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Zion UCC Youth Newsletter Zion Youth Group Newsletter Winter 2008
Our Epiphany Party on January 6, 2008, was great fun! We held it in the youth room downstairs, and got some great ideas on how we might paint and fix up our ‘gathering’ space! We had a great lunch (with wonderful BBQ made my Jackie Morrell) and listened to the new CD by Casting Crowns “Between the Altar and the Door”. We had a great game of “Clue”...yes, Pastor Karen won...but I’m sure someone will find Colonel Mustard in the library more quickly next time! We had a blast pulling at our pinata until the candy came tumbling out all over the floor, and then the guys had a candy war in our big large space. (did you know brooms make great ‘batting’ devices to move candy from one side of the room to the other? Oh, yes, and of course, we decorated ourselves for the party...in green, yellow and purple streamers. The King’s cake? Yes...indeed...chocolate.....and we found the prizes by digging in with our HANDS! (when was the last time you got to do that?) We all found prizes that symbolized Jesus to us, and decided that we would definitely celebrate Epiphany together again next year!
ICYI Midwinter Retreat at Pilgrim Park—January 11-13, 2008......
“You are a magnificent creation of the Divine!” (Rev. Da Vita McCallister) WOW...did we celebrate this at the retreat! We had absolutely wonderful music by Rev. Bryan Sirchio, and programming that was shared by he and Rev. Da.....all about how we can use the gifts that God gives us in a world that is in need of us and our gifts! Four youth from Zion attended the weekend.....Olivia Bergagna, Nathan Morrell, Turner Pruitt, Stephen Riordan. I was SO PROUD of our young people..they stepped up in leadership roles the minute we arrived! We had a great weekend of fun and faith..hikes to the cross, campfire, a dance, ping pong and 4-square, along with new songs and new friends! This is definitely an event we will want to ‘do over’ again in winter 2009!
Do we have any geeks lurking about? The youth group is looking for a youth who would be willing to be a “Key Link Communicator” and send regular email updates to our youth group. All you need is access to Internet and email. Also, we would LOVE to have a youth come forward and help design a “youth ministries” web page as a link from our wonderful Zion UCC website. Oh and what about a blog space? Anybody interested? If so, please contact Pastor Karen (339-2939) or Rev. Gary. (223-2671)
Jesse Watkins.....our adopted soldier! Jesse sent us an email letter before Christmas, and it is printed below. At our lockin on February 9th, we will make Valentines and write letters to send to Jesse. Please keep Jesse in your prayers as he serves our country faithfully! A Letter from Jesse... Hello, First I want to apologize for not writing sooner. Things have been very busy here between going to school for my army job and doing work after school for the Army there hasn't been a lot of time plus I just moved into this place so I have been trying to get organized. I really appreciate all the letters, support and prayers. I was surprised and very happy to get them. Basic training was a lot of work. We had to get up at 4 in the morning to exercise. After that we went to work training and didn't go to bed until 9 or 10pm. I shared a big room with 55 other guys. Most of the time at basic we would go to the shooting range and practice with our rifles and machine guns. We also threw hand grenades. During my time at boot camp we were not allowed to eat junk food or drink soda. We couldn't even have hamburgers or hotdogs. Can you imagine doing that for 2 1/2 months :) Now I am near Augusta, Georgia training for what I will be doing in the Army. My job will be to repair radios and other equipment used for communication. The first picture on the bottom is the outside of my barracks. There are about 200 people that live in there. The second picture is a room inside the barracks everyone goes to hang out, watch tv and play pool. There are also a few vending machines. The third picture is what my room looks like. That is my bunk on the bottom. I share a room with 6 other guys. After this training is over I will be comming home and doing things for the army only on the weekends. At least that is the plan for now. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to use my sigining skills while Im here and I will be here until May 14th or right around there. I will be able to get back into the swing of it. I have had time to practice while I have been here. I am comming home for Christmas on a 2 week break. Thank God for that because I need it. Things have been really hectic but are finally starting to wind down a bit. The school I have been going to here at Fort Gordon is self paced on the computer for now. Later it will be class work. The instructors are just there to ask questions if I were to get stuck or not understand something. Now I am learning how to test circuit boards to see if they are working properly or not. Just basic electronics now. Later it will get more in depth. By the way, Turner, Mr. Neu was my 5th grade teacher as well. He is a cool teacher. Well I should get going now. Once again I am sorry it has taken me so long to answer. It shouldn't take that long from now on. If you have anymore questions about what I am doing or if you would just like to write feel free. I appreciate the letters and would like to hear from you all. Take care. Jesse Watkins My new address is: PFC Watkins, Jesse R. C co. 73rd ORD BN Fort Gordon, Ga 30905 I also have email: jessewatkins85@tmail.com Upcoming EVENTS!!!!!! Saturday, February 9, 2008..a lock in at the church! We will begin at 7 pm, and end at 7 am Sunday morning. During our lock in, we will bake heart shaped sugar cookies (which we will sell after church Sunday as a fundraiser) and we’ll watch movies and play games and have fun and maybe even ‘sleep’ a little bit. Here’s what to bring: 1. a snack to share 2. a favorite movie (must be PG 13 or lower rating and approved by Pastor Karen) 3. $5—for pizza and the cookie dough ingredients 4. sleeping bag and pillow You are very welcome to bring a friend to the lock in...just let Pastor Karen know how many are coming. (815-339-2939) All youth who participate must have a signed permission slip. (printed in this newsletter) Please call Pastor Karen to let her know you are attending, so we know how much pizza to buy! Saturday, February 16, 2008—Eagle Watch and Starved Rock....we will gather at the church at 1:00 pm and travel to Starved Rock Lock and Dam observation area. We will watch the eagles, then go over to the park and do some hiking. We will leave Starved Rock by 4:00 pm, and be home by 4:30. Bring a few dollars to buy some hot chocolate or a soda...we’ll hang out in the Great Room for a little while! We’ll join with our Granville friends for this adventure! Please let Pastor Karen know if you plan to attend! Other Dates for your calendars...... Saturday, April 5th..the youth group will make and sell sub sandwiches as a fundraiser. (NCAA Final Four weekend) We will also participate in the ICYI “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign about bottled water and our environment. Friday/Saturday, May 2nd and 3rd....Prairie Association Annual Meeting—Pilgrim Park..registration materials will be coming out shortly. Saturday, May 10th....Christian Music Youth Festival—Pilgrim Park (see flyer in this newsletter) National Youth Event (ages 13-18)—Knoxville, TN...July 24-28th! Let’s go! Let’s take a big caravan of youth to represent Zion UCC! Check out the link on the UCC website for more information. www.ucc.org Summer Camps at Pilgrim Park and Tower Hill are now available for registration...you can look at the schedule for camps on line at www.il-odm.org
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Zion United Church of Christ
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