too much evil. But, of course, at the end of Return of the Jedi, we see Vader make the right choice and return to the "light side of the force".

That's just a movie, it's something that happens in real life all of the time. There are people who are in prison for horrendous things, but have experienced God's love and forgiveness. That doesn't mean they get a "get out of jail free" card. Justice still has to be served. But those people can still have their hearts made right with God despite what they've done.

1 John 1:9 says, "But if we confess our sins to God, HE CAN ALWAYS BE TRUSTED to forgive us and take our sins away".

No matter what we do, no matter how badly we sin, no matter how much we hate ourselves for what we've done, Jesus loves us and offers us forgiveness, despite what we deserve. Peter's story is a lot like Judas'. Peter betrayed Jesus, he was filled with horror and remorse, but then he continued to be a disciple, even having a conversation where Jesus offered him love, forgiveness and a new start!

If you've sinned. If you've made choices that God wouldn't be proud of. If you are full of self-loathing and hatred for messing up, Jesus still loves you. The Bible reminds us that you can never be beyond redemption. If you're sorry, if you want a fresh start, all you have to do is tell that to Him. How can you not love someone who offers that kind of insane love and grace to each of us?

DISCUSSION

1. Take a few minutes to read 1 John 1:9 together with your teen. Ask them what it means to "confess our sins". Ask them to explain in their own words what the awesome promise is in this verse. Take some time to thank God for the crazy, hard-to-fathom, love he has for us. We're never beyond the reach of his love and grace!

2. Think of a friend or family member who seems incredibly far from God. Have you given up praying for them? Have you given up believing that God can do a miracle and draw them to himself? Take some time to pray for that person!
 

New kidZONE Curriculum Overview

This past Sunday we debuted the brand new curriculum we'll be using at kidZONE on Sunday mornings- 252 BASICS! Because this is new, I wanted to give you a brief overview of what your kids do on Sunday mornings and to describe some of the great resources available to help your kids remember and apply the Bible lesson during the week.

JUMP UP WORSHIP:

Every Sunday morning when the kids head downstairs, we first lead them in several JUMP UP WORSHIP videos on the big screen. We do one "featured song' every Sunday in that month so that the kids will have a chance to really learn the words and actions through repetition. We also choose a second worship song out of our list of past favourites.  For this month (February, 2016) our featured song is 'The Greatest Commandment' by Hillsong Kids (video below).

VIDEO TEACHING:

After our worship time, all of the kids remain in the large group to watch the video teaching on the big screen. This is typically 10 minutes long and features a fun introduction, an animated Bible story or skit, and a wrap-up video that sums up what the story or skit was about. We focus on the same theme for the entire month (and the same memory verse-- see the picture). For this month (February, 2016) the theme is 'High Gear', where all the lessons focus on the importance of teamwork--working together to do the things that are important to God.

SMALL GROUPS:

After the video teaching, kids will split off into age-specific small groups where they discuss the lesson and how it applies to everyday life. In their groups they will also play games and activities, make crafts, and pray together. During the prayer time, leaders ask kids how their week has been and give them an opportunity to pray for any requests they might have. It's so heart-warming to see kids praying for a sick person in their family or that a friend of theirs would come to know Jesus. During their kidZONE groups, kids are also offered a light snack, and if there is free time afterwards, can head out to the LEGO activity tables.

PARENT CUE:

At the beginning of each month, parents will be given a Parent Cue sheet (see picture below) to give them an overview of the months theme and a list of the lessons and Bible verses we'll be focusing on that month. The sheet will also have the monthly memory verse on it. If you missed it at the start of the month, you can pick one up at the table as you leave the kidZONE area on Sunday mornings.

The monthly Parent Cue sheet will also feature some tips on how you can encourage your child or help them remember the lesson. For example, on the below card for Week 1's lesson, it encourages you to write the memory verse on a note and put it in your child's backpack or lunchbox to help them to cooperate with others at school.

