What is Transit?
Transit is a Sunday worship environment specially tailored to help students discover a faith of their own.
Grades 6-8 can be a confusing and exciting season. Through inspirational speakers, heartfelt small group discussions, and fun games—students explore their relationship with Jesus and how that can influence every decision they make.
We want every student to know:
- I will love God because he will never stop loving me.
- I will follow Jesus because he knows me better than I know myself.
- I will live out God’s story so others can know who Jesus is.
Transit usually meets during the 10:00 a.m. service but due to Covid lockdown levels we will only be online for now. The messages will also be available on our YouTube channel during the week.
For more information or if you have a question, please contact Jay Robinson (Transit Coordinator)
Email – [email protected]
To subscribe to our Student YouTube channel
Current Series
YOU ARE A LEADER - MARCH 2021
At Transit, we think every student is a leader. We believe every student affects their world, influences their friends, and shapes the culture at their school. So, for the next four weeks, we're going to dive into the topic of leadership by looking at the leader of the early church: Peter. Peter was not perfect-in fact, he made lots of mistakes. However, he was given the opportunity to lead and he rose to the occasion.
WEEK ONE – Before you can lead others, you first have to lead yourself.
See you on Sunday March 07th!
TO FIND ALL PREVIOUS TRANSIT MESSAGES:
Past Series
FRIEND OR FOE - FEBRUARY 2021
We’ll be spending the next two weeks talking about two key ways to think and act wisely when it comes to our friendships. First, we want to inspire you to have the courage to speak up when your close friends are making unwise decisions. Second, we want to challenge you to be ready to receive feedback from your friends about their decisions. Ultimately, we want our students to know that fighting for great friendships is worth it and that the best friendships are those built to handle accountability.
PART ONE – We don’t want to make things awkward with friends, so we don’t speak up.
Most of us have experienced the angst and questioning that come with speaking up when those who are close to us make poor decisions. This week our discussion will focus on how a man named Nathan handled this with someone who was headed down a very dangerous path. By looking at what Nathan did, we will help students discover that they need to be brave enough to speak up if their close friends are making unwise decisions.
PART TWO – Are we open to hearing advice?
Last week, we discussed the difficulty of speaking up and giving feedback to friends who aren’t open to it. This week we want to talk to students about their openness to feedback. It’s difficult to let friends be our sounding boards because often their words are heard as judgmental rather than caring. But what if we are missing out on great advice because we refuse to listen with open minds? Today, we’ll discover through a proverb that wise people listen . . . and when we choose not to, we are just being stupid.
HOW DO I KNOW - FEBRUARY 2021
It took thousands of years, several different languages, and an untold number of authors to write the books and letters that would become the Bible. So, with all these people composing the collection of books, how could it possibly be cohesive? How could it actually tell one story? The only answer is that the authors were not working alone, but God himself guided their hands as these passages and stories were compiled. So, for the next few weeks, we are going to look at the Bible—not as a dusty collection of books, but as God’s message to humanity.
Part One – Jesus was a real person
The Bible gets a bad reputation as a nice book of fairy tales. The authors of the Gospels and the disciples were willing to suffer and die for their beliefs in this story. If they made it up, why would they die for it? Or, if the story evolved after them, what did they die for? Was it simply the idea that Jesus was a good guy? The most convincing evidence that this story is factual is found in the willingness of the authors to be imprisoned, banished, excommunicated, stoned, tortured, beaten, and killed. This week, we want to discuss how the strongest evidence of the accuracy of the Gospels are the authors themselves. After all, how many of us struggle when we are inconvenienced for our beliefs, much less die for them?
Part Two – The Bible is just one more sign that God is working in your life.
Let’s be honest. The Bible is not the easiest or, at times, the most exciting book to read. We know there are many different genres and many different interpretations of the events and words inside, so it can become a little daunting when it comes to sitting down alone with this book. Today we are going to address how the Bible was put together and who inspired it. Students will come to understand the Bible, not just as a book of history, laws, or strange stories, but one gigantic volume made up of different encounters with God by God. They will go home today knowing that the Bible is their guidebook to understanding how God works, who he is, and that it was written for them.
CAUSE AND EFFECT - JANUARY 2021
We say things we don’t mean, we post things we shouldn’t post, we do things that end up backfiring on us, and each time we’re left thinking, “If only I could do that over again.” So is there anything we can do to make better decisions? By always asking “what is the wise thing to do” we can make sure each step of the journey leads us to where God wants us to be. After all, we need to learn that life is full of “Cause & Effect”.
24 January – We have all made dumb decisions in the past
This week, we’re going to give you the best question you can ever ask when it comes to making wise choices. Every student has dreams they’d love to see come true. We know that students are most fulfilled when they are living in God’s plan for them. The only way for you to stay on track is for you to learn to ask, “What is the wise thing to do?”
31 January – How do we know what to do with our time?
Often times we know what’s right. We know what we need to do. But we still can’t seem to make the wise choice. This week, we will explain that the difference between knowing what is wise and doing what is wise is often a simple matter of time. We will be looking further at Paul’s advice and his emphasis on how we spend our time so we can see the divide between the things that steal our time with things that make our time well spent.
COME WITH US - NOVEMBER 2020
Have you ever been nervous when walking up to the door of a new friend’s house or going into a new school on your first day? We’ve all been there, and these nerves can easily spill over into our faith. In the parables of Luke 15, Jesus makes it very clear: When someone returns to God, God rejoices. He doesn’t ask where they’ve been. He doesn’t want to talk about their mistakes or the time that has passed since he’s seen them. No, God rejoices, and everyone with him rejoices as well. As we return to in-person meetings, we will challenge you to invite your friends by talking about the parables of Jesus in our series Come With Us.”.
