*Great* job wrapping & baking!

Over the last few weeks we’ve had our SERVICE gloves on, wrapping presents for Operation Christmas Child and then baking cookies for some of our LUMC college students.

And, they went great! We had some very helpful youth come and wrap presents, and some equally kind-hearted Sr. Highers bake some cookies. What I think is simply amazing: we had fun together while we did things that made God smile.

Thanks to these projects, people around the world that we’ve never met will experience the love of God through a simple shoebox filled with presents, and our own LUMC graduates will be reminded of the love that we have for God, and that God has for them. Thank you so much for your cooperation and help with these awesome projects!

Wrapping Party & Cookie-Baking this week!

This week we’ve got TWO big events that will help to SERVE people locally, nationally, and internationally.

First, we’ve got our Operation Christmas Child Wrapping Party this Thursday, from 2:30pm until 4pm. Both Jr. & Sr. High Youth can come up to the church building after school, and we’ll listen to Christmas music and have some snacks and have a great time as we wrap all of the shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. It’s a little crazy and lots of fun, and these shoeboxes full of presents will be sent across the country and around the world to children in need who otherwise wouldn’t have anything at Christmas.

Next, on Saturday evening from 4pm til 6pm, we’re serving our recent LUMC graduates by Baking Cookies! Both Jr. & Sr. High youth are invited to come and help bake cookies that will be sent to our 2010 grads during their final exam time. We won’t be serving any food at this event, but it’s highly probable that some of the cookies that we bake will end up in your child’s stomachs. If you’re willing, we would love it if you could contribute to these gift packages by sending some pre-made dough or ingredients and a recipe along with your child to bake.

Thank you so much for your support of these programs! Youth participation in serving our local and international communities is a critical part of growing closer to God. By serving others, we help to show our love to God.

See you on Thursday and Saturday!

Awesome hike!

Kamryn was a little thirsty...

It wasn’t much of a hike, really. It was more like a leisurely walk up to the beautiful falls and back, but it was still AWESOME! The weather was a little chilly, but once we got going we warmed up, with plenty of climbing, jumping, running, and laughing. Afterwards, we stopped by Purity for a delicious treat and some more laughing. If you weren’t able to join us, we’ll do it again next year – see you then!

Jr. High Hike this Sunday!

You know that it’s Fall when it’s time for our annual Jr. High Hike at Taughannock Falls, coming this Sunday! This event is open to all Jr. Highers, their parents, and their friends – the only requirement is that I have to know who’s coming in advance so that we have enough spots in cars for people. (If you’re a parent and are interested in coming, please let me know if you’d be willing to be a driver if you’re needed. Currently, we have 3 drivers, but if we get a large turnout we might need some more. Thanks! )

What to bring:

• warm clothes (As of today, Sunday’s forecast is partly cloudy, 40 degrees… so yeah, probably a bit chilly!)
• a bagged lunch (We’ll eat it at the park once we get there)

What’s going on:

• we’ll pack ourselves into a few cars after Sunday School and caravan on over to Taughannock Falls State Park
• when we get there, we’ll eat our bagged lunches and then walk up to the Falls and back and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation all around us.
• on our way back to LUMC, we’ll stop by a tasty Ithaca establishment for a delicious treat. Our estimated time of arrival back at LUMC is 3:30pm (if we’re earlier or later, we’ll call and let you know)

This is always a lot of fun, so we’re looking forward to some great fellowship with each other – hope to see you then!

Movie Night Follow-Up

Rev. Russell: Simon, what do you think you’re doing sitting in a corner?
Simon Birch: Thinking about God.
Rev. Russell: In a corner?
Simon Birch: Faith is not in a floor plan.

—–

Simon Birch: Does God have a plan for us?
Rev. Russell: I like to think He does.
Simon Birch: Me too. I think God made me the way I am for a reason.
Rev. Russell: Well, I’m glad that, um, that your faith, uh, helps you deal with your, um…you know, your… your condition.
Simon Birch: That’s not what I mean. I think I’m God’s instrument – that He’s gonna use me to carry out His plan.

———-

Simon Birch believed that God had planned something big for his life. He was born really small, but he didn’t think that was an accident: he thought it meant that he was going to do something heroic and important. And now you know the story – he was right.

Through the Old Testament prophet named Jeremiah, God reminded His people that He had big plans for them too:

“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” 
 ~ Jeremiah 29:11-13 (MSG)

This was during a period in history where people in Israel wondered if God even liked them anymore; they had enemies conquer them, and there was hunger, poverty, and almost too many government power struggles to count. Jeremiah’s words must’ve sounded unbelievable to them – “God has a plan for us? Really? Then why don’t we see it? Why don’t we feel it? Why…?”

I know it doesn’t always feel like we’re meant for something big, but we are. Each of us has something unique to offer God, and that’s exactly what God wants: He wants you to be uniquely you, and He’s going to take all of your uniqueness and use you to carry out His plan.

We hope you had a good time at the Movie Night, and we hope you understand that God has a plan for your life, and if you get serious about finding God, you’ll figure out what that plan looks like. See you soon!

~ The Youth Ministry Team