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 Weekly E-news
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Dear youth and parents,
It's been a busy week here at UCC as hundreds of ministers, spouses, and lay leaders descended on our building for Ministers Week, sponsored by TCU and Brite Divinity School. In addition to three wonderful worship services with outstanding preaching, I was impacted by a workshop led by Dr. Sage Elwell from the TCU Religion Department entitled "Virtual Faith." Dr. Elwell, who specialized in the intersection between religion, art, and visual culture, presented a thought-provoking look at the way the digital age is shaping us individually as humans and collectively as churches. Many of the insights he shared and questions he raised would be great for our Sunday school teachers, youth groups sponsors, and other lay leaders, and he's open to coming to UCC sometime in the future to be part of a volunteer training event. That's one of the reasons I'm thankful that Ministers Week takes place right here in our building every year: it's a unique opportunity to connect with people like Dr. Elwell who are not only gifted scholars, but also valuable resources for churches.
Read on for information on intergenerational gatherings for men and women, our new parent study, a new class for high schoolers, and more!
Grace and Peace,
Russ |
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Breakfast with the Guys and Latte with the Ladies tomorrow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Our intergenerational gatherings for men and women happen to fall on the same Saturday this month. Here's info on both of these great fellowship opportunities:
Breakfast with the Guys, a quartlery event open to youth that's hosted by UCC's Men's Ministry, will take place tomorrow, February 11 at 8:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Rev. Larry Thomas, Senior Minister here at UCC, will be the speaker. A $5 donation is requested to help cover expenses.
Latte with the Ladies, a monthly intergenerational gathering for women at a local coffee shop, will be tomorrow, February 11, and ladies of all ages are invited to gather at Buon Giorno Coffee (915 Florence St.) at 9 a.m. for tasty beverages and informal conversation. Invite a friend and drop in anytime during the morning!
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Study for parents begins Sunday: Passing on a faith that sticks
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Parents often think that the person who most influences their kids' faith development must be a minister, Sunday school teacher, or youth worker. However, study after study shows that parents have the most influence. Because that's the case, it's important for parents to learn how they can pass on a faith that "sticks" when their child moves into young adulthood.
Starting this Sunday, February 12, UCC will offer a Sunday evening study for parents based on the book Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Kara Powell and Chap Clark. Each of the five sessions uses a video and discussion questions to build on ideas presented in the book, helping parents to learn from one another as well as leading researchers. Class sessions will take place from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. in Room 206 (parallel to our youth and children's programs). Copies of the book are available for $10 by contacting Sharyn Peterson at sharyn@uccftw.com. |
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Generation Change faith & finance study starts Sunday
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Starting this Sunday, February 12, our high school youth have the opportunity to explore how their faith should influence their finances through the Generation Change course. This 8-session class takes the principles of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and translates them for youth who are beginning to think about budgeting, personal finance, giving, and more. The study will be hosted by the 9th-10th grade Sunday school class in the 3rd floor kitchen, but any high school youth is welcome to participate. If you're interested, read the letter from the teachers here for additional class details, then e-mail sharyn@uccftw.com to register and reserve a student kit. |
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Second Sunday Lunch at Pappas Burger this weekend
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All youth and parents are invited to Second Sunday Lunch this weekend (the first Sunday was a bit too packed, so we pushed it back a week). Come to Pappas Burger (2700 West Freeway) following the the 11 a.m. worship service where we'll have a dining room reserved for good food and informal conversation. Looking to meet other youth or youth parents? This is a great way to connect!
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Youth invited to submit their work for Decorative Arts Exhibit
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From Marilyn Ivy, Church and the Arts Committee:
UCC's Intergenerational Decorative Arts Exhibit is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, in Room 207 to "let your light shine" through your creative crafts, decorative items made from various materials, jewelry, needlework, sculpture, pottery, furniture, woven goods, etc. The theme for 2012 is "A Gift From God," and you are invited to enter artwork you created in Scouts, Camp Fire, church, school, or anywhere else. Keep in mind that this year we are looking for creative crafts and decorative items, rather than drawings, paintings, and sculptures.
So that we may anticipate the number participating, please turn in your entry form by Sunday, February 19. Exhibiting is open to anyone at UCC. You can download an entry form (which includes additional details) by clicking here. If you have questions, please call Judith Oelfke Smith at 817.921.4798.
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Last call for CYF Midwinter Retreat registrations!
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Our youth in grades 9-12 have the opportunity to join high schoolers from Disciple churches around the area for the CYF Midwinter Retreat coming up February 24-26 at Disciples Crossing, our church camp in Athens. This annual retreat offers the opportunity to grow closer to God and one another through worship, recreation, prayer, small groups, Bible studies, and interest groups that include options like sports, dance, art, service, photography, and more.
Our youth will meet at UCC at 5:30 p.m. that Friday to share a charter bus to camp, and will return around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. The cost for the retreat is $90 and full or half scholarships are available upon request. The registration deadline has passed, but there is still room for a few more campers. E-mail sharyn@uccftw.com NOW to let her know you'd like to register, and download a form by clicking here. |
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Save the date for 2012 summer camps and mission trips!
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Registration forms for summer camps at Disciples Crossing and mission trips to Los Angeles and Oklahoma City will be released soon, but it's not too early to save those dates on your calendar. Click here for a full list of summer camps and mission trips with dates and corresponding ages, and be sure to pass them along to others who are interested. |
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Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ February 11 - Breakfast with the Guys - 8:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
February 11 - Latte with the Ladies - 9 a.m. at Buon Giorno Coffee
February 12 - Generation Change class for high school begins - 10 a.m.
February 12 - Sticky Faith class for parents begins - 6:30 p.m.
February 24-26 - CYF Midwinter Retreat at Disciples Crossing
March 11-17 - Intergenerational Mission Pilgrimage to El Paso
Summer 2012 - Camps and mission trips - Click here for the schedule |
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More ways to keep up...
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 | UCC Youth
Text Alerts |
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| Staff Links
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Russ Boyd, Associate Minister for Youth - E-mail Russ
Herbert Murray, Assistant Minister for Chi Rho (grades 6-8) - E-mail Herb
Jessica Vacketta, Assistant Minister for CYF (grades 9-12) - E-mail Jessica
Sharyn Peterson, Ministry Assistant - E-mail Sharyn
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