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Weekly E-news
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Dear youth and parents,
Our summer of special events for youth kicks off this Sunday as our Chi Rho Mission Trip departs for Oklahoma City. I'm spending tomorrow and Saturday in the field with my new Army Reserve unit, but will be at church on Sunday morning. For those of us in youth ministry, this is a busy and exciting time. I'm looking forward to opportunities to spend time with our youth at camps, on trips, and at special events during the summer and I know the rest of UCC's youth ministry staff is also.
Speaking of our staff, it's been a blessing to have Nikolee Byers and Whitney Peters here at UCC for the last week as our Summer Youth Ministry Interns. Hopefully by now you've had a chance to read about them in the UCC Journal or other publications, or perhaps you met them after one of our worship services on Pentecost when they were introduced to the congregation. They'll be on staff for the next 10 weeks, so be sure to say hello and make them feel welcome at some point this summer as they learn and serve here at our church.
Grace and Peace,
Russ
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Chi Rho Mission Trip departs for Oklahoma City on Sunday
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 A group of 22 middle school youth and adults will depart on the Chi Rho Mission Trip to Oklahoma City this Sunday, June 7. During the four-day trip the group will be staying at First Christian Church of Edmond, working at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, touring the Oklahoma City National Memorial, enjoying great food and fellowship in the evenings, sharing worship and small group devotional times at night, and making a final stop at a local water park. Please keep this group of missionaries in your prayers as they serve, learn, worship, and play together next week.
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All-Church Garage Sale success -- over $10,000 raised!
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 I know word has gotten around, but I wanted to make sure everyone was fully aware: the all-church garage sale was a huge success! When all was said and done, we made over $10,000 and helped lots of church members and friends get rid of their stuff. Between 500 and 1,000 people made their way through Fellowship Hall to shop, and when the sale ended at 2 p.m. everything was boxed or bagged up for the Salvation Army within an hour. Even the most optimistic among us couldn't predict how successful this fundraiser would be.
Part of the proceeds will be set aside for youth to use to defer the cost of camps and church trips, and the bulk will be used to renovate and improve the youth classrooms on the 3rd floor. A big thanks is in order for Stacy McCoy, who served as the instigator and ringleader for the effort, and to Cyrena Allen, Kalen Ruiz, and Kim Kuehler who organized and led major portions of the fundraiser. And, of course, we're thankful for the dozens of people from all walks of life at UCC who volunteered before and during the sale. Sharyn has a full list, and we will hopefully be publishing it here or in the UCC Journal next month so that everyone knows just how many people made this happen.
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Room in the Inn training this Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
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 All youth and adults who are interested in volunteering with Room in the Inn are encouraged to attend a training event this Sunday, June 7 from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. in Room 207. Lunch will be provided for all who attend. Training is required before offering hospitality to our homeless guests on Wednesday nights in July and August, and this will be the last training event at UCC until sometime in the fall.
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Volunteers needed for Sunday morning bagel pick-up
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 Looking for an easy way to help out UCC's youth ministry? You can help feed the hungry masses on Sunday mornings by choosing a month to pick up bagels from Panera and delivering them to the 3rd floor. The bagels are paid for and ready to go each week. You just pick them up at Panera on University between 9 and 9:30 a.m. and drop them off on the table at the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor. If you have to miss a Sunday, don't let that stop you from volunteering -- just let us know which one and we'll make sure it's covered.
If you would like to take care of the bagels for June or July, e-mail Sharyn at sharyn@uccftw.com to volunteer.
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Summer schedule and mailing
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The schedule for youth activities will change this summer, and I want to be sure you know what stays the same and what's different:
1. Youth Sunday school classes will meet every Sunday from 10:00 - 10:50 a.m. Bagels and juice boxes will be available starting at 9:45. Youth will continue to attend classes based on the grade they have completed until Promotion Sunday on August 24.
- CYF (completed grades 9-12) will meet as one combined class in Room 303, and Tom Jones, Susan Rogers, Judy Secrest, Sean Wetsel will continue teaching over the summer.
- 7th and 8th grade boys will continue to meet in Room 308 with Steve Midgely as primary teacher.
- 7th and 8th grade girls will still meet in Room 307, and our two Summer Youth Ministry Interns (Nikolee and Whitney) will take over the teaching duties most Sundays.
- 6th graders will continue to meet in Room 304 with Cheryl Garrett as primary teacher.
2. The Search worship gathering will continue every week at 5:00 p.m., but all Sunday evening programming (for adults, children, and youth) will be on break over the summer and start up again after Labor Day.
3. We will have a variety of special youth events over the summer, and an oversized postcard will mail next week that lists dates and times. Youth can look forward to opportunities to attend a Rangers game, swim at Burger's Lake, play whirlyball in Dallas, spend a day bowling and playing laser tag at Main Event, participate in a Harry Potter midnight release party, and see a drive-in movie in Granbury. Be sure to stick the postcard on your refrigerator, and keep checking out the weekly e-news for details on events each week.
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Summer camp and mission trip registration continues
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 The deadline for "early bird" discounts has passed, but it's not too late to register for summer camps at Disciples Crossing and UCC's CYF mission trip to Memphis and Nashville. Just drop off your forms in the Youth Office, mail them to the church, or leave them at the main reception desk with a note that says "Sharyn".
Visit our website where you'll find registration forms and tally sheets to help you total everything up and request scholarships to reduce the cost -- www.uccyouth.org
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Youth events on the horizon...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 7-11 - Chi Rho Mission Trip to Oklahoma City
June 15-20 - CYF Conference for grades 10-12
June 22-27 - Chi Rho Camp for grades 6-7
June 23-26 - Vacation Bible School (youth volunteer with younger children)
June 29 - July 4 - Niner's Youth Conference for 9th graders
July 12-18 - Eighter's Camp for 8th graders
July 19-26 - CYF Mission Trip to Memphis and Nashville
August 15-16 (date may shift slightly) - UCC Back-to-School Retreat
December 29 - January 2 (tentative) - Youth Ski Retreat to Crested Butte, CO
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Staff Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Russ Boyd, Associate Minister - E-mail Russ
Carol Elliott, Assistant Youth Minister (grades 9-12) - E-mail Carol
Anna Ross, Youth Ministry Intern (grades 6-8) - E-mail Anna
Nikolee Byers, Summer Youth Ministry Intern - E-mail Nikolee
Whitney Peters, Summer Youth Ministry Intern - E-mail Whitney
Sharyn Peterson, Ministry Assistant for Congregation Life - E-mail Sharyn
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