Youth Ministry

FROM THE YOUTH DIRECTOR

There is a time for everything

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Is it almost my birthday? When is play time? When is it going to be warm again? It isn’t easy being patient when you are waiting on something you want, is it? I’m excited about summer, but it’s not yet time for summer. I love to see the trees full of leaves and feel the warm sunshine. So waiting can be hard, but God has a time for everything. He knows that the butterflies in their cocoons aren’t ready to come out yet, and that the trees are just getting ready to bloom. He planned winter just long enough and summer not too long. His plan has the perfect timing for everything. He made the days long enough for work, school, and play and the nights long enough for us to have good rest. When you have trouble being patient, just remember that everything happens exactly when God wants it to. You may have to wait sometimes, but His time is the perfect time.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Jaime

KFC/TLC Recent Events

March 30: Bible School Planning Meeting - It is still not too late to jump on board and help with VBS! If you are interested in finding out ways you can help, please see Jaime Johnson.

March 28: TLC Girl’s Lock-In - The youth girls enjoyed a slumber party along with discussion about keeping ourselves Holy Vessels for the Holy Spirit.

March 22: Easter Egg Hunt

February 22-24: Gatlinburg Missions Conference - 22 of our church youth and members (along with some friends) attended the 40th annual Missions Conference.

February 9: Pledge2Purity - Eleven of our youth attended this event at Freedom Hall and pledged to live a life of purity until marriage and to fight stay pure spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Be sure to encourage our youth to stay strong in their commitment and ask them how they are doing.

February 2: Snow Tubing - the youth traveled to Hawk’s Nest in North Carolina to enjoy an afternoon of snow tubing. What a blast!

January 13: Invisible Children - During our TLC meeting, we watched a video about the unseen war in Northern Uganda, Invisible Children was created by three young filmmakers with a singular mission: To use the power of stories to change lives around the world. The youth have decided to get involved and share the story of the Invisible Children.

January 10: Winter Jam - Seven youth and three adults attended this year’s Winter Jam at Freedom Hall. We enjoyed music and ministry from Christian bands like NewSong, Mercy Me, Pure NRG, Skillet, and Barlow Girl.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Sunday, April 6	- Spaghetti Lunch! Plan to eat with your Church family this day. The youth will be serving homemade spaghetti, salad, bread, drinks, and homemade desserts directly after church in the Fellowship Hall. Donations will be accepted to benefit the 2008 Youth Mission Trip.

Saturday, April 26	- Church Clean-up. Youth will be helping take care of their Church and preparing for Decoration Sunday.

Sunday, April 27	- Youth Sunday- An exciting day! The KFC and TLC will be leading worship service and blessing us with song! Be sure to encourage them and thank them for their hard work!

Vacation Bible School 2007

Faith Heroes

VBS! Wow! What a great time! I had so much fun with all you guys this year at Bible School. I hope you all had as much fun as me! I enjoyed spending time with you and getting to know a lot of you much better. There were so many wonderful memories made during VBS---from watching you guys play soccer, kickball, and dress-up during recreation, to helping you little ones with crafts, and singing all those fun faith heroes songs that are still going around in my head! But most of all, remember that living by faith will certainly make you a hero! - Jaime

What did YOU like best about VBS?

“Miss Sydney and Noah’s Ark.”
- Sydney Thomas

“Recreation and the Dizzy Bat Race.”
- Ashley Thomas

“Recreation.”
- Daniel Malone

“The program. Recreation. The classes and the teachers. I think that covers it.”
- Ben Malone

“The classes.”
- Clinton Hall

“The games.”
- Maryl White

“The classes and the food and the games.”
- Kaleigh Hall

“Recreation and the classrooms.”
- Maria Barnes

“Noah’s Ark.”
- Jana White

“Abraham.”
- Alexandra Spencer Jane White

“I got to sit down and sing during the program.”
- Jacob Leonard

“All of you.”
- God

TLC Service Project

By Ashley Thomas

The TLC youth group went to the Kitchen Of Hope at the Full Gospel Mission on Saturday, April 1st 2007. This is a place that serves the homeless in the local area six days a week. Everyone learned that "HOPE" stands for Helping Other People Eat. Our group is scheduled to serve every 9 weeks. Some of us had never fed or participated in any thing like this before and we were uncertain about who might be there. Mike Jackson has been doing this for 5 years and he told us that these people are simply down on their luck and just need some help getting back on their feet. The people were very kind and gracious. It was sad seeing small children coming for food. For some, this is their only meal for the day. It made us think about how we can go out and buy nice clothes and have more than enough to eat. But some people aren't as lucky as we are. After we left, we all felt really good about doing something that made a difference. We encourage others to go with us the next time we serve. It really makes you feel good about helping others.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Matthew 25:40

KFC and TLC weekly meetings are in full swing!

Most of the classes are memorizing Bible verses each week as part of their curriculum. Please remind your children about memory verses, and help them practice. You might learn a few verses yourself – and that’s time very well spent!

KFC / TLC SUNDAY

AFTERNOONS

REGULAR SCHEDULE

                         4:45 – Start Time - Assembly, Devotions,

                                   & Snack

                         5:00 – Class Time/Bible Study

                         5:30 – Music for KFC

                         6:00 – Recreation with Dads

                         6:30 – Dismiss

First Sunday Schedule

(First Sunday of each month)

                      4:45 – Start Time - Assembly, Devotions,

                                  Birthday Meal & Table Games

                      5:30 – Class Time/Bible Study

                     6:00 – Music for KFC

                      6:30 – Dismiss

We Need Your Help Dads!!

