Follow the Star

Hey everyone, I encourage you to go to this site as much as you can during advent. Each day there is a reflection and music to help you really prepare for Christmas.  Check it out!

Following the Star

It’s that time of year again when we get up really early on a Sunday and spread God’s love and compassion to the guests at the First United Methodist Church in Plymouth. FUMC hosts a rotating homeless shelter through the Cass Community Social Services.  This will be our 6^th  year of serving in this valuable ministry. Our middle school youth group is scheduled to prepare and serve breakfast on Sunday, November 17 to about 50 homeless people who stay at this rotating shelter. This would mean getting up pretty darn early in the morning, but it is a great opportunity for service. Let me know ASAP if you’d be willing to do this. Please let me know in person, text or email me.

We meet at the church in Plymouth at 5:30 AM and prepare and serve breakfast at 6:00. We also eat with them and fellowship with them, showing them Christ’s love over breakfast and conversation. Sometimes we play games like chess, or cards before they leave about 7:00 AM. Once breakfast is over, we clean up and head back to our homes (usually by 7:30.) We will still have Breakfast Club that morning at 11:00. 

We will be preparing eggs, fruit, pastries or muffins, juice and sausage to go with our meal that morning. 

If you have volunteered for this ministry in the past you know how much joy you can bring to others less fortunate and you know how much joy you also receive from serving. I encourage you to sign up, you won’t regret it! Adults are more than welcome to stay, help prepare, and fellowship with the guests.

Looking forward to serving alongside of you,

Nancy

Why Join a Youth Group?

It’s can be tough out there on our own. In our hearts, we know we are called to love others and be faithful to God’s word – but it’s not easy. Not everyone defines love the same way. Jesus said, “Love consists in this – laying down one’s life for a friend.” At church, there are caring adults and other teens who lay down their lives for us – by giving us their attention, time, prayers and friendship.

No group is perfect, but our God is – and God is always there. God calls us to love, to forgive, to be patient and to make a difference. He calls us to do this together as his church. Friendships made in youth ministry groups can grow into lifetime friendships as we continue in this faith-filled community.

Why should anyone join a youth group? Here are the top 10 reasons a youth group is a great place to be:

 (As posted on FaithMag.com)

10.  In any friendship, we make mistakes. Being part of a Christian youth group means we believe in forgiveness.


9.  The negativity of others can bring us down. A Christian youth group will encourage and uplift.


8.  We look around our world and wish we could make a difference. In a Christian group, we are called to work together to make this a better world to live in.


7.  It seems like there’s no right or wrong in the world we live in. Being in a Christian group can give us direction and help us to choose what is right and provides friends who will support us.


6.  By ourselves, we don’t always feel close to God. Jesus promised that where two or three gather in his name – he is with them.


5.  Some of the other teens around me seem so lethargic. They don’t seem too excited about their faith. In a Christian youth group, most people are there because they want to be there. The enthusiasm is contagious.


4.  In a Christian group, we have others with whom we can pray and share our concerns.


3.  In a Christian group, Jesus is our role model and we have other leaders who strive to live like him.


2.  In a Christian youth group, we can bring our friends who have the same needs we all have and who also need a supportive group of friends in their lives.


1.  In a Christian youth group, we are connected to the larger church that Jesus established. It is a place where we can know our God, grow in love and faith, and change the world we live in.

We've got a lot of activities and events planned that give you the opportunity to be a disciple of Christ!
So mark your calendars and set your sights on Christ!

Learning - finding out more what it means to be a disciple!

Breakfast Club! every Sunday at 11:00 in the Club Room

Winter Retreat! Friday January 24-Sunday, January 26 at Michindoh. We will be a part of their teen retreat weekend. (Cost $105)

Practicing - doing stuff! Youth group on the 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings from 6:30-8:00. This is not just a time for fellowship, but also a time where we can be doing some service for others, and sharing our faith.  Sunday nights are perfect times to bring friends!

September 22 - games and possibly campfire (weather permitting)

October 13 - Corn Maze
October 27 - campfire/s'mores and stuff

November 10 - Operation Christmas Child (extended youth group time)
November 24 - possibly bell ringing for the Salvation Army

December 8 - Christmas Cards for seniors, treats and movie
December 22 - rehearsal for Christmas Eve service

Serving - serving others means serving Christ!

