Hello! Today our eyes were opened to the reality that Katrina was to the people of New Orleans. We went on a second tour of the parts that were most damaged in the city from the hurricane. The Camp Rhino leader, Avery, led us on the tour and had us think about what it would be like to be in the different situations that people were in. Something that stood out to me was the situation students at Tulane were in at the time. She talked about how after just arriving in this new place, they were ask to leave and had to attend a different university for a year. I think that would be a difficult situation to be in and one of the many things that I never thought about before she mentioned them. I am excited for another day of work at Miss Cassandra's house with the SBP leader Emily. I hope we can make a difference in these people's lives and help rebuild hope in New Orleans.


--Maddy

Not many grocery stores, too many gunshot murders.  We learned about these realities on our tour of the city this evening.  And both are connected to the devastation after Katrina.  Many people left the city so businesses closed and have not re-opened.  Many families were broken up as they had to move around the country to find shelter.  There are many young teens in the city with no parents and no family support.   The hurricane damage is about more than floods and damaged homes.

We also saw the strength and resilience of the people of New Orleans.  Homes with flowers on their porches, neighbors helping each other.

We are working hard and learning a lot.  Our group sanding and primed at Ms. Cassandra's home.  After her house was flooded, it was remodeled and then some creeps broke into it.  It was remodeled again and again some creeps broke into it!  We want to help finish her home so that she can move in by July 15.
More later...Marsha

Welcome to NOLA

Hello friends, family, and adoring fans! I know it's been a bit of a delay, but my first blog post is finally here! Following a bus ride of limited comfort yet abundant laughter and fellowship, I ventured forth into the vibrant city of New Orleans. First conquered were the tourist traps, from French Quarter voodoo shops to the Café du Mond. The sugar crash from the beignets was felt throughout the youth group. Today marked our first day of work at the St. Bernard Project. Essentially, the project comprises a leading volunteer staff from Americorp who build/repair homes affected by Katrina utilizing private funding and the help of volunteers like us. I was in work group A, doing wooden flooring work for an elderly woman and amputee, Gwen, who has been through two hurricanes, two homes, two break-ins, and a drive-by shooting. I was tasked with sawing the wooden planks so as to fit them around doorways and against walls. I may have enjoyed those power saws a bit too much. Although the working conditions were hot, we remained indoors while we worked. For me, the first day of work proved to be quite satisfactory, as it was not only a bonding experience, but the work made me feel proud of myself as well.
Such pride appeared later this evening. After an afternoon of free time spent playing wiffle ball and throwing the disc (frisbee), and a delicious spaghetti dinner, we boarded the buses once again for a "prayer tour" of the city. On this brief trip we passed through the neighborhoods hardest hit by the 2005 disaster and the ensuing disarray, including the Central City and Lower Ninth Ward. These areas were flooded with up to 11 feet of water in the hurricane. The tour showed me that even today, nearly eight years after Katrina, these neighborhoods are still stricken with poverty, crime, and poor education. They lack grocery stores that carry fresh produce, and it is often easier for residents to access guns than wholesome food. From this description you may be thinking of New Orleans as a city barely coping. But firsthand, I see a city bouncing back. I am proud to be a part of turning the Big Easy into the City of Second Chances. I feel gratified to be a part of thousands of volunteers helping annually to make things right. I will continue to work this week on one of nearly 500 homes constructed by the St. Bernard Project. This is truly a full, fantastic mission trip experience. See y'all soon.
–Paul Ihlenfeldt

Work Day 1

Hey all!  Lily Schafer again!
Today we woke up at 5:30 in the morning, loaded the bus, and drove to the headquarters of St. Barnard, an organization founded after the storm that has helped restore almost 500 homes since then.  The organization also has partnerships in Joplin (where we went last year), New England (Sandy), and are working on setting up a partnership in Oklahoma following the tornado.
We then went to the work sites.  We were split into three groups, with my group (A) going to the home of Gwen M., a multiple hurricane survivor (Ike and Katrina) who was shot in a drive by and had to have her leg amputated.  She lost her job, and her home, brand new extensions and all, was bare.  Most of the outside work was done, so we started flooring the main hallway in the upstairs and one of the larger rooms on the first floor.  Henry, Paul, Erica and I worked on the second floor, with Paul and Erica sawing and Henry and I doing the flooring.  While appearing easy, it was really frustrating, because the pieces were so hard to make fit together well, and a lot of the pieces of wood had to be adjusted so they could fit around doors that lined the hallways.  We only got about three rows completely done, but it was a good start to a fantastic week.  I'm really excited to keep working with all of these guys.
We then took a break, filled with Bananagrams (which I apparently suck at.  Thanks Simon.), chilling with Paul, chatting, and playing trumpet with Xaver.  We then ate some dinner, and took another tour of the Katrina damage.  It was different then the first, in that Avery (not King) described the infastructure of New Orleans and how it changed due to the storm.
Overall, it was a great day.  My shirt fell of the balcony.  It was a struggle.  I'm excited to keep working tomorrow on the floors, and to keep hanging out with the group.
See y'all later!
Love,
     Lily Schafer

Houses where we are working....

Hey,

Here is where we are working...

(click on the hyperlinks)

The A Team

Lily
Henry
Paul
Clem
Erica
Dan
Maggie
Lydia
The Reverend T. C. Ewald, III

http://goo.gl/maps/c4GW1

The B-plusses

Julia
Devin
(Not) Helpful Hannah
Ryan
Simon(e)
Edmund
Lian
Lee

http://goo.gl/maps/Mdl0Y

Team C + +

Maddy
Claire
Allison
Jimmy
Avery
Xaver
Marsha
John

http://goo.gl/maps/O8RDT

Hey tout le monde,
Petite post du français ce matin réveillé à 5h20 par les adultes, petit-déjeuner et on file dans le bus pour aller dans lieu de travail. On y travaillera pendant 5 heures (jusqu'a 13h ) il fait hyper chaud environ 38 degrés, plus le ressenti d'humidité, qui ajoute quelques degrés en plus. Pour ma part j'ai travaillé pendant la plus part du temps avec Tom Abraham et Danny, c'était assez ennuyant on a du défaire un parquet entier et le remettre en place nous sommes loin d'avoir fini. Mais d'un côté c'était plutot convivial on a parlé pour la plus part du temps. De retour au campus un douche et un bon repos plus que mérité. Ce soir nous retournons a l'église pour manger et chanter tous ensemble.
Bonne soirée tout le monde et désolé pour le français, je trouvais ça plus amusant
Je porte des chaussure en chocolat
Clément GALAS avec les conseils avisés de Rayan

Hello from the Big Easy

Hello all!
 Today, after our two-day New Orleans vacation, we began our work! I was on team B, and we worked on the house belonging to ms. Carmelita.  Her home was right in front of one of the breaches in the levy where a barge was pushed through a neighborhood. We worked on laying laminate flooring, and I teamed up with Poppa Schafer to complete a butterfly wall patch. It was hot, but thankfully we were indoors and managed to avoid any sunburns. We have it pretty good on the Tulane campus- a dorm room for each pair of us, decent showers, and AIR-CONDITIONING. Livin' the good life. We've seen a lot of cool sights (Lydia was excited when we saw a voodoo shop), but we've also seen a lot of the ruin and destruction that is still so present in this city. All in all everyone is having a great time, I just played Jimmy in an epic Bananagrams grudge match, and we are about to walk to the church for dinner and a prayer tour. I'll keep you posted!
Much, much love,
Julia Schafer

Ms. Cassandra's House

Allison and Avery here!
We started work today. Our group (Team C) was at a woman named Cassandra's house. Before arriving, we were given a brief biography about the person. Cassandra is a good cook, and a loving family member whose house is the center meeting place of her large extended family. It was devastating to find out everything they had been through, including multiple break ins after they had lost everything in the storm.  We haven't met her yet, but are hopeful she will come to the house later in the week to see the great progress we're making!
Today was a messy workday. We began by doing some heavy lifting, carrying wood to the dumpster outside the front door. We then began sanding the walls and ceilings of the house. We all probably inhaled a pound of dust each, plus another three in our eyes and hair. By the end of the day we all had gray hair. The small rooms and hot lighting made it a little uncomfortable... But it was worth it to see the progress we already are making, even after just one day. A few of us also participated in the covering of the windows in preparation for the afternoon workers, who could texture the walls. 
After work, we all took necessary showers.