GODTIME SHEET:

Each Sunday, your child will bring home a GodTime sheet that contains four short devotions that can be used during the week. This is meant to teach children how to do personal devotions (reading the Bible, thinking about what it says and what it means for their lives, and even praying about it). Please encourage your children to take a few minutes to do their GodTime devotions during the week. For younger children who can't read on their own, parents can do it with them! They are very short and very simple, but again, help the kids remember the lesson from each week and give them ideas for how to apply it to their lives.

VIDEOS (AND MORE) AT HOME: 

Another great resource is that your kids can watch the weekly videos at home! On Sunday mornings, we choose either the STORY (A storyteller using animation to tell the Bible story) or the MOVIE (a skit that depicts the Bible story), but never both. What that means is that, not only can your child watch the same video they saw at kidZONE during the week, but they can also watch the bonus STORY or MOVIE that they didn't see! Visit studio252.tv and click on "Fun2Watch" to watch the videos. Also on this site, you can find music videos, bonus videos, Bible stories, crafts, family fun ideas, and even recipes to do together as a family. And, of course, ALL of these things tie into the monthly theme!

I'm praying that all of these resources help you to have great conversations about the Bible with your kids and equip you to help them better understand and apply what they learn each week at kidZONE!

Pastor Ben

The 12: Part 4- Peter: MR. HARDCORE

Have you ever met someone who was totally hardcore (super intense) about something? Maybe the sports fan who never misses a game and has a shrine set up in their basement? Maybe the gamer who spends so much time with a controller in his hand that he looks like a ghost and hisses when hit by sunlight?

Well, Peter was hardcore.He was hardcore about Jesus.

In Matthew 24:34-35, when Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him, "Peter spoke up, "Even if all the others reject you, I NEVER WILL!" Jesus replied, "I promise you that before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don't know me." But Peter said, "Even if I have to DIE with you, I will NEVER say I don't know you".

It certainly seems that Peter meant those words, because just hours later when soldiers came to take Jesus away, he wielded a sword and cut the right ear off of somebody. He was ready to murder for Jesus! (Incidentally, Jesus, who tells us to love our enemies, actually rebuked Peter for doing so and even miraculously re-attached the ear).

1. PETER'S MOMENT OF FAILURE

While Peter talked a pretty good game, the sad part of his story is that he did exactly what Jesus said he would do. In Mark 14:66-72, after Jesus was arrested, Peter was asked three times if he knew Jesus, and he denied knowing him each of those times.When he heard the rooster crow, he realized that he had failed and wept.

Can you relate to Peter? Do you sometimes feel pressure to hide what you believe, to not talk about where you go on Fridays or Sundays? Do you say you love Jesus, when in reality, you keep your association with him on the down-low?

I really do think Peter missed a huge opportunity to answer the questions those people had. They might have heard stories about Jesus and wanted to know if what they had heard was true! He could have shared his experiences with Jesus and led them to believe in him too. Sadly, that didn't happen.

What we can learn from Peter's moment of failure is that following Jesus doesn't just mean saying or giving the appearance of following him, but REALLY doing it. Sure, you might get mocked and made fun of a bit for living different, but you also might have some amazing opportunities to introduce your friends to the God who loves them.

In Luke 9:26 Jesus says, "If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you...". That verse makes me uncomfortable, but it also makes a lot of sense. If I were ashamed of my wife, slipping my wedding ring off my finger every time I was in public, and when people asked me if I were married, I denied it-- well, the relationship wouldn't last too long. How can we expect to have a relationship with God-- how can we expect him to take care of us and to help us, when we're afraid to admit to people that we know who he is?

2. PETER'S SECOND CHANCE

Even though Peter really messed up, Jesus gave him a brand new start. In fact, when Peter had a conversation with Jesus after he had risen from the dead, John 21 doesn't tell us that Jesus shamed him and told Peter to get lost. No, Jesus showed him love and gave him a new kick at the can. Jesus' words remind us that just saying you're a Christian and that you love God is meaningless. It's what you do with your life, it's in your everyday choices, that proves whether or not that's true.