8 November – How will people react when I show up?
We’ve all misplaced things we really care about. Whether it was our blankies as kids or our homework as students, we all know the panic and anxiety that hit us when something we value is gone. We also know the relief that washes over us when we find these precious items.
15 November – We want to avoid standing out
What about us? Why does he care more about him? I don’t know if sheep have thoughts, but I imagine if they did, they may have wondered something why the shepherd would leave ninety-nine loyal, healthy sheep for one lost sheep.
22 November – We feel we have to fix ourselves before we can come to church
In the parable found in Luke 15, the father serves as a great example of grace because when he sees his son coming home, he races to him, throws his arms around him, and celebrates his return.
Why? - October/November 2020
Over three weeks, we’ll look at some questions you might be asking and, hopefully, provide some answers. We want to equip you so that you can navigate these tough why questions.
18 October – What does it mean to be a Christian?
It is no secret that Christians often get the reputation of being judgmental, hypocritical, or harsh. Why is that?
25 October – Why are people mean?
We’ve all dealt with mean people. They can be frustrating, annoying, and incredibly hurtful. If we’re being honest, we’ve also all been mean to someone else.
1 November – Why do I feel like God has forgotten about me?
We have heard that God loves us and that he is good, but what about the times when we feel like God has forgotten about us?
Seek to Serve - September 2020
I think it’s fair to say that we don't always remember that the sun is rising and falling all around the world, not just over our own lives. Why is that important? Because the Christian walk has a lot to do with thinking about not only the people thousands of miles away, but the people standing next to us. In this series, we will guide you through why it's crucial to live lives of servitude and how you can go about doing that in our community as a church that is striving to “Be Rich.”
Part 1 – Christ’s message spread because of people like you.
Angels, visions, and even talking donkeys are some of the ways God has spread his message. However, more often than not, he chooses a more traditional approach.
Part 2 – If you serve to get, that’s all you’ll get.
We all know that serving others should be done with genuine and sincere gestures. We should happily and cheerfully meet others’ needs in secret and know that our reward is being able to give our help freely and show the love of God to someone else.
Part 3 – Seek to serve, rather than expecting to be served.
Most of us have dreamed about being the one in charge with everything we could ever want at our fingertips. However, in John 13, we find Jesus with a very different attitude and no mention of doormen or personal assistants.
Real Talk - Aug/Sept 2020
Grades 6-8 are tough, and it’s even more difficult when we’re not honest and real with those around us. It’s so easy to care about what people think of us, but sometimes we care so much that we put on an act. Unfortunately, when we do so we rob those around us the chance to know who we really are. Over two weeks, we will challenge you to make two commitments: to be real and to accept others when they are real. Jesus wants us to experience real, lasting relationships that help us become the best versions of ourselves. We’ll discover how to do this in our series, “Real Talk”.
Week 1 – School seems to be full of fake people.
At times we’re all tempted to pretend we’re someone we’re not, but today we want you to discover that being fake doesn’t foster real relationships.
Week 2 – Genuine relationships are difficult and messy.
Being real can be extremely difficult because we fear not being accepted. As we’ll discover next week, everyone is in the same boat. We all want to be accepted, even in the areas we fight so hard to mask.
In This Together - August 2020
Getting along with our families already comes with a set of challenges. In this season of homeschooling and social distancing, those challenges can easily become exaggerated. Our relationships with our families are incredibly important. They are often what help us through tough seasons like the one we’re in. For the next few weeks, we’re going to talk about how to keep those relationships healthy, because now, more than ever, we are In This Together: Whether We Like It or Not.
Week 1 – My family is not normal.
Grades 6-8 is a time of discovery. One such discovery may be that your family is a little different than everybody else’s seem to be.
Week 2 – The only way to get freedom is to fight for it.
“Honour your father and mother” probably doesn’t top your list or any other student’s list of favourite passages from Scripture. But . . .
Week 3 – How do we handle conflict?
We all know what it feels like to disagree with someone. It’s a hard feeling to get past, isn’t it? But if we’re being really honest . . .
Four Friends - July 2020
During Grades 6-8, students want nothing more than to have close friends they can count on. But how can we find great friends? If only it were as simple as choosing them from a catalog or an online gallery. Unfortunately, it’s not. People come and go from our lives; some will stick, and some won’t. What’s a student to do? Over three weeks, we’ll be looking at the story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In our series Four Friends, we’ll learn what it means to build your relationships on things that last.
Week 1 – Choosing friends can be complicated.
Going back to school brings all sorts of new opportunities, one of which is making new friends. However, making friends isn’t easy.
Week 2 – This year is harder than last year.
Grades 6-8 are an intimidating time for students who are standing alone. But when they have friends surrounding them . . .
Week 3 – When difficult times come we don’t know what to do.
As uncomfortable as corporate prayer can be, it’s a powerful tool in growing relationships with friends that are also focused on seeking God.
Freedom - June 2020
We all want more freedom. If we could be completely released from all limitations and regulations, that would be a dream come true for the Grade 6-8 student. At this age, students want to be liberated from the rules and authorities that limit their choices. However, you may be unaware that freedom is a tricky thing. You can gain more freedom, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can live without rules. You can have more liberty, but that doesn’t mean you can live without obligations to those around them. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to unpack this idea in our series, Freedom.
Week 1 – We think freedom means having access to everything we want.
The desire to have everything you want can quickly cause students to equate stuff with freedom. Your friends parents trust them with a phone—why don’t yours?
Week 2 – We think the way to get more freedom is to fight for it.
This week, our quest for freedom becomes personal. There are specific people keeping you from the freedom you desire.
Week 3 – We think we can do whatever we want.
At its core the Christian faith has a beautiful truth: We are coved by grace. Grace is knowing we have been set free from the condemnation that comes with our sin.