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     Weekly E-News

               September 11, 2015

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in this issue



Dear youth and parents,

I returned on Sunday night from a Strong Bonds couples retreat in San Diego, an Army Reserve event designed to help married couples develop a healthier relationship and navigate the unique challenges of military (and reservist) life. I've really enjoyed the resources and experience I've received as an instructor at these events, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with our church at the next UCC couple's retreat (stay tuned for more info on that).

I also wanted to let you know that our middle school bell choir is going to have a special meeting for ringers and parents during their normal rehearsal time (6:30-7:30) this Sunday evening in Shirey Hall (the choir room on the first floor). The move to Sunday night has roughly tripled the number of ringers in this group (26 at last count), which means we need to get creative in how we organize for rehearsals and performances since a full handbell choir has 16 spots. After looking at a couple of different ways of splitting the group for separate rehearsals, Mimi Rogers will be providing an opportunity for youth and parents to weigh in and come up with a split and a schedule that works best for everyone. I'm thankful that we have so many new families involved in our youth music ministry this year, and I appreciate that Mimi is working hard to find a way to include everyone who wants to participate. It's a good problem to have!

Read on for info on our first football parking fundraiser of the year, Sunday night youth group kickoff, a Wednesday night Bible study for high schoolers, and more.  

Grace and peace, 
Russ   

 
 
First youth football parking fundraiser is tomorrow                
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Football season is here again, and youth and parents have the opportunity to raise money by parking cars in the church lots for TCU football games. Part of the money raised goes into youth and youth handbell choir reserve funds, and part goes into the individual accounts of those who work each game to use for camps, retreats, trips, and other church events. Each hour is worth $50 per family member who works.

The first TCU home game is Saturday, September 12 against Stephen F. Austin. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m., and we will need volunteers in shifts from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. to control access to our season parking lots and direct cars/take money for the daily parking lots.
To see which slots are available and reserve your shift (up to 3 hours), click the button below:

 
  
All volunteers are required to sign up online in advance of the fundraiser. If you are having trouble with the SignUpGenius page, please contact me at [email protected] and I will schedule your shift for you.


 

Sunday night youth and children's programs begin   
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Our weekly Sunday evening programming begins this Sunday, September 13. The schedule for this year is as follows: 
 
5:00-6:00
Middle school youth group, high school handbell choir
 
6:00-6:30
Snack supper ($3 per person; $30 punch cards available)
 
6:30-7:30
High school youth group, middle school handbell choir
  
Our children's Sunday night program (CCF/JYF, grades 1-5) will start at 5 p.m. and join with youth for dinner. Afterward, Kera plans to offer some optional programming for kids waiting on an older sibling who will be here until 7:30.

Come try out youth groups and grow together on Sunday nights through fellowship, service, games, prayer, and more! 

 

High school Bible study begins this Wednesday evening     
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Quite a few high school youth have expressed an interest in a mid-week Bible study, so Alison and I (Russ) will be hosting a gathering this Wednesday, September 16 in the 3rd floor kitchen to plan a new study for this semester. We will have dinner (free this week) from 6-6:30, then make plans for the weekly study from 6:30-7:30. A few of the things we will decide at the first meeting:

- Where will we meet?
(At the church? Someone's home? Rotate locations?)

- What will we study?
(Overview of the whole Bible? Work our way through one book? Different topic every week?)

- How will we do dinner?
(Rotate who brings it? Chip in a few bucks every week? Cook a 5-course gourmet meal together weekly?)

If you'd like to learn more about the Bible with your youth ministers each week, we hope to see you Wednesday evening! For more information, contact me at [email protected] or 817-372-7307. 
 
 

Latte With The Ladies this Saturday at Brewed      
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Latte With The Ladies, a monthly intergenerational gathering for women at a local coffee shop, will be this Saturday, September 12. Ladies of all ages are invited to gather at Brewed (801 W. Magnolia Ave.) between 9 and 11 a.m. for tasty beverages and informal conversation. Invite a friend and drop in this Saturday morning! 


Major event calendar for 2015-16 now available   
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Below is a list of major off-site events for this program year to help you plan your family calendars. Current grade for participants is in parentheses:

Chi Rho Fall Retreat (6-8) 
November 6-8, Disciples Crossing

CYF Fall Retreat (9-12) 

November 13-15, Disciples Crossing

CYF Ski Retreat (9-12)

December 19-22, Monarch Mountain, Colorado

JYF Midwinter Retreat (3-5)
January 22-24, Disciples Crossing

Chi Rho Midwinter Retreat (6-8)
February 5-7, Disciples Crossing

CYF Midwinter Retreat (9-12)
February 19-21, Disciples Crossing

Chi Rho Mission Trip (6-8)
June 5-8, Houston, Texas

CYF Mission Trip (9-12)
July 16-23, Los Angeles area, California

Summer Camps at Disciples Crossing
Click here to download a PDF of camp dates

 

Sign up for our NEW text alert service and stay in the loop 
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UCC has a new text alert service to provide reminders and updates on special events, registration deadlines, and more! It only takes a minute to sign up, and you'll start receiving short, helpful, timely updates from the youth ministry that ensure you'll never miss out.

Click here to sign up for UCC youth text alerts (you can register up to four family members at a time).

Note: If you were signed up for our previous text messaging service from YapTap that went out of business in December, you will need to sign up again with the new service from EZ Texting.




Youth events and key dates on the horizon...
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September 12: TCU vs. SFA football parking fundraiser - 2:30 p.m. kickoff
September 13: Sunday evening youth groups begin
September 16: High school Bible study begins - 6 p.m. dinner, 6:30 study




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Staff Links
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Russ Boyd, Associate Minister for Youth - E-mail Russ
Tyler Heston, Assistant Minister for Middle School - E-mail Tyler
Alison Nicoll, Assistant Minister for High School - E-mail Alison
Susan Henry, Ministry Assistant - E-mail Susan
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