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 Weekly E-News January 17, 2013
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Dear youth and parents,
A few months back when I was sharing some of my experiences at our denomination's General Assembly, I mentioned a new program for Disciples young adults that provides the opportunity for people in their 20's to spend a year living in community with a small group while volunteering in the community, serving at a local church, and learning about spiritual practices and vocational discernment. That program is now live, and Jessica Vacketta and I had the opportunity to learn more about it this week at a dinner with Rev. Ben Bohren of the National Benevolent Association. The new program, called XPLOR, is modeled on similar programs that have been sponsored by other denominations and faith groups, and applies a lot of the lessons they have learned along the way to start the program off right. Jessica and I will be promoting this program to recent college grads and others who would like to spend a formational year growing, learning, and discerning where God might be calling them. For more information, click here to learn more about the NBA XPLOR Residency Program and share this information with anyone in the 21-30 age range that you think might be interested.
Read on for more information on Just Say Know workshops, midwinter youth retreats at Disciples Crossing, two great videos produced by our 9th/10th grade Sunday school class, a chance to meet with a Chapman University admissions rep, and more.
Grace and Peace,
Russ |
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Last Sunday to join the high school sexuality education course
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UCC's children's ministry and youth ministry are excited to offer "Just Say Know" courses this winter, providing comprehensive sexuality education for grades 4-12. The schedule for the classes is as follows:
High school course (grades 9-12)
Sundays, January 12 - March 2, 12:15-2:30 p.m.
Capstone lock-in on Friday night, March 21
Cost: $40 per participant
Click here for course topics
Note: This is the last Sunday for youth to join in for the high school course. After this session, too much information has been covered for someone to "jump in" in the middle of the course. If you would like to try the course or invite a friend to participate, be sure to do it this week!
Middle school workshops (grades 6-8 with a parent)
Sundays, February 16 & 23, 12:15-3:30 p.m.
Cost: $20 per youth participant
Click here for course topics
Elementary school workshops (grades 4-5 with a parent)
Sunday, February 9, 12:15-3:15 p.m.
Separate workshops for boys and girls
Cost: $20 per child participant
Click here for course topics
Registration cost includes lunch, course materials, and a copy of Kate Ott's new book Sex+Faith: Talking with Your Child from Birth to Adolescence. $10 discount for each additional child registered per family (since each family only needs one book). Scholarships for all courses will be available upon request.
Click here to register online, and be sure to spread the word to friends and neighbors so they can take advantage of this important program!
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Last call to register for the Chi Rho Midwinter Retreat
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Our youth have the opportunity to join others from Disciple churches around the area for two upcoming winter retreats at Disciples Crossing, our church camp in Athens. The Chi Rho Midwinter Retreat for grades 6-8 will be January 31 - February 2, and the CYF Midwinter Retreat for grades 9-12 is February 21-23. These annual retreats offer youth the opportunity to grow closer to God and one another through worship, recreation, prayer, small groups, and interest groups that include options like sports, dance, art, service, photography, and more.
Participants will meet at UCC at 5:30 p.m. on the Friday each retreat begins to share a charter bus to camp, and will return around 12:30 p.m. the following Sunday. The cost for each retreat is $90 and full or half scholarships are available upon request. Registration forms were due to the Youth Office on January 12 for Chi Rho, but there is still room to register more youth. The registration deadline for the CYF Retreat is Sunday, February 2. You can download a form by clicking here .
Parents: We will need adult chaperones to attend these retreats as well. If you're interested in serving as an adult sponsor, contact Alison Nicoll at alison.nicoll@uccftw.com for the Chi Rho Retreat and Michael Yandell at michael.yandell@uccftw.com for the CYF Retreat .
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Meet with a Chapman University admissions rep Wednesday
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The Chapma  n University Singers, an acclaimed 34-voice ensemble, will be performing a concert in the UCC sanctuary this Wednesday, January 22 at 7 p.m. Chapman, located in Orange, California, is one of the most prestigious colleges affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and it's an honor to host their choir in our church. Rev. Nancy Brink, Chapman's Director of Church Relations, will accompany the choir on the tour and will be available to talk to high school students about the university, including scholarships specifically for Disciple students. If you are a high schooler interested in meeting with Nancy to talk more about Chapman University and scholarship opportunities, e-mail me at russ@uccftw.com and I will work with Nancy to set up a time and place for her to meet with youth from UCC. For more information on the Chapman University Singers and the concert they will be presenting, click here.
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Sign up for the spring break mission pilgrimage to El Paso
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Families, youth and adults will once again travel to El Paso and work in partnership with Rippling Hope over spring break. This year, the group will work to renovate and repair homes with some of the residents living just north of the border in El Paso's colonias and learn about the chronic poverty that affects residents there. Our group will stay at Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey (one of our past work sites) and will be joined by a group from Midway Hills Christian Church in Dallas.
The trip is scheduled for March 9-15, and the cost is $300 for ages 13 and up, and $175 for ages 12 and under. A $50 deposit to secure your spot is due by January 22. For more information on the trip, contact Rev. Cyndy Twedell at cyndy@uccftw.com.
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Check out two stewardship videos produced by our youth!
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Note: Some people reported technical issues when trying to view one or both videos. It appears that YouTube has fixed the encoding issue, so try watching again this week.
Our 9th/10th grade Sunday school class recently produced two hilarious stewardship videos, and they're available online for you to view and share. Use the links below to take a look!
 | | Avoid Mayhem - Give Online |
 | | Stewardship - It's Not Complicated |
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Save the date: CYF Lock-In is coming up on January 31
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From Michael Yandell, Assistant Minister for High School:
Youth in grades 9-12 are invited to spend a night at UCC that will include an outing to Main Event, midnight worship, movies and more. We'll leave each others' company after breakfast Saturday, renewed and full of life. Save the date, and watch for additional information in next week's e-news!
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The Roots t-shirts are here (and they look great!)
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From Alison Nicoll, Assistant Minister for Middle School:
If you ordered a Roots t-shirt and have not yet paid, please bring your $10 THIS SUNDAY. We will be handing out the t-shirts at Sunday school in the morning and youth group in the evening. Not sure if you've paid for it yet? I have a llist of everyone who has paid, so just check with me on Sunday.
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Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
January 19 - Disciples Class begins - 6:30 p.m. in 207
January 31 - CYF Lock-In (grades 9-12) - 6 p.m. - 8 a.m.
Jan 31 - Feb 2 - Chi Rho (grades 6-8) Midwinter Retreat at Disciples Crossing
February 9 - "Just Say Know" elementary school workshops
February 16 & 23 - "Just Say Know" middle school workshops
February 21-23 - CYF (grades 9-12) Midwinter Retreat at Disciples Crossing
March 9-15 - Spring Break Mission Pilgrimage to El Paso (3rd grade - adult)
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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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