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Never Out of Season

Happy December, Alive Youth Church!

Welcome to Alive Youth Church Weekly

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and here we are saying goodbye to November and hello to December and Christmas. And for those of you who have been in Christmas mode since right after Halloween… well, nothing has really changed for you.

I can hardly believe we’re already wrapping up 2025. Is it just me, or are the months rushing past us? What even happened to the sunny months? Wasn’t that just last week? Whoever decided to put the best holidays in the coldest season knew exactly what they were doing. They basically said, “If people are going to be freezing, stuck indoors, and drenched in rain, we might as well stuff them with turkey, mashed potatoes, and give them gifts from an old guy with a white beard.” Honestly, genius.

All that to say… It’s December already, and that blows my mind.

Because of Thanksgiving last week, we didn’t have AYC. I hope you didn’t miss us too much. Actually, I take that back, I kinda hope you did. Because we definitely missed you! I can’t wait to see you this Sunday and get things rolling again.


Dates to Know & Get Excited About

AYC IS BACK — December 7th @ 6:30pm
AYC Christmas Party — December 14th
Holiday Break (No Youth) — December 21st & 28th
AYC RETURNS AGAIN — January 4th

Even during the holiday season, when schedules get wild and it’s harder to gather, know this: 

AYC loves you and cares about you deeply.

And get excited… because 2026 is going to be a BIG year for Alive Youth Church.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” — Ephesians 3:20

This is my verse for AYC heading into 2026. The one I’ll be praying and holding onto often. Immeasurably more, more than we can ask, think, or imagine, and all through His power working in us.

2026, here we come.
Alive Youth Church, get ready for everything God has in store.


Never Out of Season

I was a youth group leader for many years growing up. I’d help out and sit in on the leaders’ meetings before youth events. Thinking back now, some of the biggest lessons I ever learned in youth ministry didn’t happen during the service, the worship, or the games; they happened in those small, simple meetings. Little comments that have stayed with me to this day. 

One in particular always comes to mind this time of year.

My youth pastor would often say something along the lines of, “Come on, we are a generous people. And generosity isn’t just about money. Be generous with your time, with your effort, and with your words. We’d then go around the room and encourage one another. Saying what we loved about each other, calling out strengths we’d seen, lifting each other up. And of course, it usually ended with a joke about how none of us had much money to give anyway. It was a room full of students, newly graduated, and young adults, so it made sense.

But his words on generosity have stuck with me for years.

Especially around this season, when generosity is everywhere. It’s easy to measure our value by how much we can give or how much we can get. Everywhere we look, it’s gifts, spending, shopping, lists,  and parties. Giving financially is needed and biblical, but it’s not the only form of generosity God calls us into.

"A generous person will prosper; Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
         - Proverbs 11:25

Be generous.

Be generous with your words.
Be generous with your presence.
Be generous with your attention.
Be generous with your encouragement.
Be generous with your patience.
Be generous with the way you talk about people. Even when they’re not in the room.
Be generous with forgiveness, even when it’s difficult.

Because the truth is: we all want those words from others.
We all want someone to see us.
We all crave encouragement and that light from others. 

And here’s the deeper thing I want you to hear:
It's the perfect display of the light of Jesus living in you. It's the Jesus in us that pours out in the form of generosity on others. 

Money runs out. Gifts get used, broken, lost, or forgotten.
But a word of life? A moment of encouragement? A sentence that tells someone they matter, they’re gifted, they’re seen, they’re loved?

People carry that for years. It puts a smile on their face, and often your own too. 

So this December, don’t let generosity be limited to your wallet. Let it rise from your heart, overflow through your mouth, and show up in the way you treat the people around you.

That kind of generosity never goes out of season.

-Isaac Fehlen

Youth Pastor



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