Youth Rally - Saturday, May 11 @ 6pm

This Saturday is our Youth Rally for middle & high school students!  Our special guests for the evening will be a group of college students from Cleveland, GA who are a part of a ministry training program known as Mission GA.  We're inviting everyone out to support our Youth, so grab your teenagers (and some of the their friends), and come check it out!

Ministry Update - 5/7/13

Parents & Leaders!  Here are a few of the major announcements for the month of May!

1) Youth Rally, Saturday, May 11 @ 6pm - We are having a Youth Service for both middle & high school with special guests, Mission Georgia!!  Mission GA is a traveling ministry training program, for college students wanting to develop a stronger foundation for their lives & their walk with God.  They will be joining us for the night, and will have special testimonies, dramas, & skits, along with powerful message to our young people.  Pastor Mike Ferrante will be leading worship for us that evening, and we are encouraging all of our students to invite friends to come out & join us for the night.  We will serving free pizza & drinks at the end of the service, so get your child to bring some friends with them!!

2) Recognition Sunday, May 19 - I will be speaking in the main service this Sunday, as well as honoring our graduates (in the 11:15am service) and recognizing many of our key volunteers that have played a major role in Family Ministries throughout the past year.  We will not be having our regular Submerge service or Club 58 on this day - instead, we are encouraging all middle school students to be a part of the services & attend with their families.  Please make sure you don't miss this fun & memorable Sunday!

3) MS/HS Camping Trip, June 27-29 - This year's Camping Trip will take place during the last full week in June, and will again be held at Cunningham Falls State Park.  There are only a limited number of spots available, so please make sure you get your child signed up if they are interested in going with us.  Cost is $40.
 
4) Summer Youth Camp, July 8-12 - If anyone is interested in attending the Church of God Summer Camp that takes place in Emmitsburg, MD, applications will be available in the Youth Chapel starting this weekend.  Cost is $186 if you have the application sent in before June 8.  The camp is broken down by ages - Junior Camp: ages 7-12 & Teen Camp: ages 12-17.  Both camps are occurring during the same week at the same location.  If you have any questions regarding summer camp, please come and speak to me on a Sunday or Wednesday.

Submerge Update - 12/12/12

Here's this week's updated (also available on our blog, just in case you lose the email) :)

1) Chick-fil-A Calendars!!  Tina Dubyoski still has calendars available to sell as a fundraiser for the Winter Meltdown trip.  These things are going FAST, so make sure you get some ASAP if you haven't already.  You can email her for more information.

2) Christmas Services - Just as a reminder to everyone: there will be no middle school services on Sunday, December 23 or Sunday, December 30.  We encourage all of our families to attend & experience these services together.  Here is a quick snapshot of the schedule, just to make sure everyone is on the same page...

Sunday, December 23 - Three Identical Services @ 9am, 11am, & 6pm.  (There will be no Pier 29 or Submerge offered during any of the services - Nursery/Preschool ONLY).
Sunday, December 30 - ONE Family Service @ 10am.  (There will be no nursery, preschool, elementary, or middle school programs provided during this service)

There will also be NO small groups (or any activities) for Submerge or Portside on Wednesday, December 26.

3) Winter Meltdown -  Just a reminder that if you have not turned in paperwork for this retreat, please hand it in as soon as you can.  :)

4) Bible Trivia Day - This coming Sunday, we will be hosting a Trivia/Game Show theme for our middle school service.  Please encourage your child to come with their Bibles & be ready for a lot of fun & to win some great prizes!!

Have a great week everyone!!!

Boscov's Fundraiser

This year, we will be participating in Boscov's "Friends Helping Friends" fundraiser.  This is a very easy fundraiser that will allow your child to raise funds for his or her youth group expenses with little effort on your part.  We will be selling 25% off shopping coupons (for most regular and clearance prices) for Boscov's that can only be used on the special Friends Helping Friends Day, Tuesday, Oct. 16th.  The coupons cost $5 each, so a customer only needs to spend $20 at Boscov's to recoup his or her money.  If they spend any amount over $20, they will be saving money by using the coupon while donating to a wonderful cause, Submerge!!

The amazing news is that for each coupon your child sells, the entire $5 will be added to his or her youth fund.  (What a terrific way to start saving for Winter Meltdown!!)  Coupons will be available on Wednesday evenings & Sunday mornings through October 14.  You can start with 5 coupons, and can get more as needed.  All income and unsold coupons need to be turned back in to Pastor Mark or Marsha Nusbaum.  Pick up your coupons today, and start raising money!!