NEW ORLEANS

My first impressions of New Orleans have met all of the stereotypes that I had been anticipating. From jazz music playing throughout the entire city and the rice and beans and beingees, to the most wonderful (and only) voodoo shop I have ever been in. I do not care that others have already discussed the voodoo shop. It made such an impact that Claire and I now plan on becoming voodoo queens. (Totally kidding, we promise this mission trip is not hindering our spirituality). There was palm reading in the back, devilish masks covered the walls, and they were selling voodoo doll kits for a low price of 25 dollars. Did anyone notice how ironic it was that a church youth mission group went into a voodoo shop? I am in love with how all the plants here seem as if they are on the verge of taking over the entire city; there are roots crawling up the sides of many buildings and there are tree roots bursting through the sidewalks. Tropical plants are also so much lovelier than plants from the north, they're so colorful and wispy, and the ferns and thick-trunked trees remind me of ones I would see in a dinosaur picture book.

We just got back from our first day of work today. I was so happy to hear that we would be doing most of our work painting, flooring, and laminating, because I will be able to avoid a ridiculous farmers tan this week. I helped out with flooring today, which includes cutting the floor pieces with an electric saw and fitting them in like puzzle pieces. It was actually really fun, other than the fact that the house was like a sauna, and it's so satisfying when the floor pieces fit together just so. We've yet to meet the homeowner, but I really hope we meet the person that we get to help out.

-Hannah

Henry's first check-in

Hello!

After a 20+ hour bus ride, some sight-seeing, and time to adjust to the climate (I'm pretty sure that the air is 49% water) we finally began doing what we came here to do today; we worked. After reviewing my high school transcript, SAT scores, extra-curricular activities, and several essays I was chosen for the prestigious Group A. We set to work on Gwen's house after a brief orientation detailing the history of the St. Bernard Project. A site director organized our efforts as we did some clean-up and then as we measured, remeasured, cut, and laid laminate flooring. I worked mostly upstairs first laying out the subfloor and then assembling the first lines of actual floor (the first few are always the hardest).

Afterwards we came back and a bunch of guys played wiffle ball and frisbee sans shirts. As I am writing there is a heated bananagrams game going on in the corner, steady snacking by the snack bags, and some relaxing novel reading in the semicircle of couches.

Hope all is well back in the 651!
Henry B.

Pics

The first batch of pictures are up.  Travel, exploring NOLA, first day of work

By abram

Today was the first day that we went to work in the houses. We were divided into three groups for this, and my group was assigned to repair the house of a woman named Gwen m. She moved to new orleans in 97 because she liked the culture, and worked as a school bus driver until Katrina. Her, her ex husband, and their son were stranded on the roof of their house for four days until they swam to the airport and were rescued by a helicopter. Later in life she lost her next home to hurricane Ike in Galveston, had her leg amputated after it was shot and infected in a drive by, and lost all the money she had for renovating her old home in new orleans to contractor fraud. For me it feels really nice to help this lady out by renovating, and helping get her back into her old home. The work we are doing here is difficult, but to me it is definitely worth it.

Po Boys and Voodoo dolls (Jimmy's Blog)

Hey everybody

So far, it has been a simply amazing few days here in New Orleans! We all managed not to kill each other on the day long bus ride here, so that's a good start. Once we got here, we stopped in at Tulane, we relaxed in the college dorms, which so far are a big step up from the church floor some of us are used to sleeping on. After freshening up (the water pressure in the showers is fantastic this year!) we went over to the French Quarter and stopped at Mother's Cafe, where I helped my self to a delicious Fried Oyster po boy. We were pretty entertained after stopping in a Voodoo store where everything was conveniently priced over $30, and then came back to the dorms to play some banana grams and frisbee.

Today we went to Cafe Du Monde and helped ourselves to some French donuts that I can't spell the names of, and then went to get a behemoth of a pizza for lunch. Afterwords  we hung out and played apples to apples, and went to eat dinner with the folks at Camp Rhino. There are two other groups here with us from Michigan and Florida,and we were served some scrumptious beans and rice. After a nice worship service, we headed back to Tulane and settled down for the night after a quick swim at the college pool.

Although it kind of feels like a Turkish bath here, the sun has been out and I've gotten a nice farmers tan from just walking around. The music and food here have been simply astounding. We've also learned a lot about what happened in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina from watching a documentary, visiting a museum, and seeing the areas hit by the storm that are still being worked on almost eight years later, on a great tour led by Lee.

I'm having a great time so far, and I can't wait to begin work tomorrow!

A Blog Post For You to Read from Simon Brown.

Hello everyone!

This is Simon, just to update you on our time in New Orleans. In a word, hot. But more than just that, very humid. We've only been here two days so far and it's already getting to me. Luckily, the dorms room we're in are air conditioned and VERY comfortable. New Orleans has a different culture than St. Paul that is for sure, anywhere you go there are street performers, and voodoo shops, although it is very fascinating and nice, I cannot see myself living here. Tomorrow is our first day at work, I am on the B Team which is therefore clearly the coolest team, we are doing some sort of construction work, I'm not sure exactly what, but it should be fun. It is an early wake up call though, 5:30! Which is undoubtedly the earliest I've woken up in a long time; even for school I only had to wake up at 6:30. What is nice though is that we have free time from 1-6 every single day, where we can go running, or swim, or whatever it be. So far to pass my time I have been reading Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders which although is very interesting (Did you know that Charles Manson is only 5'2"??), has a very contradictory tone of what our objective here is. LILY! We walked into a room at the church which is hosting us, and what do we see? Rock service once again. Some of the same songs too! It's kinda traumatic. But in contrast to the previous mission trip, the showers are wonderful; warm, high water-pressure, and no fish smell. CAROLINE! We visited your previous work-sites today and the house is done, and looks fantastic! Since I am the only one with a sibling that worked on it, Paul took a picture of me in front of it for you to see, which should be uploaded to the blog sometime soon. It was great, on the trip down here, we watched Slumdog Millionaire, School of Rock (Which although I hate Jack Black was quite entertaining the second time around), and or course my personal favorite, The Dark Knight. The explosions were loud at 1 A.M but still very fun. Walking around the French Quarter, Paul and I recognize scenery from one of our favorite video games which is kinda cool. Since the last time I had been here was a long time ago, it was really cool going around it for a second time. I am bunking with Jimmy and Danny, which although has it's perks can get bad pretty quickly.The food at the church is really great. Tonight we had some good old fashion beans and rice, which was very good. In addition to the environment of New Orleans, Tulane University has a very beautiful campus, but I cannot see myself going to school here. I'm definitely missing my computer and friends at home, but it's good to get away from that kind of a lifestyle for awhile. I'll probably blog again later this week, but for now I should go.


Talk to you again later,
Love, Simon.

Lydias blog yall

    Hello parents,
Its only the second night in new orleans, we haven't even worked yet, and im exhausted. This city is awesome. The French quarter is one of the most amazing things, the buildings and shops look so antique and unique. I ate a baked ham po' boy which was the bomb. I also love the coffee this city has. Which is another thing, having a coffee addiction might be a problem this week for we're waking up before 6 all week, and children do not get coffee. Jesus take the wheel.
Im also still looking to get my palm read, or to discover some black magic or something.  