After that moment with Jesus, Peter really was Mr. Hardcore. He wrote books of the Bible. He traveled around planting churches and telling people about his experiences with Jesus- speaking to thousands of people at a time. He was even tortured and killed because he believed in Jesus.

What we can learn from Peter's story is that even when we mess up big time, Jesus doesn't hate us or want nothing to do with us-- but he offers us forgiveness and a brand new start.

DISCUSSION:

Parents, here's a great opportunity for discussion with your teens.

If one of their friends (or even just an acquaintance) were to come up to them this week and ask them questions about their faith--  
Why do you go to youth group or church? 
Do you really believe in God? How do you know he's real?
How can you believe Jesus really died and rose again? 
Why bother follow what the Bible says when you can have more fun doing what you want?
What is sin? Why would someone need to be forgiven?
--what would your teen say? Would they be able to share their story? Would they be able to explain why they're a Christian?

Take some time to help them think about and discuss some answers to those questions. The Bible says that we should be prepared to give answers to people who ask us about what we believe (1 Peter 3:15). A little preparation will help when the questions come.

Moving past "proximity" into "community".

We've just recently launched a "CONNECT: Friends & Family" group at Arlington Woods (hopefully one of many- what can I say, I'm a dreamer), where we provide an opportunity for people to connect on a regular basis over a meal. This is a model that we've borrowed from our incredible Young Adults group. It's pretty simple really. After a Sunday service, a group of us will head over to someone's home to share a meal together. There's a short devotional and there's an opportunity to pray for any needs/requests, but it's not meant to be some kind of in-depth Bible study. We're just trying to foster community.

It's a family-friendly group, meaning families with kids are welcome to participate, but it's also for anyone who feels that they've outgrown the "Young Adults" stage. Below, I just wanted to share a few thoughts as to why I feel groups like these are not only beneficial, but necessary for the health and growth of our church, or any church for that matter.

Acts 2:42-47 gives us a picture (actually, I like to think of it more as a model) of what a healthy, thriving church should look like.

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 

They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 

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 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.

 Let's just breakdown those highlighted parts:

Fellowship: The dictionary defines "fellowship" as "a friendly relationship among people; the quality or state of being friends." When I hear that word, aside from Lord of the Rings, I think of a group of people socializing and enjoying friendship with each other.

Sharing meals together: Twice in these few verses we read that sharing meals together was an important aspect of Christian community, even mentioning that they did so with great joy and generosity. Included in these meals was their opportunity to remember the significance of Jesus' death by participating in the Lord's Supper. They didn't just pass crackers and juice around the table though. These were full-blown meals they shared.

Meeting in homes: These Christians would worship together in the Temple, but then they would meet in people's homes on top of that. When you invite people into your home, you are letting them into your lives. Allowing people to "invade your territory" means that you're being open and vulnerable. It means you're interested in investing time in relationships. The early church thought that community was worth cleaning the house and worth sacrificing a lazy night in front of the TV.

Enjoying the goodwill of all the people: What's "goodwill"? The dictionary describes it as a friendly feeling or attitude. I describe it as a "vibe", a feeling, a spirit of community and friendship. Isn't that what we long for in our church?

The passage wraps up by saying that the church kept growing with more and more people coming to know Jesus! I’m not sure if that would have happened if there wasn’t such a strong emphasis on building community and connecting with others.

It's really hard to get to know people when you might only get a few minutes to chat together before or after the Sunday service. It's even harder (sometimes impossible) when you've got young children demanding your attention. How can we encourage people when we don't really know them? How can we help people along in their faith journey if we don't know anything about them? How can we feel connected in a church if we don't feel anybody really knows us? When people sit beside each other in a movie theater or at a sports event, or even in a church, that's not automatically "community", that's just "proximity".

