Slight Schedule Change

In order to accomodate our growing group, we're making a slight schedule change.  Starting next week, Monday, May 14th the schedule will look like this.  Changes are highlighted in yellow.

6:00-6:30 - 6-11 year olds only
6:30 Dinner for all - 6 years old through high school
7:00 - 7:30 - Bible Sessions
8:00 - 8:30 - 12 and older only

Parents - Please do your best to help us as we try this new schedule.  12-19 year olds should arrive at 6:30 in order to pray and have dinner with everyone.  The 6-11 year old group needs to be picked up at 8:00.

This is a trial run.  We'll see how it goes over the next few weeks.  Thank you for your cooperation and patience.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact me.  brett@madskates.com or 206-423-0813.  Thank you.

***Please note: Memorial Day, May 28th, we will be closed.  Please have fun with your families!

Mark Your Calendars...

May 24th 3:30pm
Our first ever - Pizza at Uncle Pete's (Uncle Peteza's Dine In is located just south of the Country Village in the New Safeway Center at 24118 Bothell-Everett Highway, Bothell, WA.
This event is for our 12 and over crowd only.
Pizza will be purchased by MAD Skates.
Bring money to purchase a drink or have some free water with me! :)

Here's What's Happening!

• Thanks to everyone who prayed for our family through this wicked stomach flu.  We are all pretty close to back to normal now.  Special thanks to our local friends and family who offered to run to the store for us or bring us a meal.  You have a special place in our hearts.
• Friday, April 27th
• You have been invited to the open skate session at Canyon Hills Community Church from 6:00 - 11:00pm.
• Cost: Free
• Monday, April 30th
• Pizza
• Video Bible Session
• How we can Make A Difference to children around the world this May.
• Cost: Free
• June 8th - Block Party!
• Eastside Foursquare Church (EFC) is hosting a block party and you're invited. 
• BBQ and Concert provided by EFC with the skate park provided by MAD Skates & Rec Center. 
• EFC Address 14520 100th Avenue NE, Bothell, WA 98011. 
• Cost: Free
• June 23rd - Seahawks Training Center Tour & Lunch.
• We will meet in the Albertson's Parking Lot in Canyon Park at 10:00am. 
• The tour at 12 Seahawks Way begins at 11:00 and will last approximately 1 hour including a tour of the weight rooms and throwing footballs around the indoor field.  Our host, Mike Flood of the Seahawks and Sounders, suggests wearing tennis shoes and comfortable clothing to get the most out of the experience. 
• Afterward, we'll head to Pizza Hut in Bellevue: 15210 SE 37th Street, Bellevue, WA 
• Cost: $5 for lunch.
• We need parents/volunteers to help drive everyone, so if you are available to help with transportation, please let me know. 
• Kids and Teens!!! This is an event you must register for or we will not have a ride for you!

MAD Skates Cancellation

Well I hate to do this, but we are canceling MAD Skates for tomorrow night. Bev is still fighting a nasty cold, and I just picked up a flu that is rocking my world. I cannot remember ever feeling this badly. Please pray for both of us as well as my son, Isaac, who has the flu as well. Thank you.

New Format

MONDAY NIGHTS - Monday nights will still run from 6:00pm - 8:30pm with dinner provided and Bible Session running roughly from 7:00pm-7:30pm. 
CHANGES - 

• The gym will be set up with the front half for skating and the back half for other activities.
• The "other activities" will include:
• games (relays, simon says, challenges)
• basketball
• soccer (still acquiring gear)
• hockey (still acquiring gear)
• scootering
• dodgeball
• kickball.
• There is a sandwich board that states what activity will be taking place in that area for the time determined by the volunteers. We're looking at 20-30 minutes per activity while being flexible based on which kids are in attendance.
• We have acquired a second tv/dvd combo for the 6-11 year old class. This is allowing Teachers Bev & Robb to teach regular Bible lessons most of the time while having a "movie night" on "pizza night." Any great DVD ideas (30 minutes) for this age group would be greatly appreciated especially if anyone has any they can loan us.
• We are starting to do arts/crafts as well as looking into doing small cooking classes. The cooking classes will be limited in class size by the instructor (roughly 4-6 kids) and will take the kids through the entire process from preparation to clean up and may or may not include the actual cooking portion. Currently we're thinking of things like cookies where we do not need a stove top or a knife. :) As for arts/crafts, we are definitely in search of a few good ideas.

