Winter Jam is Coming!

Are you signed up for our high school retreat?! This is the start of a new tradition--so get in on it now!

SENIOR HIGH WINTER JAM RETREAT: MARCH 5-7, 2010

YOUR $40 WINTER JAM ADMISSION INCLUDES:
SWIMMING, BASKETBALL, VOLLEYBALL, SHOWERS, ETC @ A LOCAL RECREATION CENTER, 5 HOT MEALS PLUS SNACKS EACH NIGHT, MULTI-SENSORY PRAISE & WORSHIP, RETREAT SPEAKER FOR THE WEEKEND, A GAME ROOM, SATURDAY NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL AS THINGS MONEY CAN’T BUY, SUCH AS OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET NEW FRIENDS AND A TIME TO GROW CLOSER TO GOD!


Registration and money is due to Amy by Sun, Feb. 21! Be sure to sign up by the Youth Room Door! This would be a great event to invite friends to. We will have pizza at the church Friday night before we leave.

Thought for Today

Talking with your son or daughter about faith is the same as talking to them about sex. We cannot assume that "they'll learn what they need to do know at school" (or at church), nor can we simply say "Well, I hope you'll make the right choice."

Start the conversation.

Church at the Mall!

Youth Group will look a little different this week! We're on the move--meet us at the Food Court in the mall at 5pm. Please bring money for dinner (your choice of fast food)! Check out more info at the facebook event page. **This is a change from the January calendar**

What are you gonna do next??

There's a line that the quarterback of the winning Superbowl team delivers at the end of every game. The reporter says, "...You just won the Superbowl...what are you gonna do next??"

"I'm going to Disney World!!" he announces.

Well guess what, folks. We can go to Disney World. Reach Workcamp has partnered with Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" volunteerism program. If you participate (as a youth or adult) at Reach WC this year, you will have earned a free day at Disney. Check our more details here: http://reachwc.org/pages/disney.shtml.

Still planning your family vacations? Build Reach AND Disney into your plans!

New Year...New Opportunities, New Chances, New Experiences!

First, let me apologize. Due to a pretty crazy final month of grad school, I've been rather neglectful towards this poor blog. Hopefully I'll regain the balance now!

Happy New Year to each and every one of you! It's been a great year for our church and for our youth ministry. Here's a brief list of highlights from the 2009 FUMC Youth Ministry:

• Five of our youth led a VBS and worked on a construction site in La Ceibita, Honduras
• Held our first ever Senior Citizen Prom for the elderly of our community
• Sent a record number of youth and adults on our 12th (?) Reach Work Camp in Annville, PA
• Graduated ten seniors and sent them off to college with our prayers
• Confirmed twelve sixth- and seventh-grade students as members of the church
• Packed a dozen Operation Christmas Child boxes to be sent to children in Panama, Madagascar, and Southern Darfur
• Senior high students cooked dinner for the New Philadelphia Homeless Shelter
• More of our students joined small groups and began inviting friends to do so
• Several students made decisions to make Christ a more integral part of their lives, beginning to process what it really means to be a follower of Jesus

...and these are just a few highlights! Our students continued to represent Christ to their friends at school and on the field. We're looking forward to another fantastic year in 2010...filled with new opportunities, new chances, and new experiences. Here's a few to spark your interest:

• Senior High will be attending a high-school only retreat in March put on by the UMC
• Junior High will have their first ever "Junior High Mission Experience" weekend of service in June
• Small groups for every age bracket
• Our 13th year at Reach Work Camp this July, serving in Hurricane, WV
• Sending four youth to serve in Honduras in January
• Holding our second annual Senior Citizens Prom
• Beginning a new Confirmation class in October

and much, much more! This is a new year, a new chance for you or your child to take advantage of the many opportunities in our youth ministry! See you there.

This Week's RealParents Newsletter...and a little more

Here's the link to this week's RealParents Newsletter as presented by Youth Specialties! I apologize that it's been awhile since it has been posted...my email apppears to be eating this email before I can read it.

Just a reminder...there is regular Youth Group this Sunday! We will be talking about small groups, being in community, and what that means! Come check it out.

Sign-ups are still open for the ULTIMATE SNOW DAY. Are you in??

Return of the Blog!

I'm back! Sorry about the lack of updates the past couple of weeks. We had a great time at Fall Retreat, then took the weekend off to spend time with families for Thanksgiving. But now...it's December, it's Advent, and we're right back in the swing of it!

This Sunday:

• "First Sunday" traditional Sunday School--meet in the Youth Rm at 9:30am
• "World-Changers" small group is meeting at 5pm with Jordan
• Junior High is 5-6:30pm (Please bring $2 for dinner)
• Senior High is 6-7:30pm (Please bring $2 for dinner)

Upcoming Events:

• Christmas Party, Sunday, Dec. 20 6-7:30pm
• Senior High Service Project--Dinner @ Homeless Shelter...be sure to get your ingredient from Amy!
• ULTIMATE SNOW DAY--Weds, Dec. 30 9am-9pm at Brandywine...cost approx. $50 or $60...more details soon!