~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Weekly E-News May 20, 2016
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Dear youth and parents,
 Tyler and I are leading the trip to Iowa for Alison's ordination starting this afternoon, and we're excited to have a great group from UCC with us! I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures and stories to share next week after we get back, and I hope you'll keep Alison in your prayers on Saturday. Her ordination is scheduled for 2 p.m. that afternoon.
Speaking of Alison, she has some exciting news to share about her post-ordination plans. You can read below to see what's in store!
Read on for info about her new calling, the ordination road trip, our summer youth ministry interns, volunteering with Vacation Bible School, helping out with bagel/donut pickup, and more!
Grace and peace, Russ
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Alison Nicoll accepts call to Ankeny Christian Church
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After serving as an Assistant Minister here at University Christian Church since December of 2012, Alison Nicoll has accepted a call to serve as Associate Pastor at Ankeny Christian Church in Ankeny, Iowa. Alison graduated from Brite Divinity School at TCU on May 7, and will be ordained to Christian ministry on May 28 at West Des Moines Christian Church, her home congregation in Iowa. As Ankeny Christian Church's first Associate Pastor, Alison will work collaboratively with the Senior Pastor in a variety of leadership roles: preaching, coordinating and leading worship, providing pastoral care, overseeing the Christian education program, and encouraging ecumenical cooperation with other congregations. She will be serving a thriving congregation in the third-fastest growing city in the country, and her role at the church provides an opportunity to take what she has learned here at UCC and branch out into new and different areas of ministry.
Alison's last Sunday at University Christian Church will be June 26, and you're invited to wish her well at receptions following each worship service in the Gallery. She has touched many lives as she served our congregation faithfully for over three years, so be sure to let her know how much you appreciate her as she transitions to an exciting new calling!
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Follow the ordination road trip on Facebook & Instagram
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An intergenerational group of 20 will be part of a road trip to Alison's ordination in West Des Moines, Iowa over the weekend (and quite a few folks from UCC have made their own travel plans and will be meeting us there). Over the course of the trip the group will be staying at two Disciple churches and a church camp, catching a Kansas City Royals game, and enjoying a celebratory post-ordination dinner courtesy of Alison's parents. You can follow the adventure on the UCC Youth Facebook page and Instagram, so be sure to check in throughout the weekend to connect with the group!
Trip participants: Remember to meet at the church at 3:45 to load the vans so that we can depart by 4 p.m!
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Summer youth ministry interns begin this Tuesday
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This summer our youth ministry again welcomes two full-time interns who will be learning about ministry here at UCC. After advertising the positions nationally and accepting applications, an interview committee assisted the staff in selecting our interns:
Allison Bright (right) just completed her junior year at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri where she is majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Philosophy and Religion. She is a native of Macon, Missouri.
 Josh Jackson (left) just completed his sophomore year at TCU where he is majoring in Religion and History with a minor in Classical Studies. He is a native of Grapevine. Josh and Allison start their internships on Tuesday, May 31 and will wrap up on August 8. They will spend part of their time here providing leadership in the youth ministry in Sunday school, at youth events, on mission trips, at camps, and around the office. The rest of their time will be devoted to exploring their own calls to ministry by shadowing and learning from other ministers at UCC and in the Fort Worth area. Both interns will be keeping a journal that chronicles their experiences, and at the end of the summer each one will write a reflection paper that synthesizes what they will take away from the experience. Please give Allison and Josh a warm welcome as they join our staff for the summer!
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Easy volunteer gig: Deliver Sunday snacks in June or August
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We're looking for a couple of volunteers (adults or youth who can drive) for Sunday morning snack pickups for our middle and high school youth. It's an easy gig: pick up pre-ordered snacks from either Circle Donuts or Einstein's Bagels and drop them off in the youth gathering room by 9:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings for one month. (No one counts them after they arrive, so if you eat one...no one will ever know!) We currently need volunteers for June and August.
If you have questions, please e-mail me at Heather Harris at heatherandsteven@sbcglobal.net. To sign up, visit our SignupGenius page via the link below: 
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Donate to the Canned Food Challenge to reach 1,000 cans
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We need your help collecting our goal of 1,000 cans, and our current count is 655 items. Drop off your non-perishable food items in the collection bin near the reception desk and check out our progress as we stack them at the west ramp going to the Sanctuary!
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Sign up to be a youth volunteer at Vacation Bible School
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Registration continues for high school mission trip to LA
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We have two great mission trips planned for this summer, one for grades 6-8 and one for grades 9-12. Registration for the Chi Rho Mission Trip to Houston has ended, but information on the high school trip to LA is below:
The CYF Mission Trip to Los Angeles for grades 9-12 will take place July 16-23. The group will be working at Loch Leven (a Disciple church camp in the San Bernardino Mountains) and All Peoples Community Center (a Disciple mission center in south LA). Outside of work time the group will also take a tour of Chapman University and spend a day at Disneyland. Cost is $475 per person and full or half scholarships are available upon request. Full details are available on the registration flyer. Registration deadline is June 19.
You can register for the mission trip two different ways:
1. Sign up and pay the deposit online at uccyouth.org/missiontrips, or
2. Submit a registration flyer (linked above) to the youth office with a deposit check
If you have questions about either trip, contact Russ at russ@uccftw.com.
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Youth events and key dates on the horizon...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May 28: Alison's ordination service in West Des Moines, Iowa
May 31: Summer youth ministry interns begin
June 5-8: Chi Rho Mission Trip to Houston for grades 6-8
June 21-24: Vacation Bible School (youth volunteers needed)
June 26: Farewell receptions for Alison Nicoll after worship services
July 16-23: CYF Mission Trip to LA for grades 9-12
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More ways to keep up...
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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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