If you see a way you might fit into our new Monday Night format in teaching a cooking class, leading an art/craft, teaching either the 6-11 year old or Jr/Sr High Bible Session, or running a 30 minute section of games, we'd love to have you for whatever you are willing to do. We do not need you to commit to being there for the entire night.

501(c)3 Update

Great news!  We not only got our 501(c)3 status reinstated, but it is retroactive to the date of revocation. 

What does this mean?

All contributions in 2011 are tax deductible, and moving forward, we continue with our non-profit, tax exempt status as if nothing had happened. 

God is truly awesome.

David Shelton Passed Away Last Night

David Shelton, the beloved father of one of our long time friends and skater, Connor Shelton, passed away last night after a very long battle over many many years. Although we are excited that he is now with his Eternal Father and the King he loved so much, we are saddened for the family who has lost such a great father and husband.

The memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, March 25th at 3:00pm at Canyon Hills Community Church in Bothell. I would love to see some of the MAD Skates crew at the memorial supporting Connor and his family.

*This is the second father we have lost this school year. Please continue to pray for Kory and Connor who were good friends, our first skaters, and have both lost their very awesome dads this year.

An Update

501(c)3 I have the additional information request from the IRS now.  I am waiting for one quick answer from another ministry with which we work, and then I will be sending our responses off to our IRS agent.  After speaking to her on the phone, I think we should have our non-profit status back very soon. Please continue praying for this as well as this being retroactive back to last May.

President's Day We will be hosting Skate Night as usual this Monday night despite the holiday and mid-winter break for Northshore School District.  So, if you are around and want to come hang out, please do.  We'd love to see you. 

Jubilee Skate T-Shirt Sales Starting Monday, all Crucified Boardwear clothing is on sale at $2 over cost.  This is a huge savings to you!  Sale ends Monday, March 26th.

Happy Anniversary M.A.D. Skates!

February 2, 2012 marks the completion of our 3rd year of running Skate Night. A huge debt of gratitude and heart full of thanks to Bethany Bible Church for giving us a place to be for the past three years. Thank you to all of our volunteers, teachers, and chefs who keep the place running week after week. We could not go on without you.

To the parents and the kids who come each week I want to say that we are honored that you choose to join us on Monday nights. Here in the Greater Seattle area there is no shortage of things for you to do, and you still choose to hang out with us. Thank you. We have students involved with wrestling, hunting, basketball, swimming, bands, honors classes, 4H, motocross, church, and the list goes on and on. On my way to Skate Night each week I pass by an elementary school that hosts a teen night the very same day, and just a few blocks from Skate Night is a bowling alley. There are a multitude of activities to be involved with here; thank you for choosing M.A.D. Skates!

In 2011, we lost our 501(c)3 non-profit status due to an administrative error. Most assuredly we will get it back once our application is processed. Our reapplication has been with the IRS since September and is still waiting assignment to an agent. Although this is a minor set back in our fundraising efforts, God miraculously is supplying for all our needs. 2011 left us staring into 2012 with giant grins across our faces as both Grizzly Sports and Physiocare Physical Therapy chose to be corporate sponsors. For Physiocare this is their second year supporting us. In addition, our insurance was significantly lower this year saving us almost $300.

On February 2, 2009 when Skate Night started, we had 2 kids show up. We now see about 15 each week. We are not great in number, but we are strong at heart. Our smaller ministry size allows us to passionately pray for each one of our kids, get to know the parents, and be involved with their lives. Some of the parents and I have begun networking on community projects like urban farming and the plastic bags for sleeping mats in Uganda.

There is more to come and 2012 is looking good! February marks the start of our Taco Time fundraiser. We will be selling 100 Taco Time coupon books in order to pay our February rent. We're working with a contact from the Seattle Seahawks to get to go down to Seahawks Stadium to throw some footballs around this summer. Hiking trips, local skate spot adventures and the reborn Discipleship Program are all in the works for 2012.

Thanks again for your love, prayers, and financial support. We are truly blessed!

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Tonight's Bible Session Lessons

6-11 Year Old Group
Memory Verse: Isaiah 40:31
Bible Basis: Luke 12:16-21
Theme: Being rich in character
Story: Discover how a rich man was foolish and ended up with nothing because he wasn't rich in character.

12+ Group
Memory Verse: I Timothy 4:12
Bible Basis: Genesis 1:17, Psalm 139:14, Psalm 100:3, I Corinthians 6:18, Ephesians 5:3, and I Thessalonians 4:3-6
Themes: Body Image & Sexual Purity
Story: Emily Copeland