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 Weekly E-News August 9, 2013
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Dear youth and parents,
We're loading up today for the annual Back-to-School Retreat, an event that provides our youth and adult volunteers with a great opportunity to bond as we begin a new program year. I'm thrilled that our new Assistant Minister for High School, Michael Yandell, will be able to join us and get a jump start on connecting with many of our middle and high schoolers. Michael will be introduced at the conclusion of our worship services this Sunday, so be sure to come forward after the service and introduce yourself!
Many of you are aware that I serve as a chaplain in the Army Reserve, currently with a medical brigade based in Seagoville. In addition to the "one weekend a month" that you often hear about, Reservists also attend a 2-3 week annual training that differs from year-to-year. This year my brigade will be supporting a major training exercise in South Korea, and I fly out later this week and return at the end of the month. I'm not thrilled about the timing, which requires me to be gone for several major events that kick off the new program year. However, I'm excited about this opportunity to provide religious support to soldiers and practice many of the key chaplaincy skills in a realistic training environment. I'll look forward to sharing about my experience after I return, and you can rest assured that our staff and volunteers will be well-prepared to launch the new program year in my absence.
Read on for a reminder about the Back-to-School Retreat departure, a re-run of the announcement about our hiring of Michael Yandell, and a summary of the 2014 summer camp dates at Disciples Crossing.
Grace and Peace,
Russ |
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Youth and adults depart for annual Back-to-School Retreat
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A group of 37 youth and adult sponsors depart this evening for the annual Back-to-School Retreat at Briarwood Retreat Center near Flower Mound. Over the course of the weekend our upcoming 6th-12th graders, staff, and adult volunteers will spend time praying, playing, teambuilding, and worshiping together. Please keep our group in your prayers as we grow closer to God and one another on holy ground over the weekend.
Parents: Remember to meet at UCC at 7 p.m. to load the bus and make sure your camper eats dinner before arriving!
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Michael Yandell called as Assistant Minister for High School
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Michael Yandell has accepted an invitation to serve as Assistant Minister for High School Youth. Michael is beginning his second year at Brite Divinity School, and has been a regular at UCC for 11:00 worship, Room In The Inn, and People's Bible Class over the last year. A native of Union City, Tennessee, Michael enlisted in the Army after high school, serving as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician for four years, including a tour in Iraq in 2004. After completing his service commitment, he attended the University of Tennessee at Martin where he majored in Music Education and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He also has extensive experience as a church pianist and accompanist for vocal soloists, and has worked with youth as a student teacher and substitute music teacher in Tennessee.
Michael will share an office with Alison Nicoll on the 3rd floor in Room 301, where he can be reached at extension 268. His e-mail address is michael.yandell@uccftw.com, so feel free to send him a note welcoming him to UCC. Outside of Sunday, his primary office days this semester will be Wednesday and Thursday. Michael will be participating in the Back-to-School Retreat this weekend, and looks forward to getting to know the youth and families of UCC in the weeks to come.
I want to offer special thanks to the youth and adults who helped with the process of reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates for the Assistant Minister position over the summer: Mike Coffey, Moni Gunderson, Jennifer Lanter, Rachel Long, Wells Owen, Lindsay Puckett, and Heather Rodenberg. Your feedback and insights were invaluable!
As many of you are aware, Jessica Vacketta accepted a call this summer to serve as a full-time Associate Minister here at UCC. Jessica's new portfolio will primarily include adult education and college ministry, and we're thrilled that she will continue to serve on staff with us as she transitions out of her role with the youth ministry. Her new office is located in the Children's Ministry suite with Kera Watts and Susan Henry, where she can be reached at extension 189.
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2014 Disciples Crossing summer camp dates now available
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We recently received the 2014 summer camp dates for Disciples Crossing, our church camp in Athens, and wanted to be sure you have them to mark your calendars for next summer. In addition to the many camps our youth and children love, two new camps have been added to the schedule for next summer: MAD (Music, Arts, & Drama) Camp and Racial Reconciliation Camp. Read on for details, and be sure to save the relevant dates for next summer!
2014 Summer Camps at Disciples Crossing
(Grade completed in parentheses)
Grand Camp 1 (PreK-4 w/ adult): May 30 - June 1
Grand Camp 2 (PreK-4 w/ adult): August 1-3
Discovery Camp (2-3 w/ adult): May 23-25
JYF Camp 1 (4-5): June 30 - July 4
JYF Camp 2 (4-5): July 21-25
Chi Rho Camp (6-7): July 7-12
Eighter's Camp (8): July 6-12
Niner's Camp (9): June 23-28
CYF Conference (10-12): June 16-21
Young Adult Camp (ages 18-26): May 15-18
MAD [Music/Art/Drama] Camp (6-9): June 9-14
Racial Reconciliation Camp (9-12): July 14-18
Equine Camp (6-12): July 28 - August 1
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Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 9-11: Back-to-School Retreat for incoming 6th-12th graders
August 25: Promotion Sunday - Youth move into new Sunday School grades
August 25: Youth Ministry Orientation - 6:30 p.m. in Room 207
September 8: Sunday evening youth groups begin - 6:30 p.m.
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| Staff Links
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Russ Boyd, Associate Minister for Youth - E-mail Russ
Alison Nicoll, Assistant Minister for Middle School - E-mail Alison
Michael Yandell, Assistant Minister for High School - E-mail Michael
Sharyn Peterson, Ministry Assistant - E-mail Sharyn
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