The 12: Part 3- John: Jekyll and Hyde

In the novel, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", we read about a scientist who is studying how every person is capable of both good and evil. Dr. Jekyll develops a formula, that, when ingested, turns him into the evil version of himself (Mr. Hyde). Unfortunately for Jekyll, he soon begins to turn into Mr. Hyde even without drinking the formula! The evil version of himself starts to take over!

The disciple we focused on this week, John, isn't a mad scientist, but when we're first introduced to him, he's a lot like Mr. Hyde. However, after spending a few years with Jesus, we discover some BIG CHANGES in his life and attitudes, like he had become a completely different person!

1. BEFORE: THE SON OF THUNDER

The Bible doesn't tell us a whole lot about John, aside from the fact that he was a fisherman, but it DOES reveal something interesting about his life. John, along with his brother James, was given a rather strange nickname by Jesus- they were called the "Sons of Thunder". When you think of thunder, you probably think of something that's noisy and explosive. That perfectly describes John. He was like a bomb just waiting to go off. He was probably a little scary to be around.

In Luke 9: 51-56, we read of a story where Jesus and his disciples weren't welcomed into a Samaritan town. During that time, Jewish people HATED Samaritan people. There was a lot of racism. They also disagreed as to how they should worship God. So, when John heard that Jesus and his disciples weren't allowed to go into the Samaritan village, he went ballistic.  He and his brother were so steamed they asked Jesus for permission to pray that God would rain down fire from heaven to destroy the village! Talk about an explosive reaction!

2. AFTER: THE MAN OF COMPASSION

Fast forward a few years later, and in Acts 8 we find a John who is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! In fact, we read of him traveling through Samaritan towns praying for people to receive the Holy Spirit and telling people about Jesus. These were the same people he had wanted to see destroyed with fire from heaven, and now we find him devoting his life to sharing God's love with them!

3. EVEN THOUGH JOHN WAS LESS-THAN-PERFECT, JESUS LOVED HIM

Six times in the New Testament, John is referred to as "the disciple Jesus loved". Now, that's not saying that Jesus didn't love all of his disciples, but it specifically singles John out as someone who was especially close to Jesus, even though he was by no means perfect. What's cool about that is a lot of people think that if you mess up, if you aren't perfect, God wants nothing to do with you, but that's FAR from the truth. Jesus called this guy to be one of his disciples, one of his closest friends, and he gives us the same invitation too! No matter what you've done or what kind of mistakes you've made, God has a crazy love for you!

4. SPENDING TIME WITH JESUS KILLED MR. HYDE!

So, how in the world did this guy who was so full of hatred and anger, turn around and be loving and compassionate to the same people only a few years later? When John first met Jesus, he was more like Hyde than Jekyll...but over time, something cool happened. Those sinful tendencies started to diminish as he spent more time with Jesus. When you decide to follow Jesus, you're probably far from perfect, but the more you read the Bible, pray, and are a part of church community, something amazing happens. You find that the Holy Spirit renovates you-- changing you more into the person God wants you to be. God doesn't want to turn you into a robot so you think and act like everybody else, but he DOES want to change you! If you spend time with him and LET HIM, he'll start to turn you into the best version of yourself. The Holy Spirit will change you from BEFORE into AFTER!

PARENTS DISCUSSION:

1. Talk to your teen about the difference that Jesus made in your life. Tell him/her about what you were like BEFORE, and in what ways Jesus has changed you for the better.

2. Ask your teen if there are any areas of their lives where they really struggle to do the right thing and make choices that God would be proud of. Are they short-tempered? Do they gossip? Do they mistreat a brother or sister? (Ask them about areas of their life that THEY PERCEIVE to be in need of improvement, don't SUGGEST a long list of flaws yourself). Talk to them about areas where they would like to see God change them for the better. Pray together and ask the Holy Spirit to renovate them, to keep making improvements so that they can become the best versions of themselves!