Till next time,
Lydia nelson

Devins blog

So today was an interesting day. Our bus was delayed by a taxi driver who somehow managed to hit it from behind for some reason. After that we got some really good beignets and then saw some of the devastating destruction left by the levee breaks. The good stuff was that we also saw the rebuilding process. I also learned today how bad I am at pool. I hit the eight ball in and also the cue ball multiple times. Overall, it was an extremely exciting day.                                                                                         Devin

St. Bernard Project - this is our work

http://www.stbernardproject.org/

It's going well!

Hello everyone! This is Ryan Peacock, I'm having lots of fun here in New Orleans. You wouldn't believe the humidity down here, air conditioning is a must. New Orleans is very different from St. Paul, you can see a distinct culture change, everything from the roads to buildings it's just not the same. We start work tomorrow, having to wake up at 5: 30 will certainly be a chore but we will make it through. Hope everyone is good back home, and we most certainly are here. Love you all, see you soon!

Ryan Peacock

This is Maggie.  We had a great start to the program and everyone is really looking forward to starting work tomorrow at Miss Gwen, Miss Carmalita, and Miss Cassandra's houses.  For the youthies, there might be a tiny bit of anxiety about the 5:30 am wake-up call, and for the adults there is definitely a LOT of anxiety about the lack of certainty of where the coffee will come from.

At the church

Walked to St Charles Presbyterian for launch of Camp Rhino. If House of Hope were upscale it would this place. Nice. Very Nice.

Folks obsessing about 5 AM wake up and  19 minute walk from Tulane to this place to be ready by 6.15.

More later.

Day one...

Hey everyone!  This is Lily Schafer.
New Orleans is awesome!  Today we ate breakfast at the famous cafe du mond in the French Quarter.  We ate the famous New Orleans beignets, which are basically pastries covered in mountains of powdered sugar. They were SO good!!!
Afterwards, we walked up to the river (which was gorgeous), and then went on a bus tour of the areas affected by the storm (hurricane Katrina).  We went to the lower 9th ward, which was one of the poorest areas of the city which was virtually wiped out by Katrina, the Industrial canal, which burst from the pressure of the storm and flooded everything, and the houses that the mission trip worked on in 2007 and 2008.  Eight years later, there are buildings that are still covered in debris and boarded up.  It was really shocking to see buildings still in that state of decay and destruction.  Whole areas remain empty, the only thing left standing was the foundations of the homes, overgrown with grass and moss.  It was really eyeopening, showing us that there was still so much work to be done to get New Orleans back on its feet.  We climbed one of the dikes that collapsed in the storm, and just seeing it and just how long it spanned and just how much damage its collapse had.
After the tour (lead by Lee/Dad), we went to go get lunch, but the restaurant wouldn't let kids in, so we carried pizza back to Tulane and ate there.  We then played games and hung out.  We are about to leave to go to the church for our first event with Rhino.  I'm really excited!  The other group just showed up as I type.  First full day was great!  I'm excited to get to work tomorrow morning (wake up at 5 woo hoo) and continue to have a great time with the group.  See you guys later!
Love, Lily

Early in the morning

It's 8:45 right now.
It's hard for people to get up this morning, because we still feel the lack of sleep from yesterday and Saturday. Besides that the heat is also unusual for us, Minnesotans.
After walking around in the French Quarter, we visited a museum about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
The museum showed us all how powerful and devastating nature can be and the impact on everyone in the city. We also watched a documentary about the August 2005 catastrophe and mistakes that have been made to prevent it, some of them hundreds of years ago with the founding of the city. The documentary focused on the failure of the levees, the failure of the superdome roof, and the collapsing of the Highway bridge.
Between the museum, the French Quarter, and the documentary, some of us used every free minute to throw the disc on every possible place, while others played card and board games at our dorm.
The plan for today is Breakfast at Cafe du mont, looking at the effects of Katrina and lunch at the collection of food trucks.
And I'm pretty sure we will find time to throw the disc.

Xaver

Blog Information

Macply Parents and others;

A quick reminder or two about the blog -

Only the leaders and youth can make entries to the blog. Anyone else can add comments. To see the comments, you have to click on the link associated with an entry.  Trust me, the youth look at these comments all the time and are thrilled to have something from their families.

Secondly, the pictures link will remain black until photos are put there. So it may take some time before that will change. Sorry - I added the link before everyone left so it would be ready.

Work safe, work smart, work hard and have fun!

Norm (not there this year, and missing it.)

Good day

Lights out in a few minutes. We had a good day in the French Quarter and lunch at Mother's. Later the heat and lack of sleep took some of the starch out of us so we went back to Tulane, but not after following up on Erica's suggestion of frozen yogurt . Worst we have had so far is a skinned knee.

More tomorrow, and thanks.

A Full Day on Little Sleep

We made it to New Orleans in about 21 hours without seeming to hurry.  The trip was painless as the pros did all the driving, but also sleepless because the buses are mad for riding in not sleeping in. So we have 21 tired youth and 5 tired adults.  We were able to check into the dorms right away and we took showers and cleaned up and hit NOLA refreshed and ready to sightsee.  Turns out that the roads, which were built in the 18th century, are not conducive to tour bus travel.  We found that all the major arteries around Tulane had road construction that prevented us from turning onto or off of them when we needed to and the side streets caused us to go 5mph and turn repeatedly, and sometimes back up.  A 6 mile trip to the French Quarter took almost 40 minutes for the first 2 miles.

We did make it to Mothers for their fabulous po'boys and had lunch a 3pm.  Then of to the Louisiana State Museum for the Katrina and Beyond exhibit.  We had 45 minutes to to see it before the museum closed but we decided to go for it.  I think it was worth the time even though it was rushed.  Then we did a quick walk through the French Quarter up to Louis Armstrong Park and decided at 5pm to call it a day.  We were all exhausted.  We called fro the bus drivers to pick us up earlier than planned and during the wait we walked over to the St Louis #1 Cemetery but it was also closed.

The bus arrived to fetch us and we stopped fro FroYo, a mission trip tradition, and headed back to our dorm.  Free time until 9:30 when we will watch a Katrina Documentary and go to bed.  Late start tomorrow and more sightseeing before beginning the official Camp Rhino at 6pm Monday.

I feel really fortunate to be spending this time with a great bunch of youth and fellow adult leaders.

John

Happy Father's Day

The youth have been borrowing phones to call dads. If caller ID says missed call from "Tom Ewald" or "Lee Schafer" all is fine. And Happy Father's Day.

Made New Orleans

Arrived in New Orleans! Pulling into Tulane. Feasted on 5-dozen Dunkin donuts. All is well.

Julia Schafer

Dawn in Mississippi

Driver change just north of Jackson, Miss. Bus all awake. All is well.

11 hours out, all is well

Lovely picnic, movies, and rocking down the highway through a gentle rain. Approaching St. Louis. ETA New Orleans 10 am.

More tomorrow. Thanks everybody.

Candid camara

First Driver Change

Waterloo, IA.  Watched "Slumdog Millionaire".  Snacks holding up well.

Left on Time!

Loaded, photo, left 1:07 p.m., great start!

Water Bottles: Size Matters!

Youthies, bring a 32-ounce water bottle. Big Nalgene or equivalent. 

Rhino’s “What to bring”

Suggested personal items:

• Prescription and over the counter drugs
• Contacts eyeglasses plus spares
• Special first aid needs
• Soap and shampoo
• Towels
• shower shoes
• Sunscreen
• Insect repellent/anti-itch ointment
• Swimsuit
• Wristwatch
• Cash for snacks
• Bible and journal
• Betting (sheets, blankets or sleeping bag)
• Appropriate clothing for dinner out

Work related items:

• Work boots
• Long pants or appropriate length shorts
• Bandannas
• Gloves
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Water bottle (at least 32 oz.)

