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     Weekly E-News

               September 18, 2015

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in this issue



Dear youth and parents,

I'm heading to Disciples Crossing this afternoon to catch the second half of a retreat for youth ministers called "Adult Swim." This is the first time our church camp has offered this retreat, and Alison, Tyler, and I will be connecting with other youth workers from around the area and getting some training and ideas from workshops and keynotes. My friend Lesleigh Carmichel, a lead consultant at Ministry Architects in Nashville, is the keynote speaker, and I'm glad that other Disciple youth workers will have a chance to connect with her and learn from her experience. Lesleigh spent four days here at UCC in 2009 working with the Youth Ministry Committee to develop and refine the values and systems that guide our ministry to this day, so I know from experience the gifts that she offers congregations and their staffs.

Read on for info on tomorrow's football parking fundraiser, Sunday's CROP Walk fundraiser, registration for the CYF Ski Retreat, and more.

Grace and peace, 
Russ   

 
 
Next 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 next TCU home game is this Saturday, September 19 against SMU. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m., and we will need volunteers in shifts from 2-8 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 russ@uccftw.com and I will schedule your shift for you.


 

Registration open for the CYF Ski Retreat to Colorado 
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High school youth have the opportunity to explore the beauty of God's creation together on the CYF Ski Retreat to Monarch Mountain, Colorado. The trip will take place December 19-22, and includes transportation by charter bus, hotel lodging in nearby Salida, and two days of skiing, snowboarding, or sipping hot cocoa and enjoying the view. Cost is $500 for skiers/snowboarders and $350 for non-skiers. Click here to download a flyer that covers most of the trip details, and secure your spot on the trip by completing the short registration here: uccyouth.org/skiretreat

Note: We need a minimum of 20 participants to register for this trip, so if you're planning to go don't delay in signing up! 
 
 

Raise money for hunger relief at this Sunday's CROP Walk  
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Would you like to raise money for hunger relief while getting some exercise on a (hopefully) nice afternoon? Sign up for the CROP Walk, coming up this Sunday, September 20. The 3.1 mile walk around the TCU campus raises money for the Tarrant Area Food Bank and Church World Service, and there are trophies and prizes for the churches that bring the most youth, biggest overall group, oldest & youngest walkers, and more. 
 
Click here to register or donate online
, and be sure to share the link with others to gather donations for our team. Walkers will meet at TCU's Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center (2820 Stadium Drive) at 1:30 p.m. and the walk begins at 2:00. UCC's team will be walking in memory of staff member Lynn Cross.   
 
 

Sunday night youth and children's programs continue    
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Our weekly Sunday evening programming kicked off last Sunday, September 13. The schedule for this year is as follows: 
 
4:00-5:00 
Middle school handbell choir 1

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 2 
  
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! 

 

Update on Wednesday evening high school Bible study      
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Our new high school Bible study had a great first meeting on Wednesday, and the group that gathered helped put together the plan for this semester. Here's a look at how this mid-week Bible study will work:

- We will meet at the church, initially in the 3rd floor kitchen, but eventually in the recently remodeled Room 301 once comfy new furniture makes it's way into the room.

- We will have dinner from 6-6:30, then study from 6:30-7:30. The participants will rotate who brings dinner for the group each week. Sarah Jane McDonald claimed next Wednesday (thanks, SJ!)

- We will be doing an overview of a different book of the Bible each week, though some books may take two weeks or more if there's a lot to cover and the group wants to keep focusing on that book. Our first book will be Revelation. Some of the things we will cover with each book: Who wrote it? Where does it fit in the Bible? What are the major stories and key verses found in the book? What did the book mean to the first people who heard it / read it? What does it mean for us today?

- When the group is ready for a break from books of the Bible, we will focus on a different "hot topic" each week. We'll look at war and peace, sex and sexuality, world religions, caring for the earth, and anything else that interests the group.

If you'd like to learn more about the Bible with your youth ministers and your peers each week, we hope to see you on Wednesday evenings! For more information, contact me at russ@uccftw.com or 817-372-7307. 
 


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 19: TCU vs. SMU football parking fundraiser - 7 p.m. kickoff
September 20: CROP Walk fundraiser for Church World Service / TAFB
October 4: CYF Ski Retreat info meeting - 12:15 p.m. 



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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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