THE 12: PART 2- The Jar-Jar Binks of the Bible

In the Star Wars movie, The Phantom Menace, we were first introduced to an awkward, clumsy character, who has become, what many consider to be the worst part of Star Wars. Jar-Jar Binks is an outsider, even banished from his own city. He's even referred to as a "pathetic life form", by Obi-Wan Kenobi! While there are certainly Star Wars fans who love Jar-Jar, there is a very vocal group of "fans" who passionately hate the character. In fact, even the guy who played Jar-Jar in a motion capture suit has vowed to never play the character again, because so many people treated him badly and said nasty stuff about him! Even today, 15 years after his debut, Jar-Jar is still the subject of memes and is regularly hated on.

This week, as we continued our series looking at the stories of some of Jesus' disciples, we took a look at the Jar-Jar Binks of the Bible. This guy was so hated that people would cross to the other side of the street when they saw him walking. He likely was spit at and booed. And what's even more shocking is that even the religious leaders of the day treated him like he had some kind of disease, even referring to him as "scum".

Matthew (also known as Levi, the Jewish version of his name) was a tax collector. Tax collectors were hated so much because their job was to take money from the Jewish people and give it to the Roman Empire- this occupying force that ruled over them. On top of that, tax collectors were known for over-charging people and pocketing the extra for themselves. And if that weren't enough, because Matthew was a Jew working for the Roman Empire, he was considered to be a traitor to his own people. Nobody wanted anything to do with him! Well, almost nobody.

Mark 2:13-17 tells us that Jesus approached Matthew (Levi) and asked for him to be one of his disciples. Matthew not only followed Jesus, but decided to throw a house-party so that all of his friends (other tax collectors and people who were generally hated and looked down on) could meet Jesus. The fact that Jesus attended this party caused a big stir. The religious leaders questioned how Jesus "could eat with such scum".

1. Even though Matthew was hated, Jesus treated him with love and kindness. Jesus saw his worth.

Our world is full of many terrible examples of human beings treating other human beings like garbage. You see it in high school. You see it on the news every day. Even though Matthew was treated like garbage by everybody around him, Jesus treated him differently. Jesus invited him to be a disciple. Jesus hung out with Matthew and his friends over supper.

Do you have a reputation for being someone who cares about others and treats people with kindness, even when others might do the opposite? Jesus was known for having love and compassion for people who were often mistreated and rejected. Jesus was known for touching the untouchables! If you call yourself a Christian (a Jesus follower), then we're reminded that the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. Probably all of us know people like Jar-Jar Binks. How do we treat them? We can all agree that there's enough hatred, anger, bullying, and violence in our world. Every day we face choices where we can join in with the crowd and do what seems so normal, or to live the way that Jesus calls us to.

2. Jesus was slammed for hanging out with people known as scum.

Even the religious leaders mocked Jesus and were shocked that he would eat dinner with people who were so universally hated and looked down on. In fact, in Matthew 11:19, Jesus said that he was called a pig, a drunk, and a friend of scum. He was hated and looked down on for showing kindness to people who were hated and looked down on.

Are you someone who's willing to treat others right, showing love, kindness and respect, even if the consequence is to be mocked yourself? Do you let the crowd intimidate you into bullying, mocking, or mistreating others? Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:11-12 that when we are treated badly for doing the right thing, when we are insulted and mistreated for simply doing what Jesus would do, God will bless us.

Parent Discussion/Follow-Up:

1. Can your teen think of someone in their school or neighborhood who is mistreated, bullied, or mocked? Is there someone your teen has a hard time being nice to-- maybe because they are annoying or unkind themselves? Take the time to pray for that person. Pray that they would come to experience God's love and forgiveness for themselves. Pray that God would help them. Pray that God would open an opportunity for your teen to show kindness to people who aren't used to that.

