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 Weekly E-news
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Dear youth and parents,
On Monday I attended the launch of the Soul Repair Center, an innovative initiative at Brite Divinity School made possible by a hefty grant from the Lilly Endowment. The center currently focuses on moral injury, a result of participation in war that affects service members and veterans long after their deployment. In the morning we gathered for an inspiring interfaith worship service at Robert Carr Chapel, at lunch we heard powerful stories from the co-directors of the center, and in the afternoon we were moved by the words of veterans who shared their experiences with a room filled with chaplains, counselors, congregational pastors, and others who are seeking to learn how to better care for all who have served in the military. The day was doubly helpful for me as both an Army Reserve chaplain and a civilian pastor, and I'm looking forward to the research and resources that will come from the center in the future. You can learn more about this important initiative on the Soul Repair Center's website or Facebook page.
Read on for more information about Breakfast with the Guys, Sunday's Room in the Inn volunteer training, the upcoming youth Thanksgiving potluck, and more!
Grace and Peace,
Russ
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click on  next to any headline to vist the related Facebook event. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Come hungry for Breakfast with the Guys tomorrow morning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  ~ Breakfast with the Guys, a quartlery event hosted by UCC's Men's Ministry, will take place tomorrow, November 17 at 8:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall and guys of all ages are invited. Rev. Dr. Roy Martin, ordained minister and professor of ethics at UNT Health Science Center, will be the speaker, and the menu typically includes eggs, sausage biscuits & gravy, and more. A $5 donation is requested to help cover expenses. |
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Get trained to help with Room in the Inn this Sunday!
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~ Are you interested in volunteering with Room in the Inn, our ministry that hosts homeless guests in our building on Wednesday nights during the winter and summmer? Come to the volunteer training this Sunday at 12:15 p.m. in Room 207! After completing the training, youth and adults can sign up to volunteer during the winter session of Room in the Inn that begins on December 5. If you're planning to attend, please RSVP by contacting Carol Stewart at carolmstewart@sbcglobal.net. Lunch will be provided. |
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Youth Thanksgiving potluck - Sunday night, November 25
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From Jessica Vacketta, Assistant Minister for High School:
The annual youth Thanksgiving potluck will be Sunday, November 25 from 6:00-7:45 p.m. on the 3rd floor and all 6th-12th graders and volunteers are invited. Turkey will be provided, but we ask that middle school youth bring a side dish and high school youth bring a dessert to share. We'll also be collecting canned food items for Tarrant Area Food Bank, so please bring a can...or a bag of items!
E-mal me at jessica@uccftw.com or post on the Facebook event wall the items you plan to bring so we don't end up with 10 green bean casseroles (my favorite). |
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What to expect during our middle school ministry transition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've heard from a lot of parents and youth who are curious about how the transition will be handled now that we have said farewell to Herb Murray as a member of our youth ministry staff. Here are a few points that you may find helpful:
Shortly after I received Herb's resignation, I updated the job description and position announcement for Ellen Lewis and Larry Thomas to review. With their approval, the position was posted at Brite Divinity School, on disciples.org, and with our friends at Youth Ministry Architects. I also spoke with Steve Sprinkle, Brite's Director of Field Education and Supervised Ministry, about the position, and we talked about several seminary students who might be a good fit.
I am currently in the process of reviewing resumes from potential candidates for the position, and I can tell you that I really like what I see. This Sunday at our Youth Ministry Committee meeting we will identify potential members of a small committee that will assist me in interviewing candidates and selecting a new Assistant Minister for Middle School. Members of this committee will include a mix of youth, parents, and volunteers. Once this committee is confirmed we will be ready to begin interviewing candidates. Ideally, I would like to have someone in place by Sunday, January 13 when our new semester of programming begins. However, I am committed to finding the best person for the position, and will not force the process just to have someone in place.
Until then, I will be handling the critical tasks that are normally part of the Assistant Minister's duties. (The biggest pieces are coordinating 6th-8th grade Sunday school and leading Chi Rho youth group on Sunday night in collaboration with the sponsors). This means that some of the "big picture" things I would like to work on will be put on the back burner to ensure the week-to-week youth ministry tasks are covered and our middle schoolers receive the pastoral care and attention they need.
I appreciate your prayers during this time of discernment, and I encourage you to trust that God's spirit will guide us to the person who is called to this important, challenging, and rewarding ministry. Along the way, don't hesitate to contact me at russ@uccftw.com or 817.373.7307 if you have questions or concerns.
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Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 18 - Room In The Inn volunteer training - 12:15 p.m. November 25 - Youth Thanksgiving Potluck - 6:15 p.m. December 1 - Football parking fundraiser - TCU vs. OU December 2 - Hanging of the Greens service led by youth December 7 - CYF Lock-in (grades 9-12) - 7 p.m. December 16 - Youth Christmas Parties hosted by Darrs/Lanters - 6:30 p.m. December 23 - Family Caroling Party - 6:30 p.m. |
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More ways to keep up...
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Russ Boyd, Associate Minister for Youth - E-mail Russ
Jessica Vacketta, Assistant Minister for CYF (grades 9-12) - E-mail Jessica
Sharyn Peterson, Ministry Assistant - E-mail Sharyn
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