Did you know that Daylight Savings Time will start early this year? We will be springing forward on March 11! How cool is that?!?!

Why is that cool, you may ask? Because it means that the KFC and TLC will be able to enjoy outdoor recreation again, three weeks sooner than we thought!!

And that means something else, too. WE NEED DADS! If you are a Dad and you have not yet led recreation for our young people, your number is up!

A sign-up sheet is in the narthex. Please find a partner and plan a fun, all-ages activity for our young people to enjoy. (Be there for them now. These are the people who will be planning your Golden Age Dinner.)

KFC/TLC MEALS

KFC and TLC will enjoy a meal and fellowship time each Sunday night this year. We need your help with the meals (the fellowship we got covered.) If you would like to participate in this important part of our youth ministry, there will be a sign up sheet in the narthex. When you sign up to furnish a meal, check the date you sign up for – we are asking you to bring the food specified on the sign-in sheet.

For more information, please see Jaime Johnson or Carolyn King.

Thanks so much for your support of our young people!

New Bethel TLC Summer Mission Trip 2008!

June 29-July 5

Youth grades 7 and up, mark your calendars for this exciting mission experience to serve God and share His love by serving His people!

Where? Schuylkill County rests among the mountains of east-central Pennsylvania. The area’s outdoor beauty makes it a perfect playground for those who wish to camp, hike, hunt or fish. While recreation isn’t lacking, some residents are lacking the opportunity and finances to make ends meet. The area is best known for its vast quantities of anthracite coal. This coal fueled America’s Industrial Revolution during the 19th and 20th centuries. While the demand for coal has decreased sharply since then, local memorials and museums still pay tribute to the coal-miners of Schuylkill County’s booming industrial days. Today, the county is home to an estimated 139,811 residents. Without the demand for the region’s natural resources, Schuylkill County has faced some economic challenges. The unemployment rate (approximately 5 percent) is growing. Approximately 12.6 percent of the population lives below the poverty level, including 19.2 percent of children under age 18. We will travel to Schuylkill County to serve and show the love of Jesus in the borough of Mahanoy City and surrounding areas.

About the Ministry --- Our goal is to help meet the needs of the residents of this community by leading our own ministry projects, as well as by providing support and volunteers to already existing social service organizations. Participants will run a Kids Club and will have the opportunity to do work projects. Kids Club is a hands-on afternoon program led by our youth, offering high-energy games, crafts, skits, songs and interactive lessons all designed to help kids learn about Jesus. Work projects include minor home repair and painting projects. We will also work alongside social service organizations. Our group will be mixed with the youth from other groups for our week of service.

YouthWorks --- We will be traveling to Pennsylvania to serve with a youth ministry organization called YouthWorks. YouthWorks!, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, was created in 1994 by a youth minister in Minneapolis, MN. With a Christ-centered board guiding a skilled staff, they believe God will leverage the work of summer mission trips with the work of faithful, youth ministry missionaries. For more information on YouthWorks or to see more details about the mission site in Pennsylvania, visit youthworks.com.

***For more information about this mission opportunity or if you are interested in being an adult leader, please contact Jaime Johnson. The deadline for signing up for this mission trip is November 4th, so don’t delay! Make the commitment to serve today!

Say Thank You

Psalm 100:4; 1Thessalonians 5:18

I’d like to tell you a story about my nephew. When he turned eight or nine, like most boys, he had a birthday party. And his grandmother decided to give him that greatest of all gifts: money. Cold hard cash. Delightful gift if you ask me. Always the right size, always the right color. But since he was having a party, she wanted him to have something to open. So she put the money in a box and she wrapped it.

Fine idea so far, right?

Well, in wrapping the money, she made a most unfortunate choice in boxes. She took an old stationery box – you know the kind, grandmothers always have them. They have some lovely scene on the front like mountains at sunrise or rivers or maybe a kitten. And inside you get about twenty or so birthday cards, thank you cards, sympathy cards – a box of what they call “all-occasion” cards. So when my nephew ripped off the wrapping paper, guess what he thought? Yep, he thought his grandmother gave him some stationery for his birthday. And his mom didn’t make things any better by yelling “Oh look! You got a box of note cards!”

My nephew looked at the box, and he looked at his grandmother. And he said, as sincerely as I have ever heard anyone say these words, “Thank you, Mimi.” (He calls her Mimi.) And then we all laughed and said no, it’s not really a box of cards, and he opened the box and happiness abounded. The end.

I remember that story for two reasons. One: it speaks volumes about my nephew’s character. I love to get note cards. LOVE IT. But for most eight or nine year old boys, note cards rank right up there with socks and underwear in terms of making lousy gifts. But even though he didn’t want note cards, he still said thank you. And he was sincere in his thanks.

Which brings me to the second reason I remember this story. It reminds me to always say thanks to someone else: God.

The Bible talks a lot about giving thanks, and being thankful, and “Entering His gates with Thanksgiving.” All that really means is to remember to tell God thank you. Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for parents that love us. Thank you for the sunshine. Thank you, God.

But what do we say when God gives us the flu? Or a bee sting? Or a stubbed toe? Do we say thank you for those things too? Yep. We do.

Just like my nephew said thanks for a box of note cards that he didn’t want, we are also told to “give thanks in all circumstances.” That means saying thanks for good things and bad things. And it is so hard to be thankful for bad things. But just like my nephew discovered, that really bad gift he got wasn’t bad at all. It just looked like a bad gift at the time.

God has a reason for all of the things that he gives us, good and bad. Sometimes we learn the reason, sometimes we never do. But we always need to say “Thank you, God,” no matter what. Say it now: “Thank you, God.”