2. Ask your teen what they think their reputation is? If someone were to look at the things they say and do, would they see someone like Jesus? Would they notice a difference in their lives? Would they see someone who is kind and cares for others? Pray together than God would help your teen follow Jesus' example, even when it's hard. Pray that they would live in a way that would show others that they're serious about loving and following Jesus.

3. Challenge your teen to do one thing in the next week that would show kindness and care to someone who is often bullied or mistreated. Brainstorm together what that thing might be! Maybe it simply means saying "hi" or having a casual conversation with that person? Maybe it means sitting next to a person in the cafeteria/lunch room who often sits alone, or inviting them to join your circle of friends? Maybe it means stopping your friends from saying unkind things or gossiping about that person?

THE 12: PART 1 (A Simple Introduction)

This week we launched a series called "THE 12" where we're going to take a closer look at the lives and stories of people who walked and talked with Jesus- his twelve disciples. What were their lives like before they met Jesus? How did Jesus change their lives? What twists and turns did their lives take? What impact did they have on the world?

This week, our focus was on two of Jesus' lesser-known disciples, Andrew and Philip. These guys aren't really famous. They didn't write any Books of the Bible, and they're barely mentioned in its pages! In fact, both of the combined have less than 6 sentences recorded in the whole Bible! While, at first glance, these two might seem like minor characters, they actually ended up having a huge impact on the world!

In John 1:35-50, we see the moments when they first met Jesus. These encounters with Jesus changed their lives, and even after spending a short time with him, they believed that he wasn't just some ordinary dude. Andrew calls Jesus "the Messiah", the Saviour, the one who would rescue people from sin. Philip calls Jesus "the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about"! Yes, these guys were convinced. So, what did they do?

1. Andrew and Philip both introduced people they cared about to Jesus.
Right after meeting Jesus, Andrew went to find his brother Simon and brought him along so that he could meet Jesus for himself. Philip ran to find his friend Nathanael, and told him all about Jesus. Nathanael was a little doubtful, but Philip simply said to him, "Come and see for yourself".

One of the things we can learn from these two guys is that they were open and honest with their friends and family about what they believed and invited them to meet Jesus for themselves! This is a simple reminder to us that we need to be open and honest about what we believe with people around us and should look for opportunities to invite a friend to join us at church or at youth group.

 2. Something so simple had a HUGE impact!
It was such a simple thing they did, but when Simon and Nathanael met Jesus for themselves, their lives were changed. They became disciples too! Simon, in particular, was given a new name by Jesus-- Peter-- which means "the rock". Jesus told Peter that the entire church would be built and strengthened because of his life! Peter went on to share the good news of God's love with THOUSANDS of people! He even wrote some of the books of the Bible! Lives were changed and are still being changed today, just because Andrew simply introduced his brother to Jesus.

When we are open and honest about what we believe, when we tell people what we did on Friday or on Sunday, and don't keep our faith hidden, and when we simply invite a friend along with us to youth or to church, you're creating an opportunity for them to get to know Jesus for themselves. Maybe they have spiritual questions or want to learn more about what the Bible says? A simple invitation might change their lives for the better-- and you never know what kind of impact that might have on the world. Andrew simply brought his brother to meet Jesus-- and through Peter, thousands more experienced God's love and forgiveness. How cool is that?

Discussion:
1. Talk to your teen about where some of their friends are at spiritually. Do some of their friends make terrible, even destructive, choices? Do some of them feel far from God or are even hostile when your teen bring up things that they believe? Take time this week to pray for those friends--either together, or that your teen would do so on their own-- that God would use your teen to be a positive influence on the lives of their friends and that they would come to know Jesus.

2. Encourage your teen to invite a friend to join them at CATALYST sometime in the next few weeks. Let your teen know that you can even help out by giving them a ride. A great first-time introduction to our youth group is our SLIDEJAM sledding event happening on January 22nd. Talk to Pastor Ben to get a permission form for their friend.