Peter, James, and John were part of what we might call Jesus’ inner circle. They were the only three who were at the Transfiguration of Jesus, at Jairus’s house when his daughter is raised to life, and they get the closest spots to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Your squad will be like your inner circle, because they will be the ones who you turn to for help in times of need, that is, getting more points for your squad. Your squad is also represented by people from all across Canada with every region represented in every squad. And each squad’s name comes from one of those inner circle disciples. Each squad with its own color and name, and each with representation from every region in LCC.
Three disciples, three squads, one winner.
There will be a number of different competitions where individuals or teams can win points for their squads.
For example, we will have breakout session evaluation forms that can be filled out. Fill it out and you’ll earn points for your squad.
Another example is the Sunday offering. You may have heard that the offering is going to support Team Zion and their work supporting the Lutheran Church in Nicaragua. We are going to have buckets/containers where we’ll accept change/coins, and you’ll be able to put them into your team’s container. The team with the most money will win points for their team and will also be helping support Team Zion. So, if you have talked about the offering already, you can encourage your young people to bring some change along.
The last example is that on Saturday we will be having SPIRIT DAY, so if you or your youth or any other people who will be in attendance from your congregation or circuit will be there, they are welcome to pack clothes of that color (the team with the most spirit, color representation will win points for their team; extra points for the best dressed).
So, here is the breakdown. We have the congregations listed under each team, but we have arranged the teams by circuit, so you will see what circuit your church is a part of if you didn’t know it already. IF you can’t find your congregation (or city, or circuit) here, that means we’ve missed you somehow, so let us know.
Petra: Red Squad (πέτρα, Greek for rock, pronounced… petra) (Peter) – bring your red outfit/articles of clothing
Called by Jesus, along with his brother Andrew, was a fisherman before fishing for men. While he may be known as the disciple who denied Jesus three times, he is also known for his confession of faith in response to Jesus’ question of “who do you say I am?” Peter responded with, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered him, “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16, 18). The rock is not Peter himself, rather, the rock is his confession of faith in Jesus Christ the Son of the living God. It is upon this rock that your squad is built. Will anybody be able to prevail against you and your squad?
Concordia, Edmonton (Edmonton Circuit)
Riverbend, Edmonton (Edmonton Circuit)
Trinity, Winkler (Portage Circuit)
Good Shepherd, Regina (Wascana Circuit)
Concordia, Penticton (Okanagan Circuit)
St. John’s, Vernon (Okanagan Circuit)
Faith, Desboro (Hanover Circuit)
Christ, Aurora (English District)
Ichthys (ἰχθύς, Greek for fish, pronounced ick-th-us) (James): Blue Squad – bring your blue outfit/articles of clothing
Called by Jesus, along with his brother John, they became known as the “sons of thunder.” Prior to their calling they were fishermen who were present at the miraculous catch of fish, which then prompted them to leave their nets behind because they would no longer be catching fish, but people (Luke 5:1-11). Ichthys is also a common acronym, using the Greek letters in the word it becomes Ἰησοῦς (Jesus) Χρῑστός (Christ) Θεοῦ (God) Υἱός (Son) Σωτήρ (Savior) which means to say “Jesus Christ God’s Son is our Savior.” James is believed to be the first of the original disciples to be martyred, because he kept his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior, and was willing to die for the One who died for him. Will your team be the first to fall or the last one standing?
Bethany, Campbell River (Vancouver Island Circuit)
St. Luke/Our Saviour, Ottawa (Ottawa Circuit)
Faith, Kitchener (Kitchener Circuit)
Holy Cross, Kitchener (Kitchener Circuit)
Peace, Winnipeg (Red River Circuit)
Bronte (βροντή, Greek for thunder, pronounced bron-tay) (John): Yellow Squad – bring your yellow outfit/articles of clothing
Called by Jesus along with his brother James, they became known as the “sons of thunder.” John wrote the Gospel of John and there describes himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” and may very well be considered the closest to Jesus of the three disciples who are in the inner circle. At the Last Supper John sits nearest to Jesus (John 13:23). He is the only disciple we know for sure was at the crucifixion, because it was there that Jesus gave His mother Mary into John’s care. John is also the first disciple to reach the empty tomb on Easter Sunday (beating Peter there). You’re going to love your squad, and time will tell whether or not you rumble ahead and win the race to first place.
Foothills, Calgary (Calgary Circuit)
Mount Calvary, Red Deer (Wetaskiwin Circuit)
St. Peter’s, Leduc (Wetaskiwin Circuit)
North East Lutheran Parish (Nipawin, Melfort, Mistatim, and Hudson Bay, SK) (Northland Circuit)
Zion, Prince George (Cariboo Circuit)
Christ, Sarnia (Windsor Circuit)