Contact Information For June Mission 2013 Trip

Your MPUC Adult Facilitator Contacts:  

Rev. Tom Ewald

612.716.3150

tome@macalester-plymouth.org

Marsha Berry

651.895.9838

Maggie Passmore

612.716.8823

mpassmore@2harvest.org 

Lee Schafer 

612.812.0242

lee.a.schafer@gmail.com  

John Schepers

612.730.7829 

jschepers@comcast.net  

Camp Rhino

St. Charles Ave Presbyterian Church

Avery Strada, RHINO

1545 State Street

New Orleans, LA 70115

504.897.0101

Mission Trip Update, Part 2

Here's the link to the form each person is to fill out. Do not change any information in the pre-populated fields:

http://www.formstack.com/forms/?form=1335780&viewkey=sMYE0mqK41&volunteer_as_=Group&verified_group_member=Yes&are_you_the_group_leader=No&group_name=RHINO%20Week%201&group_leader_email=avery@scapc.org&volunteer_from_date=2013-06-18&volunteer_to_date=2013-06-21


Please do ASAP.

Thanks,

Tom

Mission Trip Update May 12, 2013

As of 1:00pm Wednesday....

The picnic is still on for the Frawley's house at 6:00pm

We have not received the link you will need to fill out the last form, please check back later today or tomorrow.

Important Mission Trip Information

Hey Folks, important things to do....

Sunday, June 9: Come to 9:30am worship for the mission trip commissioning.We want all hands on deck for this to show appreciation for the congregation's support. Plus, you'll get to hear Adam Blons, our senior minister candidate, preach and  participate in the congregational vote.

Tuesday, June 11: Check back with the blog. There will be a link for you to follow to sign some more forms online. They are required to be able to work on the mission site.

Wednesday, June 12: Come to the pre-mission trip picnic at Maddy Frawley's house. Here are the details:
Address: 1780 Lincoln Ave
Time: 6 PM
Date: Wednesday, June 12th
Bring Lawn Chairs

Food....
Bushnell-Brown: Beverages
Craddock-Morrissey: Side dishes 
Nelson-Vento: Desserts
I believe Schafers are bringing buns and Donovans are bringing condiments.


In case of rain, we will have the picnic at church.

Contact Tom with any questions.

Youth Group Update

First of all....

Thank you everyone for a wonderful programming year. We are done for the season with the exception of the Mission Trip (see below).

Thanks to all of the parents for bringing meals this year. Things went really well and the meal part is a big part of it. So thanks too to Ed for making that run smoothly too.

Thanks to Ed and Brian for teaching Explorers and to the parents who helped there as well.

Thanks to the folks who drove or chaperoned the Fall retreat. That is a huge help!


Second....

The Fall retreat this year is going to be September 13-15 at Pilgrim Point Camp in Alexandria. It is a longer drive and we will probably look into renting a number of vans that the chaperones can drive. I mention this now, so you can get it on the calendar before anything else as this distance will probably make it cumbersome for those might have two things going that weekend.

Mission Trip...

Health forms can be put in my mailbox. There are still  some outstanding.

The Mission Trip Picnic is 6pm on June 12 and the Kleaver/Frawley home. Look for more details in the coming weeks.

Finally....a great opportunity from Dale Thompson....

MacPlymouth Youth Families:

We are currently hosting an exchange student from France, Clement. Clement's family would also like his younger brother, Damien (13 years old, turning 14 in June), to visit Minnesota for about five weeks this summer. He would need a host family. If your family (or one you might know) might be interested, please contact us:  Dale Thompson, 651-698-3472, DBT108@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Sunday May 19, 2013

Hey, big Sunday coming up:

9:00am Early Worship (last one of the season)
10:30am Explorers (last one of the season)
10:45am Late Worship: Pentecost (wear red), Graduate recognition, Peacemaker Award presentation, and more. Come support our graduating seniors!

Regular choir practices and performance. Come support our vocal artists.

5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group (last one of the season)
It is a regular youth group for junior high and senior high folk not going on the mission trip. For those going on the mission trip it is a mandatory meeting with parents showing up at 6pm with health insurance cards and information and checkbooks.

See you all Sunday!

Tom

Sunday May 12, 2013

9:00am Early Worship
9:30am Explorers/Adult Education
10:45am Late Worship

Regular Choir Practice Schedule

No Youth Group

4:00pm Mission Trip Committee Meeting (Tom's office)


Next week:

Last youth group for the school year with Ed. For Mission Trip participants there is a mandatory parent/youth meeting to get the details you need for the mission trip. Bring insurance information and checkbooks.

Sunday May 5, 2012

9:00am Early Worship

9:30am Explorers and Adult Ed

10:45am Late Worship

*Regular Choir Rehearsals at 9 (youth choir) and 9:30 (chapel choir)

About Youth Group (5-7pm), from youth elder Ed Stenhauer:

Hi, all,

This is to let you know that this weekend, we are sending off two of our favorite Youth leaders into the wider world.  Somehow, Marsha and Brian are going to have to make due without us for the time being.  Marsha Berry, for those of you in Jr. High who may not know her, has been a Youth Elder who has participated in many Sr. High mission trips.  And we all know Brian, who is riding off into the sunrise, and the next chapter in his life. 

This will be a great time to share any well-wishes or reflection, should you choose to bring them along for Brian and Marsha.

So, we hope to see you this Sunday at 5, for our regular fellowship, and for the metaphorical waving of our collective cowboy hats.  Adios, and hasta Domingo! (hope I said that right). 

Ed

Update for Sunday

The mandatory meeting for mission trip participants is not a parent meeting. However, parents are invited to come to hear the speaker and learn more about New Orleans. We have a parent providing the Sunday dinner for the junior and senior high youth this week, but if you will be attending as a family, I would like to encourage you to bring a meal for your family so that we do not create an undue burden on the parent who signed up planning on our usual number of attendees.

Any questions or concerns, contact me at tome@macalester-plymouth.org


Thanks and peace on this overly warm day,

Tom

MPUC Youth This Sunday

9:00am Early Worship
9:30am Explorers/Adult Forum
10:45am Late Worship

Regular choir rehearsal schedule 


This Sunday is a mandatory youth group for mission trip participants. Non-participants are encouraged to attend as we will be learning about why so many years after the hurricane, New Orleans is still in need of rebuilding. We will have a guest speaker!

Junior high will be with Brian.


Coming Up...

May 5 is Brian's last day working with the youth. He will continue to work at the church, but his schedule will be busy post-graduation, so he will handing over the reins to to a youth person to be determined. Be there to show him you appreciate what he has done as part of the youth program.


May 12 is Mother's Day. We traditionally do not have youth group on this day so people can be with their families.

May 19 is our last youth group of the programming season. For mission trip participants it is once again a mandatory meeting. 

Thanks and Hey What's Going On This Weekend?

First of all thanks to all who participated in the Bread bake this weekend, it was fun spending time with you. If you see Maggie, Susanna, Norm, or Lee give them a word of thanks for their part. In case you hadn't heard, everything baked was sold!

So, this weekend....

April 21, 2013
9:00am Early Worship, Youth Choir Rehearsal
9:30am Explorers, Adult Ed for grades 9-12, Chapel Choir Rehearsal
10:45pm Late Worship

5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group


Looking ahead...

April 28 is a mandatory youth group for mission trip participants. Non-participants are encouraged to attend as we will be learning about why so many years after the hurricane, New Orleans is still in need of rebuilding.


May 5 is Brian's last day working with the youth. He will continue to work at the church, but his schedule will be busy post-graduation, so he will handing over the reins to to a youth person to be determined. Be there to show him you appreciate what he has done as part of the youth program.

May 12 is Mother's Day. We traditionally do not have youth group on this day so people can be with their families.

May 19 is our last youth group of the programming season. For mission trip participants it is once again a mandatory meeting. For the rest of you, we will go play in the snow.

I look forward to seeing all of you this weekend!

Peace,

Tom

This Weekend-Big Stuff Happening

This Weekend...
Saturday
Breadbake Overnight and Sale 6:00pm to Sunday 12:00pm
This is a mandatory activity for mission trip participants but open to those in senior high who may not be going on the mission trip but would like to be a part of this event. We will be baking, watching movies, talking about the mission trip, sleeping ultimately, and then waking up to raise some money at the late service.

