November 7, 2009 (email)

Hi,

Hope you’ve had a good week. Once again, thanks to all of you (parents included) who helped with Light the Night—this was a great community outreach event.

Youth Group tomorrow night from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the youth room. See you then! We’ll begin talking about our Christmas family plans. Do we want to have a fund-raiser? When is a good time to shop? Come with ideas.

Something for your heart—a devotion from this month’s Devozine (which, by the way can be found in the church Narthex):
GIFTS FROM GOD
Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father who created all the lights in the heavens.James 1:17a (CEV)
My stuff does not belong to me -- honestly. All that I have comes from God, who entrusted it to me to care for and to use wisely. Adopting this mindset has changed my world and has led me to rethink my “possession” of my possessions. Wouldn’t God give the DS game I rarely play to the little girl at church who always asks to borrow it? Would God be stingy about lending books and movies? Would God splurge on a DQ Blizzard® or give the extra money to support a missionary? Once I realized that all my things belong to God, I was able to release my selfish grasp on them and use them to love and to bless others. Of course, stewardship isn’t just about money and things. God also wants us to be good stewards of our time. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15–16 to make the most of every opportunity. Every moment, every hour, every day is a gift. Let’s strive to be good stewards of our possessions and our time. <
Written by, Kristee Ravan Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Reflect: How do you manage your possessions and time? How might you use them to bless others?

For your calendar:
Sunday, November 15, 6:00-7:30 p.m. – youth group in the youth room

Sunday, November 22, 6:00-7:30 p.m. – youth group in the youth room.

Sunday, November 29 – No youth group

Monday-Tuesday, November 30-December 1 – We are scheduled to volunteer at Mission Central in Mechanicsburg from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday, November 30. We will stay overnight in the area and attend the 1:00 p.m. Miracle of Christmas Show at Sight ‘n Sound, traveling home afterward. (Sean, Tam, Mike, Megan, Maggie, Emily, Jordyn, and Boone family, I have your confirmations. Thanks!)

January 29-30, 2010 – Girls Gathering for God, St. Andrew’s UMC, Milton. Girls, see me for registration materials.

In closing, anyone interested in serving on the 30-hour famine planning committee? We’d like to have two reps from this youth group. Let me know if you are interested and your availability ASAP.

See you at youth group!

October 23, 2009 (email)

Hi,

Hope you’ve been enjoying this beautiful fall week; it looks like the rain will be returning shortly (band members, how many Fridays for you sitting in the rain?!?! L)

Sunday, October 25, 5:40-7:30 p.m. – Youth group in the youth room. Note that we’re asking you to come a bit early. Lesa Boone has asked if we’d help “collect” gifts for the Secret Sister Reveal dinner that will be held in the Fellowship Hall that evening. That said, rumor has it that Bellefonte High School Fine Arts Department is having a Halloween party following the parade on Sunday. Please let us know if that will affect your attendance at youth group—it will help us plan the meeting.

Help Wanted! Saturday, October 31, 6-8 p.m. – Light the Night in the church parking lot. All help is needed and appreciated for this fabulous outreach ministry. Rumor has it there will be a couple of new games this year and a few other surprises. Can we count on you? Dale Brooks, a.k.a. “Mr. Happy,” is organizing the games this year—who wouldn’t want to help him! J For those of you who need community service hours, this is a great way to get a couple!

Sunday, November 1, 6:00-7:30 p.m. – youth group in the youth room.

Sunday, November 8, 6:00-7:30 p.m. – youth group in the youth room.

Sunday, November 15, 6:00-7:30 p.m. – youth group in the youth room

Sunday, November 22, 6:00-7:30 p.m. – youth group in the youth room.

Sunday, November 29 – No youth group

Monday-Tuesday, November 30-December 1 – We are scheduled to volunteer at Mission Central in Mechanicsburg from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Monday, November 30. We will stay overnight in the area and attend the 1:00 p.m. Miracle of Christmas Show at Sight ‘n Sound, traveling home afterward. (Sean, Tam, Mike, Megan, Maggie, Emily, Jordyn, Sarah, and Boone family, I have your confirmations. Thanks!)

In closing, Something for Your Heart:

Self-Control Week: What’s Enough?

If you find honey, eat just enough—too much of it, and you will vomit.” (Proverbs 25:16

This self-control verse doesn't quite fit into our modern experience of honey. I "find honey" every day when I open my cupboard and see the little bear-shaped bottle on the shelf. But the nation of Israel at the time this was written was practically "flowing with milk and honey." You were likely to happen upon it along the path now and then.

In our day, the land flows instead with candy and soda, milkshakes and chocolate, high fructose corn syrup and red dye number 7. Every kid with a dollar can buy bag of Snickers or a bucket of Mountain Dew Red.

And I'd guess it takes a lot more of that stuff to make us vomit than it once did.

More than ever now we need to remember the big idea of this verse: We must not let opportunity decide what we will put in our bodies. The mere availability of lots of wonderful and terrible food doesn't mean we should actually put all of that food in us.

When there's more than enough to eat—or watch or play or click on—we have to find the wisdom to say how much is enough for us today.

Think: How do you decide when you've had enough of something (e.g., food, texting, Facebook, gossiping, computer games, TV, etc.)? How could you do better at that?

Pray: Ask God to give you the wisdom and self-control to know when to stop.

Do: Ask a few people you know who seem to have good self-control how they decide when to say enough is enough.

SURF REPORT
- Where The Wild Things Are Movie Review http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2009/wherethewildthingsare.html
- Behind the ‘Wimpy Kid’ Phenomenon http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/health/13well.html?_r=1

FORGETTABLE FACT: Seaweed can grow up to 12 inches per day!

POTENT QUOTABLES

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing. - Mother TeresaIt takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown. – Anonymous

UH, THAT'S FUNNY?

Q: What kind of lighting did Noah use for the ark?A: Floodlights

Blessings,
Denise

PGUMC Youth Leadership Team