November CTF Update

It is difficult to believe that November is almost over, not to mention 2019! I hate seeing time fly by so quickly but I love seeing God’s transformative work played out through our teens.  He is diligently at work and so very faithful. November is a bit of a blur but so much is happening and I don’t want us to miss it or go on blinded from it all. I hope and pray that you can take part in what we are doing by reading through the monthly blogs and being faithful in prayer for CTF as we work to call the younger generation to go and live out their faith.


Upcoming Events

Feed My Starving Children - December 14th 9 - 11 am
(You don’t want to miss this one! We do not get to have very many service projects so it is very important that your teens attend when we have one.)

Winter Retreat - January 3rd-5th 
(If you have not registered please do so ASAP!)

Here is the Link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepf1BQJqUnCEvENQb3Fmuiap5DItnzTYdxEJds8BIFj-LACg/viewform



Meet Our New Youth Workers

Carlie Shae 

Carlie attended UTA and then found our church through mutual family friends with Connor Clements a little over a year ago. Recently she was looking to serve in a more official capacity and felt led to teen ministry. She has such a great spirit and loves the teens so well. We are super excited to have her as part of our youth worker team.


Dawn McElroy

Dawn graduated from UTD where she attended Focus. Dawn participated in the year long Focus apprenticeship followed by another year serving in the women’s ministry at Northeast in Garland. Dawn is a woman of God filled with great joy and laughter. We are so blessed to have her on our team and in our community. 


Nathan and 
Amanda Hard

Amanda and Nathan went to UTD and were a part of our Focus ministry. They are incredibly funny and giving. Both have a heart for youth and we have been trying to recruit them for a while now. We finally broke them :) I am excited that our our teens get to experience their faith and passion for the Lord.

Clint Sherman

Clint found Northeast Church through one of our students, Elijah. Clint worked at a leadership camp that Elijah attended through school this past summer. We believe that God brought Clint into this community and is indeed an answer to prayer from Clint calling on God. Clint has such a refreshing and genuine love for God and his people. I can’t wait to see what God does with him.




I hope you don’t miss the significance and blessing of having so many high caliber young adults working to grow your children in the Lord.  We have 13 Godly, professional men and women working with roughly 30 kiddos. It doesn’t take much living to realize that this is by no means normal. We are BLESSED! I take great joy in working with each of these people and count it as one of my very highest blessings! Please pray consistently and whole heartedly for them as they set out to do the most important work for you and your families. Love them, support them, and encourage them. 




Student Testimony: Selah Henderson

I grew up with the idea that I was unlovable. While no one tried to teach me that, it was just a thought that I always had. Even though I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday I just couldn't believe that God actually loved me. So, when I was 14 I decided that I was agnostic. However, my dad was a Christian and since he was the smartest and most loving person that I knew I ultimately decided at the beginning of last summer that I would give God one last chance. I started reading the Bible and praying every single day and it honestly changed my life. I learned all these things, including that God really did love me and that He always would. Sometimes I still have to remind myself of that; sometimes I feel so completely unlovable, but God always finds a way of reminding me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made and that He will never let me go.

First Impressions

We’ve been so impressed by the teens and their hearts for God and His people. They’ve been so welcoming to us, and we’re so glad to be working with them. We love being able to impact young people that we care about during such an important time in their lives. 

The teen years can be hard, and we feel blessed to be able to help steer them toward God as they grow and learn. It’s easy for teens to find their identity in the wrong things like grades, relationships, or extracurricular activities, so having a solid group of people for them to do life with at this age is a must. It’s something we both wished we could’ve had growing up and definitely something we want our future children to be involved in. 

It has been such a blessing and encouragement to us to see so many young people with such a solid faith and foundation. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for CTF!

-Amanda and Nathan Hard



Check out this resource!

(These video labs are a great way for teens and adults to engage, learn, and discuss scripture together.)

https://www.desiringgod.org/labs/all


Check out this song!

“Nobody Like You” by Red Rocks Worship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-etwF4Ljg-A

Prayer Requests

1 - We have several students that are currently studying and praying about baptism. Please pray for great clarity, peace, and resolve as they look to make their life commitments to Jesus.

2 - Winter Retreat combined with Wylie CTF - Pray that the Spirit moves and that our teens learn how to become steadfast in their relationships with God.

3 - New youth workers - Pray for energy, wisdom, and overall protection as they serve God.

If any of your teens get out of line this week let me know and I will send my niece Reese over to beat them up for you :)

Happy Holidays!!!