Bring: a snack to share, sleeping bag and pillow, toiletries, a change of clothes, and a movie.

Sunday
Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm Junior High Only

For folks 18-25...

Consider applying for the MPUC Peacemaking award. We offer between $500 and $1000 to support an 18 – 25 year old MPUC member in a service learning experience.  Go to www.macalester-plymouth.org and select the Peacemaking Award link (under Faith and Action).  To get started, contact Tom Ewald at tome@macalester-plymouth.org or roberta.a.olson@gmail.com. Deadline is April 30. Hurry call Tom.

See You This Weekend!

What's Happening This Weekend?
Early Service 9:00am
Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am UCC Conference Minister Wade Zick speaks to parents and youth about youth ministry; attendance highly encouraged for parents and youth
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm


Important Mission Trip Information
6pm Saturday April 13- 12pm Sunday April 14 Bread bake overnight and Bread Sale. Attendance is mandatory for mission trip attendees and  encouraged for non-attendees as a fellowship activity.


What's Happening Next Weekend?
Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm Junior High Only

For folks 18-25...

Consider applying for the MPUC Peacemaking award. We offer between $500 and $1000 to support an 18 – 25 year old MPUC member in a service learning experience.  Go to www.macalester-plymouth.org and select the Peacemaking Award link (under Faith and Action).  To get started, contact Tom Ewald at tome@macalester-plymouth.org or roberta.a.olson@gmail.com.

This Week's Update....

This week's update is simply a reminder to look at last week's update and get everything on your calendar. The only thing going on Sunday is celebrating Easter, but Dr.Stan appears to be having choir rehearsals, so show up for that if you are in choir.

My hopes for all of you this week:

1. A blessed and meaning-filled Holy Week
2. A good school break
3. No homework

Peace,

Tom

One More Thing for Palm Sunday...

Mission Trip Participants:

Laura will be out of town Sunday and while she will have an able replacement, it is important that as many of you are on hand as possible to help with the final day of the silent auction. We've had a handful of regulars who helped but let's come together now as a larger community and show thanks to Laura, the youth who have been helping so far, and those who are donating and bidding, to show that we are in this 100% as well.

I've always been so proud of the hard work you do on the mission trips despite difficult circumstances. So pretend it is 100 degrees out and you have to sleep on a church floor at the end of the day and bring your mission trip game to this important day that helps make the trip possible.

Peace,

Tom

Youth Happenings for March and April

This Sunday-Palm Sunday, March 24
Early Service 9:00am
Explorers 9:30am
Late Service 10:45am
(No youth choir, adult ed, or youth group)

Next Sunday-Easter, March 31
Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Late Service 10:45am
(No explorers or youth group)

Sunday April 7, 2013
Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am UCC Conference Minister Wade Zick speaks to parents and youth about youth ministry; attendance highly encouraged for parents and youth
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm

Saturday April 13-Sunday April 14 Breadbake overnight, times to be announced. Attendance mandatory for mission trip attendees, encourage for non-attendees as a fellowship activity.

Sunday April 14, 2013

Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm Junior High Only

April 21, 2013

Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm Junior and Senior High separate activities

April 28, 2013

Early Service 9:00am

Youth Choir Rehearsal 9:00am
Chapel Choir Rehearsal 9:30am

Explorers 9:30am
Adult Ed 9:30am
Late Service 10:45am
Youth Group 5-7pm; Attendance mandatory for mission trip attendees, encouraged for non-attendees to learn about mission to New Orleans years after the hurricane; Junior High-separate activity

Sunday March 17

This coming Sunday:

Early service-9:00-9:30am
Explorers-9:30-10:30am for 6 and 7th graders
Confirmation Breakfast for Confirmands 9:30-10:30am
Adult Ed-9:30-10:30am for 9-12th grade
Confirmation Service 10:45-11:45am

No Choir rehearsal


Youth Group:

The 2nd annual youth rogue Lenten service 5-7pm. We'll eat and then take over the sanctuary with music and readings to do our homemade church service on the fly. Bring readings, monologues, art, poems, whatever... it does not need to be religious, but it should address themes of thanksgiving, hope, or mourning. Last year we had some really great and interesting stuff.

If you can't think of anything to bring tom will have things for you to read.

This will be out last get together for a couple weeks, so don't miss it!

Sunday March 10 and Much More

1. First, thanks Devin for picking up the shoveling request yesterday for the couple in Roseville.

2. Youth Happenings this Sunday

Sunday March 10, 2013
9:00am Early Service
9:30am Explorers/Adult Ed (theme: Lent)/Choir Rehearsal
10:45am Late Service

3:30pm-5:00pm Last confirmation class!

5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group


3. Next Sunday, March 17: The 2nd Annual Youth Rogue Lenten Service (during youth group, after dinner). Bring a reading, a song, a monologue, a piece of art with the theme of thanksgiving, mourning, or hope. It does not have to be religious in nature. If you can't think of anything contact me, I (Tom) will provide something for you. It's church done a different way.

4. Next, we have an opportunity for someone who needs mission trip credit and knows how to work an iPhone. One of our members just got one and is willing to make a contribution in exchange for a tutorial on what they can do. Contact me and we'll make it happen.

5. Finally, and very important: Graduate recognition Sunday will be at the late service on May 19. Those of you who are graduating should mark this on your calendar and start thinking about who might be able to say a word or two about you during the service. Get back to me if you know or if you need help with this.

OK, that's all!

Peace,

Tom

Opportunity to Do Something for Someone

I just received a call from a couple from our church, both recovering from surgery, who need to be shoveled out of their house sometime tomorrow. They live in Roseville, so you'll need a car or a ride. Call me on my cell at 612-716-3150 if you are able to help them out.

Peace,

Tom

Something to Do with Your Youth

Hey Folks:

I have meeting night this Thursday and cannot lead a delegation to this movie, but for those looking for an activity to take their youth to here is an opportunity.


From Katie Sterns...


On the eve of International Women's Day comes GIRL RISING. It is a film that tells the stories of 9 remarkable girls from around the world, who are striving beyond circumstance, pushing past limits and demonstrating the extraordinary strength of the human spirit to overcome the odds. Yet it also carries a powerful message: IF WE EDUCATE GIRLS, WE CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE of some 66 million girls around the world who today only dream of going to school.

The film is by Academy Award nominated director (Richard ...Robbins) and features performances from Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Selena Gomez, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys and others.

See more info http://girlrising.com/ and http://10x10act.org/

ADVANCED TICKETS ONLY! No tickets available at the door.
http://gathr.us/screening/819

Youth Happenings March 3, 2013

Hey All:

Here is the schedule for this Sunday. This past month was weird. We ran into Super Bowl Sunday, a snow-out  and then Oscar Sunday. If you have been absent from our community, please join us. This Sunday we will be doing an activity that will have us dividing into junior and senior high, despite the fact the activity is the same. Please come and see what's up with that.

9:00am Early Worship, Youth Choir rehearsal
9:30am Explorers for 6-8th grade, adult ed for 9-12th grade, Chapel Choir rehearsal
10:45am Late Worship

3:30pm-5:00pm Confirmation for 8th grade
5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group for 6-12th grade

OK, see you all Sunday. Tom

Attention Mission Trip Participants, from Laura Donovan, two very important announcements:

1. Bidding for the silent auction starts this Sunday. If you are going on the mission trip, Laura Donovan needs to know what your donation to the auction will be. She needs this information no later than Saturday. Please call or text her at 651-699-1170 or email her at donovans4@usfamily.net and let her know. If you have any questions or need ideas, please let her know ASAP.  