Get Ready for Wyred 2012!!

It's almost time once again for our annual middle school lock-in!  This year, "wyred" will be held at the 4 Seasons Sport Complex in Carroll County, MD (located on Rt. 482), which means we have a lot more room to have tons more fun.  For more information about this event, please download an info packet here, and let us know if you're planning to attend by contacting us with the email address above.

It's going to be an incredible night, so make sure you invite your friends to come and hang out with us!!

ministry update - 6/6/12

Good Afternoon!!

Here's this week's update - as always, let me know if you have any questions!

1) 5/6 Grade Trip - Here's the plan for this Saturday's activity that is just for current 5th & 6th graders:

12:30  Meet @ Crosswind
1-3      Swimming @ Adrienne Cave's
3:30    Dinner @ Pizza Hut
4:30    Play time @ Players (laser tag, mini golf, bumper cars)
6:00    Parent Pick-up @ Crosswind

So far, there are 8 students who have signed up to go, and I still have room for about 4 more in case anyone else is still interested.  If your child wants to go, please let me know ASAP.  Cost is $25 and includes activites at Players as well as dinner.  If cost is a concern for you, please let me know - I will work something out. :)

2) Updated Calendars - The summer calendars have been updated, and will be available in the Youth Chapel at any time.  Please make sure you stop by and pick one up.  (They will be hanging on the wall, on the left, as soon as you walk into the Chapel.)

3) Next Lesson Series - We are going to spend the summer diving into the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7).  Please encourage your students to spend some time reading through these chapters every week, and be open to discuss with them things they learn during the series or questions they have about the text.

4) Submerge T-Shirts - Our new summer t-shirts will be available starting this weekend!!  They are available in red, navy, green, black, & orange in sizes YXL - XXL.  Cost will be $10.  Make sure you grab one soon in your favorite color (or colors!).

5) Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser - Don't forget to mark your calendars for our fundraiser on Saturday, June 23 immediately following our afternoon service (we should begin by 6pm).  Cost is $7 for adults & $4 for children 10 & under.  Come out and support our middle school ministry & stick around for a FREE movie in the outside parking lot!!

That's everything!  I hope everyone has a great week!!

ministry update - 5/29/12

Hello Parents & Leaders!

Here's the Update for this week:

1) Volleyball Practice - We are having an Intro to Volleyball session tomorrow night, Wednesday, May 30 from 7-8:15pm in place of our usual middle school small groups.  This will be a time to cover some of the basics of the game, as well as begin working on some easy exercises. 

Volleyball Practice for middle school will take place from 6-7pm on the following Wednesdays during the summer: 6/13, 7/11, & 7/25.  This will be for any middle school student that is serious about improving their volleyball skills.  Anyone interested in joining these "practices" should sign up using the form in the Youth Chapel or by letting me know via facebook or email.

*2) Camping Trip Sign-Ups* - The dates for this event have slightly changed due to a reservation change.  The new dates are Wednesday, August 22 through Friday, August 24.  We are still at Cunningham Falls State Park, we just changed sites in order to be closer to the main swimming area/activities.

Please make sure you are checking your family calendars & figuring out which events your middle school student can participate in.  If they are able to go to the "Back to School Camping Trip" on August 22-24, please use the following website to sign them up here.  Please remember, this trip is for students who are currently in grades 5-11 (most of our graduating seniors will be off to college by then).  You can also sign up to donate some of our camping supplies by using the form on the website.  We only have a limited amount of spaces, so make sure to sign them up ASAP!

3) Spaghetti Dinner / Family Movie Night - On Saturday, June 23, we will be having a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser at 6:00pm that will go towards events & activities for Submerge.  Cost will be $7 for adults & $4 for children 10 & under.  Following the Dinner, we will be having a free Family Movie Night in our church parking lot from 8-10pm!  Bring a camping chair & come out to support
our middle school students!



4) 5/6 Grade Trip - Final details for our 5/6 grade trip (for next Saturday, June 9) will be available by this weekend.  We are planing on meeting at the church & then going over to Players for some laser tag & other activities, and then heading out for swimming (potentially) & a bonfire.  Cost will be $25 and will cover all activities at Players, as well as dinner & supplies during the bonfire.  I do not have exact times yet, but it will take place in mid-late afternoon into the evening hours.

5) Drama Team - There is no drama practice throughout the summer until school kicks back in for the Fall.

As always - if anyone has any questions about any of these events, please email me back or speak with me on Wednesdays or Sundays!