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 Weekly E-News May 1, 2015
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Dear youth and parents, I just returned yesterday from Annual Training with my Army Reserve unit, and I am really glad to be home. As I mentioned last week, I spent 10 days at Camp Atterbury, Indiana for a multi-agency training exercise that simulated responding to a disaster here in the United States. I learned a lot about our nation's plan to respond to an unthinkable large-scale disaster, and how I would fit into the plan as the Brigade Chaplain for an Army Reserve medical brigade. As always, I am thankful that this congregation supports my calling to serve both God and country as an Army Reserve chaplain, and I can assure you that what I learned and experienced helped me to strengthen and broaden my skills as a pastoral caregiver so that I can serve our church more effectively.
Read on for additional information on our big Water Games Night, the upcoming Senior Banquet, registration for summer mission trips, and more.
Grace and peace, |
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Invite a friend to Water Games Night this Sunday at 5 p.m.
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From Alison Nicoll, Assistant Minister for Middle School:
Have you ever thought, "Youth groups are fun and all, but I really wish we could soak each other with water more often"? If so, your youth ministers have good news for you! We will be capping off this year of youth groups with a special water games night outside the church from 5-7 p.m. Be sure to:
- Wear clothes you don't mind getting wet
- Bring a beach towel to dry off
- Bring the usual $3 for snack supper (or mark your meal card) for dinner from Cane's
We will gather in the grassy area by the community garden on Rogers St. (where we often play kickball) to start things off. Feel free to bring a friend and get ready for a night of fun!
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The Sticky Faith Guide For Your Family: $0.99 today only
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If you'd like to learn how to take the "sticky faith" principles that guide UCC's approach to youth and children's ministry and apply them to your family at home, I have good news! The Sticky Faith Guide For Your Family, released last fall, is available as an eBook for $0.99 until midnight tonight. The book provides lots of ideas and examples of ways to help your kids build a lasting faith, all based on the Fuller Youth Institute's research into families whose kids continue to practice a vibrant Christian faith beyond high school graduation. It's a great read, and I would recommend it to every family at UCC.
Use the following links to buy the Kindle edition from Amazon, the iBook (iPad/iPhone) from the iTunes Store, and the NOOK Book from Barnes and Noble.
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Honor our graduates at the Senior Banquet this Wednesday
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University Christian Church invites you to come honor our 2015 high school graduates at the Senior Banquet this Wednesday, May 6 at 6 p.m in Walker Fellowship Hall. During the evening we'll share a dinner catered by Pulido's, take time to meet each of the graduates, see photos and memorabilia from their journeys, and send them off with a gift and the blessing of their church family. The RSVP deadline has passed, but we ordered extra for late reservations and would love to see you there. E-mail Susan Henry at susan@uccftw.com to let her know the number in your party. The cost for dinner is $10 per person at the door.
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Register now for Chi Rho and CYF summer mission trips
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Registration flyers for our summer youth mission trips are available! Here are the details on both trips:
The Chi Rho Mission Trip to Oklahoma City for grades 6-8 will take place June 9-12. The group will be working at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma before cooling off at a water park at the end of the trip. Cost is $150 per person and full or half scholarships are available upon request. Full details are available on the registration flyer.
The CYF Mission Trip to Los Fresnos, Texas for grades 9-12 will take place June 27 - July 4. The group will be working at Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries to repair homes in the Rio Grande Valley, and enjoying some fun fellowship time with an afternoon at the beach and a day at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark. Cost is $300 per person and full or half scholarships are available upon request. Full details are available on the registration flyer.
You can sign up online and pay the deposit by credit card on the mission trip registration page, or register by submitting the signed registration flyer and a $50 deposit check to the youth office.
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Easy volunteer gig: Pick a month & deliver Sunday bagels
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From Courtney Perry, Sunday Morning Snackage Guru:
Hello all! We are in need of volunteers (adults or youth who can drive) for Sunday morning snack pickups for our middle and high school youth. Thank you to those that have graciously volunteered already this year. This easy job entails picking up pre-ordered snacks from either Circle Donuts or Einstein's Bagels and dropping them off in the youth gathering room by 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings for one month. We currently need volunteers for May, June, and August.
If you have questions, please e-mail me at sundaysnackvolunteers@yahoo.com. To sign up, visit our SignupGenius page via the link below:
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Registration continues for camps at Disciples Crossing
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Our church camp, Disciples Crossing in Athens, has a full slate of camps for children, youth, and families available this summer. To provide an incentive to go to camp, UCC automatically covers half of the cost of the early bird price for every participant from our church. That means that a week-long camp with a regular price of $370 is only $200 with the UCC supplement. For a 2-page document with dates and descriptions for all the camps, click here.
Signing up for summer camps this year is a two step process: Go to uccyouth.org/camps to sign up with UCC and pay for the camp, then you will automatically be forwarded to disciplescrossing.org to complete Disciples Crossing's registration and health forms. The UCC discount and any parking funds or scholarship monies can be selected on UCC's registration and payment page before proceeding to the camp website. Please be sure to complete the sign up process with UCC and Disciples Crossing to ensure you are fully registered for camp.
The last day for summer camp registration is Friday, May 15. After that, camp attendance is based on availability and will be up to the camp directors' discretion, so be sure to sign up now!
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Youth volunteers needed for Vacation Bible School
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Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May 1: All-youth Water Games Night - 5 p.m.
May 6: Senior Banquet - 6 p.m. in Walker Fellowship Hall
May 9: Youth Sunday rehearsal - 1-3 p.m.
May 10: Youth Sunday worship services at 9 and 11 a.m.
May 15: Registration deadline for camps at Disciples Crossing
May 16: Michael Yandell's ordination to ministry - 3 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
Susan Henry, Ministry Assistant - E-mail Susan
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