~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Weekly E-news
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear youth and parents,
I've had a lot of great conversations following my sermon on Sunday that focused on the things we've learned from participating in the Sticky Faith Cohort and introduced the idea of the congregation's responsibility to "strategically adopt" our kids into the church family. And while it's been great having those conversations with parents, I've been especially encouraged by the number of people that spoke to me who do not have youth or children at UCC. The gist of what I tended to hear from them was: I can see how we all have a responsibility to raise our kids in the Christian faith, because all of these kids are "our kids." That's the kind of thinking that has transformed congregations into greenhouses that are growing a new generation of faithful disciples, and I'm thankful to serve a church that's open to that calling. If you missed the sermon on Sunday, it's posted on the UCC website here. I would love to hear your responses and ideas about how we can continue to build on our strong foundation for adopting youth and children into the church family.
Read on for info about following the CYF Mission Trip online, the upcoming Texas Rangers outing, Herb's new "Scavenger Hunt Lunches," and more!
Grace and Peace,
Russ |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click on  next to any headline to vist the related Facebook event. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
CYF Mission Trip departs for LA - follow our missionaries online
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
A group of 36 high school youth and adult chaperones are heading to Southern California for the CYF Mission Trip tomorrow, and you can follow the group online! Visit www.cyfmissiontrip.org throughout the coming week for photos, videos, and updates from the group as they serve at Loch Leven Camp and All Peoples Community Center. If you're on Facebook, click "Like" on the page to get photos and updates in your news feed and leave comments and encouragement for the group.
|
|
Texas Rangers outing on August 1 - reserve your seats today
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 All 6th-12th grade youth (along with friends and families) are invited to a night at the ballpark as the Texas Rangers take on their division rivals, the LA Angels, on Wednesday, August 1. The group will meet at UCC at 5:30 p.m. to carpool to Arlington for the 7:05 game. $15 covers your ticket and parking fee, and you MUST RSVP since our block of 40 tickets will be first come, first served. Contact Sharyn Peterson at sharyn@uccftw.com or 817.926.6631 ext. 136 to reserve your tickets. Oh yeah, and it's dollar hot dog night! Woot!
Parents: If you are willing to drive (and hopefully join us for the game) please contact Sharyn to help us ensure we have enough seats. Your parking cost will be covered. |
|
Sign up to be part of Herb's "Scavenger Hunt Lunches"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Herb Murray, Assistant Minister for Middle School:
I've started a new summer activity for middle school youth called "Scavenger Hunt Lunch" and I'd love to see you there. Here is how it works: Each week every Chi Rho youth who wants to participate (and their parents) will receive a text message containing a riddle. Each riddle will be a hint that leads to a restaurant near the church where I'm having lunch that day. The first youth to reply back with the answer to the riddle will receive their lunch free. Once the first correct response is received, everyone will get a second text with the time and location for lunch.
If you would like to participate please email me at herb@uccftw.com with your youth's cell phone number and a parent's cell phone number and email address. If a youth does not have a cell phone, they can still participate with a parent's cell phone number. Texts will be sent out the day before lunch is to take place and parents will also receive an email at the beginning of each week to be courteous to family schedule planning. Hope to see you at our mystery location next week! |
|
Save the date for this year's UCC Youth Back-to-School Retreat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Summer is ending soon, and it's time to start looking ahead to a new school year with UCC's youth ministry - starting with the annual Back-to-School Retreat! This event brings together our incoming 6th-12th grade youth for a weekend of worship, fun, prayer, and community building at Briarwood Retreat Center near Flower Mound. This year's retreat will take place August 10-12 (meeting at 7 p.m. and returning in time for Sunday school) and registration materials will be posted soon. Mark your calendar and get excited about a great start to the school year! |
|
Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 21-28 - CYF Mission Trip to Los Angeles - meet at DFW at 8:30 a.m.
August 1 - Outing to Texas Rangers baseball game - meet at 5:30 p.m.
August 5 - Mission Trip Shareholders Luncheon - 12:15 p.m.
August 10-12 - Back to School Retreat for incoming 6th-12th graders
August 17 - CYF outing to Granbury for drive-in movie
August 26 - Promotion Sunday and Youth Ministry Roundup
|
|
|
|
More ways to keep up...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 | UCC Youth
Text Alerts |
 |
| Staff Links
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
Vanessa Gorski, Summer Youth Ministry Intern - E-mail Vanessa
Annie Grogan, Summer Youth Ministry Intern - E-mail Annie
Sharyn Peterson, Ministry Assistant - E-mail Sharyn
|
|
|
|
|