2. Paula Nessa has offered $30 for three hours of typing some of her favorite recipes (see Tom about this)

Youth Happenings Sunday February 24, 2013

Hey All:

Here's the rundown:

9:00am Early Worship
9:30am Explorer's Class for 6-8th grade/Adult Ed for others
10:45am Late Worship

3:30pm Confirmation
5:00-8:00pm Youth Group

Two important notes: because we are having a movie night, the end time for youth group is later. Also, whatever movie is chosen for movie night will be screened as best as possible for appropriateness. We would like permission to show up to a PG-13 movie should one be proposed that has a good message in it.  If you are uncomfortable with this, please contact Tom and him know.

See you all Sunday!

Three Things About Youth Group

1. There is no Explorers, confirmation, choir practice, or youth group this Sunday (the 17th) because of the holiday weekend and the All Church Retreat.

2. Last week's events have been rescheduled top next Sunday. So there will be confirmation at 3:30pm and youth group will be the 1st Annual Spiritual Cinema Festival and go until 8pm. The details...

From 5-6 we will have our usual check-in and dinner, then...

We will be having our first annual spiritual cinema festival. Bring a movie (on DVD) that you feel says something important spiritually. Note: it does not have to be a religious film or a film about a particular spiritual tradition, it just needs to be something that has a lesson that you think illustrates an interesting spiritual principle. Oh, and it needs to be something Brian and Tom won't get in trouble for showing in church.

3. Attention Mission Trip Participants, from Laura Donovan:

Hi Tom, could you put a notice on the blog that I will be starting to post silent auction donations this Sunday in the social hall. Any youth who knows what they want to donate should contact me, either via email donovans4@usfamily.net or can call or text me at 651-210-8956.

No Confirmation or Youth Group Today

Hey Folks:

Sorry to say that the first annual Spiritual Cinema Festival has been snowed out. No youth group tonight. We will reschedule this event. (There is no youth group next week because of the All Church Retreat).

Likewise, no confirmation this afternoon. We will definitely reschedule this as well. See you Wednesday at 5:30pm.

Enjoy the snow!

Tom

Youth Events 2/10; 1st Annual Spiritual Cinema Festival

                        Explorers for 6^th-8^th grade 9:30-10:30am

                        Youth choir rehearsal 9:00-9:30am

                        Chapel choir rehearsal 9:30-10:15am

                        Confirmation for 8^th grade 3:30-5:00pm

                        Youth Group 5:00-8:00pm 

Notice that time change on youth group.

From 5-6 we will have our usual check-in and dinner, then...

We will be having our first annual spiritual cinema festival*. Bring a movie (on DVD) that you feel says something important spiritually. Note: it does not have to be a religious film or a film about a particular spiritual tradition, it just needs to be something that has a lesson that you think illustrates an interesting spiritual principle. Oh, and it needs to be something Brian and Tom won't get in trouble for showing in church.

*Legal disclaimer: it is a festival of movie submissions. We can only watch the one we all vote on.


                       

Sunday Update from Ed

Hello,

It has come to our attention that the Superbowl takes place during Youth Fellowship. We looked into putting the game on during fellowship tomorrow (Feb. 3), but it seems we currently lack the (digital) technology to do so. However, for those not participating in the mission trip meeting at 6, I will have board games in the social hall for all who are interested. If you have a favorite you want to share with the group, please bring it! Brian is out of town this weekend. Mike Brown (Simon's dad) is providing the meal.

See you Sunday!

Ed

Sunday February 3rd Youth Happenings

                       
It's practically a normal Sunday!

                        Explorers for 6^th-8^th grade 9:30-10:30am

                        Youth choir rehearsal 9:00-9:30am

                        Chapel choir rehearsal 9:30-10:15am

                        Confirmation for 8^th grade 3:30-5:00pm

                        Youth Group 5:00-7:00pm
                        (Mission Trip Committee meets at 6)


See you all Sunday....

Tom

Uncharted Territories...Big Deal!

Hey Everyone:

Thsi is the year of the Presbyterian Youth Triennium. You may recall one of our youth group graduates coming and telling us all about it and an earlier youth group. As she pointed out, we have not had youth attend triennium for many, many years (possibly nine). Let's change that!

Youth Triennium is a gathering of around 5000 youth at Purdue University for July 15-20, 2013 and seeks to connect youth with experiences that inspire them to be alert and active and to seek ways to connect their lives with their growing faith.

This is a major opportunity for high school youth looking to have a significant faith and leadership experience as well as make connections with others from around the country. You can find out more about the event by going to www.presbyterianyouthtriennium.org .

The cost is $469.00, plus travel. We are committed to making sure money is not an issue for anyone interested in this opportunity. I just spoke with the local rep and he said if we can get back to him in a couple weeks we can probably still get a few youth on board.

Please contact me at tome@macalester-plymouth.org or 651-698-8871 if you have questions or are interested.

For those without summer jobs or volunteer positions, this could be a great way to have a major addition to your life experience but also your resume.

Peace,

Tom

Hey, It's Snowing!

...and apprarently icing. I'm above to leave for church. My instinct is to say that if you feel it is unsafe to travel, please do not. So tonight's mandatory meeting has been downgraded to "only if you can make it" safely." Please do not take any chances with safety.

Peace,

Tom

Sunday January 27, 2013

Hey All:

This Sunday...

Choir-No choir practice

Explorers-None, because we have one service at 9:30am, so be at that. Hannah B. is liturgising, cheer her on!

Annual meeting at 10:45am-show up, be a voice in the church! (Some Mission Trippers will be selling coffee and scones, I believe Henry B. is a contact for that, check on the Facebook group)

Youth Group-5:00-7:00pm, with a mandatory parent/youth mission trip meeting at 6pm for Mission Trip folk (and it will be darn good seeing all of you again.)

Peace,

Tom

December and January Schedule 2013

Hey Folks,

I won't be around for a few weeks starting December 27, so there won't be weekly updates again until later in January. Here is everything going on through January 2013. This information will also be repeated in the Here and Now and the weekly bulletins. Happy a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year.

12/23/12          No Explorers, Confirmation, or Youth Group

                        Youth choir rehearsal 9:00-9:30am

                        Chapel choir rehearsal 9:30-10:15am

12/24/12          Choir call time 4:00pm for Christmas Eve Service

12/30/12          No Explorers, Confirmation, or Youth Group

                        There will be no choir rehearsal.

1/6/13              Explorers for 6^th-8^th grade 9:30-10:30am

                        Youth choir rehearsal 9:00-9:30am

                        Chapel choir rehearsal 9:30-10:15am

                        Confirmation for 8^th grade 3:30-5:00pm

                        Youth Group 5:00-7:00pm

1/13/13            Explorers for 6^th-8^th grade 9:30-10:30am

                        Youth choir rehearsal 9:00-9:30am

                        Chapel choir rehearsal 9:30-10:15am

                        Confirmation for 8^th grade 3:30-5:00pm

                        Youth Group 5:00-7:00pm

           

1/20/13            No Explorers, Confirmation, or Youth Group

                        Youth choir rehearsal 9:00-9:30am

                        Chapel choir rehearsal 9:30-10:15am

1/25-1/26/13    Confirmation Retreat for 8^th grade (details coming soon)

1/27/13            No Explorers or Confirmation

                        No Choir

                        Youth Group 5-7pm; Mandatory Mission Trip

                        Meeting with Parents starts at 6:00pm

Updates on Youth Mission Trip

Here are some updates for the Youth Mission Trip.

There is an important fundraiser coming up on Sunday the 23^rd.  The task is wrapping packages at Barnes & Noble in Highland.  Sounds fun, and will be pretty good one for money.  One shift begins that day at one PM, and the second begins at five.

We need 4 to 6 youths for this event.  Please go to the Facebook Group or communicate directly with Henry B. to sign up for this event.

So far there have been a number of fundraising events, and with a few exceptions all of the volunteering has been done by members of the Committee.  Just to remind folks, the participation in fundraising is both critical to making the trip happen, as well as directly determines how much a family would have to pay in June for youth to go.

The next fund raising opportunity will be at the end of January with the baking of scones and brewing of coffee for the church’s annual meeting.

