Junior High Monthly Update

August 2026

I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to keep my head down and always look to the next thing. Rarely do I allow the time and space to reflect, praise God for what He’s done, and trace His workings over the course of my life. Personally, I did not grow up in the church… at all. I knew nothing of God’s Word, the Gospel, or my sinfulness. It took the Holy Spirit using Scripture to convict my heart of sin and present the wonderful salvation offered in Jesus to change me. This past June 23, I celebrated my seventh birthday. No-not my physical birthday-but my spiritual one. Looking back over the past seven years is astounding. God has done so many amazing things - and I don’t even know the half of them.

I want to encourage you as our summer comes to a close: Stop, look back, and trace God’s workings in your life, and your family’s life. If it’s hard to see, look harder, look longer. Sometimes it takes time to develop the sort of “sanctified vision” that sees how God is moving. Maybe this means taking out a pen and paper and writing down (yes physically writing down) the blessings that you’ve received. Maybe it means writing down the challenges that God has walked with you through, even if you don’t feel it sometimes. Maybe it’s turning off the TV, putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and sitting in silent prayer and contemplation.

The truth is that God is so good. It’s a simple truth, but it never gets old. He does things that we cannot even explain. He does things that we’ll never be aware of until eternity. Romans 8:28 famously says: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” ALL THINGS - Isn’t that something?

This summer was such an awesome time in our Junior High group. In particular, I look back and praise the Lord for the work He did at Mt. Gilead. It blessed my heart to see so many of our students stand up in front of the camp and declare their faith and how God had been convicting and encouraging them. This is only the beginning for many of them, and a stepping stone for others on their spiritual journey.

I want to encourage you, parents, to consider talking to your student about attending our upcoming fall retreat. It’ll be a camping trip the weekend of Sept 18-20 (details found in the event registration below) and we’ll be focusing solely on the discipline of prayer. I am confident that God will use that weekend to deepen the relationship that many of these students have with Jesus.

I am praying for you all as school is about to kick back into gear - stay rooted in God’s Word, reflect on His goodness regularly, and keep fighting the good fight of faith.

Blessings,

Julian Marcel | Pastor of Junior High | Hessel Church | julian@hessel.org

Resource of the Month

optimizing

Visual Theology Guide to the Bible

For a beautiful, approachable, informative presentation of the concepts and principles of Scripture--turn to any page of A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible and be instantly immersed in the visuals and teachings of God's Word. A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible is not only a wonderful introduction to the Christian life, it is a functioning guide for understanding and living out your faith. You'll see how the Bible is put together, why the authors wrote each book, and what all of it means for your life today. What's more, you'll learn why the Bible can be trusted and how to answer common criticisms of the Bible.

Learn More / Buy Book

Wednesday Night Lessons

August 5 | Boasting Only in the Cross | Galatians 6:11-18

We'll be wrapping up our series through the book of Galatians by focusing on verse 14: "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

August 12 | Glorifying God | 1 Corinthians 10:31

We'll be kicking off our new fall series, "All For His Glory: Living For Jesus Everyday," by defining what it means to glorify God in our lives. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

August 19 | Scripture as Our Foundation | Romans 15:4

If we want to glorify God with our lives, we must start with His Word. The Bible is the foundation of the Christian life, and so we'll dive into a theology of Scripture that motivates our students to listen to God's voice within the pages of the Bible.

August 26 | How to Study the Bible [Pt. 1]

We'll be laying out a practical methodology that is accessible for our students to read, study, and learn from Scripture on their own. This week will be focused on learning the method, and the following week will be focused on practicing the method.

Sunday Morning Lessons

August 2 | No Breakfast Club

As it is the first Sunday of the month, please join your families in the worship center to participate in corporate worship with the church family.

August 9 | Deity

Big Idea: Jesus claimed to be God AND provided compelling evidence. This study will provide students with confidence in defending the deity of Jesus Christ.

August 16 | Apostles

Big Idea: The apostle's willingness to suffer and die shows the depth and sincerity of their testimony. This study will strengthen our student's faith by looking at the heroic, tested faith of the Early Church.

August 23 | Texts

Big Idea: Numerous and early manuscripts help establish the reliable transmission of the New Testament. This study will boost student's confidence that the Bible truly is God's Word.

August 30 | Archaeology

Big Idea: The archaeological record helps establish the historicity of Scripture. Here, students will learn another piece of the puzzle that fits together to show how reliable the Bible is.