October 13 - Crop Walk (after church)
October 26 - Running games at Trunk or Treat 4:00-6:00

November 3 - Sandwich Ministry (after church)
November 10 - Operation Christmas Child (we will collect and pack shoe boxes to send overseas)
November 17 - Serving Breakfast to the Homeless Guests at FUMC in Plymouth - 5:30-7:30 AM
November 24 - Ringing bells for the Salvation Army during youth group time

December 8 - Making Christmas cards for seniors during youth group time

January 5 - Sandwich Ministry (after church)
January 11 - Taking donations to Fort Street (even though you don't stay out all night during boxing night we can use your help loading and unloading the truck!)

Looking to fall!

Here we go!

We're getting ready to kick off another great year of Middle School MInistry at Geneva. I'm looking forward to all the activities and events we're planning, but I'm also looking forward to being able to see everyone grow in their faith and grow closer to Jesus.

In a side column you can sign up to bring food for our weekly fellowship/education/small group time called Breakfast Club. (Now you can click on the date on THIS site and it will take you to the Sign-up Genius site! How easy can you get??) We meet EVERY Sunday during the 11:00 service in the Club room, located at the end of the hall in the Lighthouse area.

Also in a side column, you can see the events and activities planned for each month. These activities are subject to change, so check back often! FYI We'll have youth fellowship on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 6:30-8:00. I hope everyone can come, and BRING FRIENDS. The more people we have, the more fun we'll have!

We're back... don't lose your momentum!

Hey everyone, we've been back from our mission trip for a week now. I hope you are thinking about how the trip impacted your faith, how you met and served God in Minnesota and how you can continue spending time with God and serving him here in Michigan.

Every year Youthworks, through their magazine Reverb (you ALL got one as you left ....) lets us know about their 1K challenge to kickstart some service/community minded ministry in our area. I'd like to challenge you all to think about this seriously. Would you like to start a once a month lunch/sandwich ministry in Detroit? (We made a big impact in the few we handed out in June, we could make it a once a month bigger project, maybe even get more youth involved!) Would you like to start and run a community garden in the back of our church? (thoughts are already forming on this with some adults from the church) Is there something else you can think of?

Give it some thought... let me know, and I'll help you fill out the paperwork to submit to Youthworks/Reverb.

For more information on the 1K challenge, click here

Thursday Evening, last day of work!

 Really? That’s all? We’re just getting started! We’re not ready to go yet. What do you mean it’s time to leave already?

What a wonderfully blessed week we’ve had. These 7 young middle schoolers started out a little apprehensive about talking with new people, old people, impoverished people, people not quite like them, and turned into brave, bold and empowered middle schoolers. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them when you see them on Sunday.

This group pushed themselves to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Even though there wasn’t a lot  of physical labor involved this week, there was still work! It takes work to make new friends, speak to new people, do repetitive tasks with joy and step out of your comfort zone. 

Last days are always busy. The ‘wicked crew was at UGM again, this time helping to unload a big delivery, serving lunch, and cleaning up. But they also had the opportunity to sit with some people and talk and get to know them. For some, this was a real challenge.

The ‘seek’ group was back at the nursing home. We weeded a bit in the morning. (Seriously, we CAN’T do a mission trip without SOME weeding,)  then jumped right in talking with residents, painting nails, exercised with them and made some brownies. After lunch we visited and talked (Nancy played several games of cribbage) and really got to know many of the residents. Even though we’d only been there two days, it was really difficult to leave.

There was a community cookout for dinner, then packing and the traditional Youthworks Thursday evening foot washing activity tonight. This is one of the best parts of these trips. Where Jeff and I get to pray for our students. I can’t wait.

Tomorrow it’s off to Clearwater Forest camp to meet up with the high schooler for some water activities, high ropes course and visiting with Elise Russell. (Sadly, Rick and the kids won’t be there- they are actually in Michigan!! Bad timing) After dinner we’re heading for Eau Claire for the night, and Saturday we’ll be home. I’m looking forward to meeting up with the other group and sharing stories of the week.

Don’t forget, we’ll be sharing AFTER church on Sunday (not during the service like we usually do.) I hope you can join us.

Thank you for your prayers. 

Third Day of Work

Wow! Are we busy! I’m not even able to write this until 10:00 PM, during our church group time.  Sorry- no time for pictures....

The “wicked” crew is telling me about their day… They went to the United Gospel Mission, the place where the “seek” crew had been the past few days. It sounds as if their experience was a little different than ours. First, they didn’t peel potatoes! They pulled pork! After lunch they sorted envelopes. They didn’t have too long to visit with people, but they are hoping they’ll be able to tomorrow.