Later that evening, the 27^th of January, we will have a mandatory trip meeting that will include parents beginning at 6:00 PM.  More details to follow.

John S. is hiring the coach bus this week, and the budget is coming together.  At this time the trip expense per youth out of pocket will probably be between $200 and $250.  And, of course, that assumes that the youth fully participate in fundraising.  For those who miss a bunch of the events, the cost will be quite a bit higher.

Sunday the 16th-Super Early Edition

Hey All:

OK, it's the Christmas party this week. More on that below.

First, Sunday happenings:

No 9:00am Service
9:00-9:30am Youth Choir Rehearsal
9:30-10:15am Chapel Choir Rehearsal
9:30-10:30am Explorers (6th-8th grade)
10:45-11:45am Worship-It's the Christmas Pageant!

3:30-5:00pm Confirmation (for 8th grade)

5:00-7:00pm Christmas Party:

Grades 6-8, bring a main dish
Grades 9-10, desserts
Grades 11-12, healthy stuff

Sam will be firing up the homemade soda maker (thanks Sam)

All, please bring wrapped White Elephant present, which according to memory is a gift under five dollars (can even be a re-gift).

Also, bring movies and games and we'll make sure all this goodness mixed together makes this the best Christmas party of the 21st century. Not just so far, but forever.

I look forward to seeing you all,

Tom

Sunday Update!

I've tested the roads and they are pretty bad, so no confirmation or youth group today. Stay inside.

That said, Roger Barr will still be reading his story at 4pm and Brian and I will be here, so if you don't get this message, you at least won't show up to a closed building with no one in it.

More on next week's party later thsi week.

Peace,

Tom

Youth Happenings December 9, 2012

Hey All:

Here's what's going on....

December 9, 2012
Worship 9:00-9:30am
Explorers 9:30-10:30am
Worship 10:45-11:45am
Confirmation 3:30-5:00pm
Youth Group 4:00-6:00pm-NOTE THE TIME CHANGE and that there will be NO DINNER!
We will be attend Roger Barr's reading of his Christmas Story and then finish planning the Christmas Party. Because I will be with the confirmation class at 4:00pm, look for Brian.


December 16, 2012
No 9:00am worship
Explorers 9:30-10:30am
Worship 10:45am-11:45am (Christmas Pageant)
Youth Group 5:00-7:00pm Christmas Party at Church
What we do know so far, is food-related:
Grades 6-8, bring a main dish
Grades 9-10, desserts
Grades 11-12, healthy stuff

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

Tom

Youth Reminders for Sunday

This Sunday starts a series of unusual times for youth group because of the season we are in and the events we do. Nevertheless I hope to see you all for the events we have planned!

So.....

Sunday, December 2, 2012
We meet from 12:00pm-2:00pm. Some will shop for the Aliveness Project families and others will help with the Round the Table Carol Sing Set Up. Marsha will be bringing in a ton of Subway sandwiches. Please remember to bring $20.00 as able to donate toward holiday baskets for the families we adopted.

We need an extra parent or two who can drive a handful of youth to Target to shop. I will be able to take four, but it would be nice to be able to have 6-8 more youth working on this part. Ask your parents, or if you are a parent, let me know if you are available.

Call or email me if there are any questions.

Peace,

Tom

Youth Happenings for the Rest of the Year

Youth Happenings-Please note special times and instructions for each Sunday

November 25: No Confirmation or Youth Group. Thanksgiving Weekend.

December 2: Youth Group is 12pm-2pm. We will be shopping for Aliveness Project Families (bring $20.00) and helping set up for Round the Table Carol Sing. No Confirmation.

December 9: Explorers at 9:30 am. Confirmation is at 3:30pm.Youth Group is 4pm-6pm. We will be attending Roger Barr’s reading of his 2012 installment of his annual Christmas story. No meal that night so eat first.

December 16: Explorers at 9:30am. Confirmation is at 3:30pm. Youth Group Holiday Party at 5pm (at church). More details to follow on the party.

December 23: No Explorers, Confirmation, or Youth Group. Winter Break

December 30: No Explorers, Confirmation, or Youth Group. Winter Break.

Urgent need for more volunteers Wednesday.

Hey,

The Youth need two - three more folks for the Kowalski's Bagging fundraiser on Wednesday, 11 -5.  Go to Facebook group ASAP for details. Or text/call  Maddy Frawley.

Sounds like a fun one.

It is also a good one for the money it will raise.

If this great fundraising opportunity doesn't get done due to insufficient participation, it will mean an additional $25 per youth in fees come June when the cash participation amount is figured out.

And just so everybody understands, this opportunity is also one that will count when it comes time to see who did want, out of the fundraising effort. As in prior years, youth will need to participate in these kinds of events, or their families will have to come up with more dough to go on the trip.

Thanks,

Youth Happenings Sunday, November 18, 2012

9:30am-10:30am Explorer's Class for 6th-8th grade
10:45am-11:45am Worship
3:30pm-5:00pm Confirmation Class for 8th grade
5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group*

* The youth mission trip committee will meet at 6pm.

I look forward to seeing everyone Sunday!

Tom

From Mission Trip Co-Chair Maddy Frawley

Fundraising Opportunities:
Leaf Raking: This Saturday 10-6ish? As many people as possible Contact Jimmy Morrissey for info
Coffee Sales: Every Sunday, 3 people per week sign up with Julia Schafer
Kowalski's bagging. At least 8 more people! Wednesday November 21 11am-5pm (SPPS has the day off). Contact Maddy Frawley.

Youth Happenings Sunday November 11, 2012

Hey All:

Here's what's happening Sunday....

9:30-10:30am Explorer's Class for 6th-8th grade
10:45-11:45am Worship
12:00-1:00pm Congregational Mission Conversation. Let your voice be heard on what mission means to you and what you think it should mean for MPUC. This is a whole congregation event.
3:30-5:00pm Confirmation for 8th graders and their parents
5:00-7:00pm Youth Group for 6th-12th Grade

Important: Mission Trippers...send your Give to the Max emails now! See the previous entry for details.

Very Important for Your To Do List: Give to the Max Info for Mission Trippers

Thanks to Katie Sterns and Chris Kemp (and others), we are up and running on an alternative to the letter writing campaign. This one just requires a copy and paste and send to your family and friends through email. Give to the Max Day is November 15, so send as many of these off and as soon as possible and then on November 15 send a reminder.

Please remember that participation in fundraising affects the amount of your out of pocket cost. This is an easy way to take a chunk out of that.

The letter can be found at this link.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BceSQOFa3xo7S3FiyuyBdtcAlzew-3y8Vc94boGLGlc/edit

Youth Happenings Sunday November 4, 2012

9:30-10:30am Explorers Class for 6th-8th grade

10:45am-11:45am Worship. Simon Brown is liturgist. If you would like to be liturgist some Sunday let me (Tom) know. I always enjoy working with one of the youth as the liturgist.

5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group. Most likely activity based since we had a mission trip meeting for the Sr. High and an educational event for the Jr. High.

*The Mission Trip Planning Committee will be meeting during youth group (after dinner).

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Tom

Youth Happenings Sunday October 28, 2012

9:30am-10:30am Exploers Class for 6th-8th grade
10:45am-11:45am Worship (all grades)
5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group for 6th-12th grade

Very Important Reminder: there is a mandatory parent/youth meeting for those wishing to go on the 2013 Mission Trip this Sunday 6-7pm in the Plymouth Room (upstairs)! Youth, come for the first hour of youth group in the fellowship hall and then join your parents at 6pm for the meeting.

Peace,

Tom

Mission Trip Fundraising: Youth Coordinator for Coffee Sales Needed!

From Tanya Bell:

The last two years we have had requests to add coffee sales to the fall – so here we are!!!!  We will sell coffee at church over three Sundays in November and again next Spring.  We can also do personal sales if you have loyal customers who will buy from you (good holiday gifts!).  We will post the order form a bit later.

For now – we need a few volunteers.  We need a youth to lead the effort and confirm volunteers for the Sundays.  We will need youth to sign up for a Sunday – the dates are November 3, 1o and 17.  We need at least two each Sunday.  We also need someone to make signs (bright and suggesting Holiday sales ideas etc..)

Thanks!

Youth Happenings October 21 and 28

Hi Folks:

This Sunday (October 21) there is no Children's Education, Explorer's Class, or Youth Group because of MEA weekend.

The following Sunday (October 28) will be the first parent /youth meeting regarding the 2013 mission trip. Participation is mandatory for those wishing to go on the trip. It will go from 6:00-7:00pm.

Peace,

Tom

Youth Happenings for October 14, 2012

This coming Sunday....

9:30-10:30am Explorers Class for grades 6-8
5:00-7:00pm Youth Group for grades 8-12. Part of the time the senior high will meet separately to talk about where the 2013 Mission Trip is going to be, don't miss it! This is not the parent/youth meeting, that will be scheduled later.

Important Note: The following weekend (Sunday, October 21) there will be no Sunday school for K-5th, Explorers class for 6-8th, or youth group because of MEA weekend.


Have a good week,


Tom

Youth Happenings Sunday October 7, 2012

Explorer's Class for 6th to 8th grade 9:30-10:30am

Youth Group for 6th to 12th grade 5:00-7:00pm

Mission Trip Committee Meeting 6:00-7:00pm

I look forward to see everyone on Sunday!

For those of you who had tests this week, I hope they went well.

Peace,

Tom

Youth Happenings 9/30/12

9:30am-10:30am Explorer's class for 6th-8th graders
10:45am-11:45am Worship service for everyone
5:00pm-7:00pm Youth Group for 6th-12th grade

Thanks to everyone for participating in last week's mission trip adult forum and worship service. The mission trip planning committee met later that evening and should have some updates in the next couple of weeks regarding the 2013 mission trip.

Peace,

Tom

Important Details for Mission Trip Sunday (9/23/12)

Hey All:

This Sunday is the Mission Trip Worship Service. Here is everything you need to know:

We are the subject of the adult forum. Let's have a good showing for this. Meet Marsha in the Sanctuary at 9:15am and when I am done with the early service in the Plymouth Room, everybody come on in.

At 10:15am we will meet in the Santuary to prepare for the service. I have prepared bulletins for each of you that indicated when you go up and read your piece. I also have some liturgy pieces (call to worship, prayer of confession, and benediction) so if you are so inspired. And hopefully three of you are. I will also be looking for a few folks to help with the children's time.

If you have not written a paragraph yet, bring it with you. We'll make it happen.

Wear your t-shirt we got on the trip if you can find it.

Any questions or concerns, please contact me. Let's knock this one out of the park!

Peace,

Tom

Dates to Remember

September 14: Fall Retreat, we leave church at 7pm, so show up for packing the cars at 6:45pm. You can find a packing list in the posting from a few days ago, but please be especially mindful that phones, music players, or any other electronic devices are not allowed.

September 16: We plan to return to church to noon so that you can pick the youth up after the late service. No youth fellowship that afternoon.

September 23: Youth Mission Trip Service at the 10:45am service! The youth are also leading the adult forum at 9:30am. Please show up at 9:15am for this. Those who participated in the 2012 mission trip will be preparing for the service this weekend at the retreat. Ninth graders and those who did not participate are invited to show their support for their peers by being service.

September 23: This date is also the start of the Explorer's class for 6-8th grade. It goes from 9:30-10:30am. It is considered part of the confirmation program.

November 11: The first meeting of the 2012-2013 confirmation class for 8th graders. This will meet from 3:30-5:00pm and parents are asked to be there.

March 17, 2013: The Confirmation Service at the 10:45am service.

Thanks and Peace,

Tom

Can It Be?

Normally we are still putting all the pieces together up until the last minute, but I think we are good to go for the Fall Retreat. We have 34 youth going and just enough seats for everyone so pack light and show up at 6:45pm on Friday.

This year we have buildings for both the boys and girls, so there will be plenty of space for everyone when we arrive.

Adults (other than me) spending the weekend are Ed Steinhauer, Marsha Berry, Mike Weckesser, and Cathy Gnatek. Dean and Sara Sabetti will also be up with us, so there will be plenty of chaperones/adults. My thanks in advance to them for giving their time and their talent!

People transporting youth are Jim Berg, Laura Donovan, Lee Schafer, and Michael Florey. Many, many thanks!

If you need to reach your youth during the weekend (or vice versa), I will have my cell phone with me. The number is 612-716-3150.

We'll see you Friday, but please contact me in the meantime with any questions or concerns.

Peace,

Tom

September 9, 2012 Youth Program

Hey All:

This Sunday is Rally Day. Though Explorer's Class does not begin until the 23rd, Youth Group will meet 5-7pm. Brian and I are looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Please bring forms and checks for the retreat to youth group. We have 34 youth signed up and have found a fourth chaperone. Two more are need, however and probably three drivers. Please see the previous post for more details. If you are interested in chaperoning or driving and want to know where we are going, visit: http://koinoniaretreatcenter.org/ .

Peace,

Tom

Wow! Plus, a Packing List and Other Forms

Hi Folks:

Thanks for your response to my request for confirmations that youth are attending the retreat. We are currently looking at 33 youth going, but I believe that number is going to increase. This is the largest group we've had that I'm aware of. The grade range is broad so new folk should feel very welcome as should people for whom this is their umpteenth retreat.

So, three things:

1. Here are links to the event flier and health form if you haven't submitted one yet, as well as a document that contains a schedule and a packing list.
https://products.connectionpower.com/products/common/devedit_uploads/flash/16391/YouthDocuments/Fall2012RetreatSchedulePackingList.pdf
https://products.connectionpower.com/products/common/devedit_uploads/flash/16391/YouthDocuments/Fall2012YouthRetreatFlier.pdfhttps://products.connectionpower.com/products/common/devedit_uploads/flash/16391/YouthDocuments/Fall2012RetreatConsentForm.pdf

2. Currently we have three adults going: Youth Elders Ed Steinhauer and Marsha Berry and me. It would be nice to have a better adult/youth ratio. If you want to get away for a nice weekend and you enjoy working with youth, this is your chance. There is not a lot you have to do except be a caring presence for our youth. Contact me ASAP if this interests you as we need to run background checks. Email me at tome@macalester-plymouth.org


3. Assuming six adults with cars, we still need, as with years past, supplementary drivers: folks who might enjoy a car ride and can take a car full of youth, drop them off or come pick them up, or both. Please contact me if you are willing to do this. Again, please email me with your availability.

This is a logistical challenge that we are very fortunate to have, though we need your help.

What a great start to the year!

Peace,

Tom

Important Notices for Parents and Youth

Parents and Youth:

The youth programming season is fast upon us. Here is a short to-do list for you....

1. Remember youth group starts next Sunday. It goes from 5-7pm. It is for grades 6-12.
2. There is no explorers class (for grades 6-8) next Sunday (the 9th). Nor will there will explorers class on the 16th because of the Fall Youth Retreat.
3. Speaking of which, the Fall Youth Retreat is September 14-16. Koinonia needs to have an idea of how many youth are coming. Even if you don't have your form in, at least send me an email letting me know whether or not to expect you.
4. Prior to the retreat I will be posting a packing list, so.....
5. Make sure you are signed up to receive blog update notifications.
6. Senior high youth: be thinking of mission trip ideas to discuss at the retreat.

Contact me with any questions. I'm looking forward to a great start of the year!


Tom

Car Pool for Participants to Picnic

We are trying to get rides together for this event. Right now we have three cars that will be meeting at church on Thursday and leaving around 4:30pm, which is probably enough for 9-10 passengers.

Parents, if you are available to drive, please leave Tom a message at church or as a comment/email reply to this post.