The “seek” crew went to a large nursing home high up a hill in Duluth. We hung out and visited with some residents EVERYONE did an awesome job with conversations. One woman even wanted Luke to stay at the home with her.  Later Brenna and Lindsey helped with morning exercises. Before lunch we visited some more, some of us just talked and some played cards. After lunch, Nancy, Brenna and Lindsey went to help in the Alzheimer’s wing, a real challenge but the girls jumped right in. The boys went to another long-term care wing and played bingo.  Though I think we worked hard today, challenged in uncomfortable situations, the youth really thought they had a fun day!

After showers we went to a park for pizza dinner, and swimming or volleyball at Point Park. About 15 minutes after dinner, a big breeze came up and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. That didn’t deter some kids from swimming anyway. We were supposed to stay at the beach but it looked as if a storm was coming up so we played it safe and came back to the church for club time.

These days always go by so fast on mission trips. We plan for so many months and think about the trip for so long, and then it goes by in a flash! We’re already ¾ done with our service days! We only have one more day of service… It’s really hard to believe.

Your prayers are reaching us…. Thank you. 

2nd Work Day

Whew- busy day for everyone! (And I hear it was super busy in Red Lake too!) God sure is present in Duluth.

The “seek” crew was back at the Gospel Mission helping to prepare food. (Putting together sandwiches for lunch and cutting up chicken for dinner, and of course….. more potatoes!! We served more people during lunch today and had lots of time to visit with guests in the afternoon before we got picked up. We are sorry to have to leave this place, we’ve really enjoyed serving here, but we’re looking forward to serving at the rehab center tomorrow.

The “wicked” crew worked on that deck more today, painting, painting and more painting. Of course, another hike was included! This time before lunch. Duluth sure is pretty. They also were able to visit Enger Tower, a 5-story stone observation tower on top of a big hill. What a view from there!

After showers today everyone from Youthworks went to United Gospel Mission for dinner. We ate and interacted for a very short time with the other guests there. We also took some time to visit a memorial close by dedicated to 3 African-American men who were lynched in Duluth in the 1920s. That was a pretty moving experience for all of us.

When we came back from the city we had a long free time before the evening Club activities started. The youth (OK, and me….) used this time to play and interact with kids from other churches.

Tomorrow both crews go to new ministry sites. “Wicked” to United Gospel Mission and “seek” to the Chris Jensen Rehab Center.

Thanks again for your prayers….

First Work Day!

We had a great first day of work! The “wicked” crew (Jeff, Zach, Alex and some people from Minneapolis) spent the day working at the home of Emily, a single mom with a 5-year-old girl. They swept the deck, then sanded the deck, caulked all around and smoothed it out. They had an “epic” lunch break, according to Jeff. They walked down to a park for lunch and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then after lunch while waiting for their wood filler to dry, Adam, the man from One Roof Community Housing ,took them on a hike in a park along a river with a series of waterfalls.  Adam also told them a lot about the history of Duluth. Once they got back to the site, they started priming the deck. They didn’t have a chance to finish, so they will finish tomorrow.

When I saw them after their work day, before their showers, they had a bit of primer on them, but they were also smiling, they had a good day!

The ‘seek’ crew (Nancy, Nathan, Brenna, Lindsey, Luke and Louie) got dropped off at Union Gospel Mission and were immediately put to work peeling potatoes and quartering potatoes. It only took ½ hour before we had our first casualty (Lindsey’s finger was cut with the potato peeler, but it was fixed with a band-aid.) After the potatoes were finished, we had a chance to visit with the guests of the mission. People were very nice, and the kids did well interacting with strangers. A few were a little shy, not talking too much, but they quickly relaxed and some genuine conversations were taking place.  We ate our lunches early, then, set up a table with donated bakery items from a local food store. We stocked the table with breads and rolls and sweets that guests could take home after they ate lunch. Once we finished stocking, it was time to serve the guests for about an hour. Once the guests left, we cleaned up (wiping tables, sweeping and mopping) It was more food preparation. We peeled and cut cucumbers (no accidents this time!) and peppers.  You’ll hear more about the Union Gospel Mission when we share more about our trip Sunday after church.  

Tonight’s dinner was tacos/nachos/burritos. The staff here had a challenge. They called it “Messy Mexican Monday” they challenged people to eat their dinner without using their hands. Jeff, Luke and Louie accepted the challenge! I’m not thinking we are going to institute this at home…. It got pretty messy!

Tonight we’re going to Canal Park to hang out a while…. More tomorrow.

Thanks again for your prayers….