Thanksgiving Feast!

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I am SO thankful for our thanksgiving feast-- it was a great time for 7th through 12th graders to come together to share what we were truly thankful for-- and have some DELICIOUS food (potluck style!-- thanks everyone for sharing your YUMMY stuff!)-- and play some games & laugh!!  

Connections with the Visitation Team

For the month of November, we made some new friends by visiting some elderly folks in our church body who are shut in and don't have the capacity to get out very much. It was a HUGE BLESSING for us to spend time in the homes of our gracious hosts!

Personally, I'd encourage anyone to connect with the Visitation Team to find out how YOU can make a new friend and bring encouragement to people in the body of Christ-- and be spurred on, yourself! :)

Visitation Team meets the 4th Sunday of each month in the conference room at church at 9:00 a.m. If you are interested, check it out on Sunday, November 28th! :)

"Duct tape your friend to the Wall" :)

To help us remember the truth in Psalm 63:8 - "My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me"... we had a game of duct-taping each other to the wall to see how long we could be upheld!  It was a HILARIOUS night--- and prayerfully we will all remember what it means to be truly and *forever* UPHELD by the righteous right hand of our Father God!  oh, and p.s., the award for staying up the longest definitely went to the one-and-only Mr. Ryan McCracken. Well done, Ryan!! :)

 

 

ryan stayed there for 30 minutes!! ahhh!!

What are you doing in June 2011?

Wanna take a road trip to Steubenville?... :)

God is LOVE

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. (1 John 4:16)

Click HERE to watch movie clip!

Did you see God's love reflected in this clip?  We did when we watched it together at youth.  As you watch, reflect on the "immeasurable riches of His grace"!

Trusting a Loving God

If God is good... truly good... then we should be able to trust Him.  And what a comfort it is to know that as we trust a God that is all good, we know that all His plans toward us are made fully in love-- as He is LOVE Himself.:)

So how do we grow in trusting God?  One idea would be to count your blessings.  If you need a little inspiration to get you started, here are some of the blessings I've noted on my own list (in no particular order)!

• Jesus
• coffee
• kittens
• crackling bonfires
• dark chocolate
• iTunes playlists to fit my every mood
• warm down blankets
• God's grace
• looking at a backyard full of snow with no footprints
• high heels
• journaling with multicolor pens
• good makeup
• a big hug
• the comfort & leading of the Holy Spirit

I encourage you to make your own list of blessings-- it surely helps me open my eyes and practice the discipline of thankfulness!

Also, to reflect more on God's loving trustworthiness (even in the midst of HARD times!), read a story of a hard time in Jesus' life (Mark 14:32-36).  Reflect on how Jesus was able to call God "Abba" (aka "Father") even in the midst of knowing He would be crucified.  How can Jesus speak this way when He knows torture, dearth, and separation from His Father are coming?... (because Jesus TRUSTS God!) :) 

Also, read about Jesus and Peter walking on water... and think about times in your life when you've been scared and falling on the waves.. and you've heard the gentle, powerful voice of Jesus saying, "Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid"...  What is your storm?  And how can you walk with Jesus in the midst of it and trust Him when He says, "Come".. ?    I pray that as we read more stories of Jesus and see His goodness, trustworthiness, and love, that we can walk with Him through the storms in our own lives.

God is Good

Last year when I lived in Rome, a worship band played this song called "The Goodness of God" at a conference we went to.  The lyrics to the first verse & chorus are:

My God is a giver, an overflowing river
pouring His lavish love on us.
Season after season, we give Him every reason
to stop but He never does.


Oh-oh-oh, the goodness of God
is flooding my heart with peace.
Oh-oh-oh, the goodness of God
is bringing me to my knees.

Isn't that beautiful?  I was struck with the imagery of these words: My God is a giver, an overflowing river, pouring His lavish love on us.  God is truly a giver of love and life, and in His goodness, He never does stop!  Even though these words struck my heart and led me to worship at the conference in January, there have definitely been other times in my life when I've wrestled with the concept of God being good.

At youth this past week, we read Psalm 34 and talked about the goodness of God.  We discussed questions such as, "Have you ever experienced a time in your life where you doubted the goodness of God? What happened? How did you feel?" and "Does knowing that God has the final say in all of life offer you comfort? Hope? Frustration? Fear? Why?"  We then went across the street to Fountain Park to sit, each of us, alone, in silence to connect with God, take time to think, appreciate and be aware of creation, and reflect on God's goodness.

In getting away from noise, distractions, and even each other!-- we were able to stop and really analyze what kinds of thoughts and feelings were going on in our heads and hearts.  After our time of silence, we got back together to talk about things we thought about.  It was, in all, a beautiful evening of discussion, wrestling through different things in our lives, and trying to see how the goodness of God is true in the midst of all of it.

Thank you for praying for us that we'd continue to "taste and see that the LORD is good"!! :)

FOOD DRIVE!

Van Wert County's Cooperative Ministries needs our help with their annual FOOD DRIVE!

High School Students: on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 at 6:00pm = meet at the church.  We'll eat some food together, and then we'll go from the church to a certain section of town to hang plastic bags on door knobs. (The bags will have instructions on them to let people know that the bags will be collected at a later time.)

Please join us for a night of serving others by helping to get more food in the pantry!

My prayer for FUMC Youth

Hey guys... just thinking and praying for you as I'm (eventually!) heading to bed.

As I thought about embarking on this new school year with you, my heart & mind immediately thought of the verses from Colossians 1... and please know I'm gonna be praying through these verses when I think of YOU.

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son..." (Colossians 1:9-13, NLT)

praying for you tonight!...
in Jesus' love-- Ella :)

YOUTH KICKOFF!

9-12th grade youth: First meeting = Sunday, September 12 from 6-8pm

7-8th grade youth: First meeting = Wednesday, September 15 from 6-8pm

For both meeting times: Please meet in the church basement dining area. If you think you will come to dinner, try to let Ella know how many in your family are coming (email: ellamanken@gmail.com). (If you don’t RSVP, but still want to show up Sunday night—it’s okay!)  If you can, please bring about $2 per person to cover the cost of pizza.  

The new school year is underway and so is FUMC youth group!  The first 30-45 minutes will be a time for parents/siblings/family members and youth to eat pizza, together, and hang out!  I am really excited to meet youth and their families, so please consider coming for a fun, relaxed, and informal meal time!  The remaining time (from about 6:30/6:45pm-8:00pm) will be reserved for only the youth, so we can spend quality time getting to know each other, too!

Leave comments after this post or email if you have questions/concerns/etc.! :)

I cannot WAIT to meet everyone and enjoy the start of yet another new school year with the youth of First Church!  See you on the 12th and/or the 15th! :)

Welcome!

Welcome to the brand-new blog for First United Methodist Church Youth in Van Wert.

This is the first of many posts-- so keep checking for the latest news!  This blog is still a work-in-progress, so its function and purpose will be determined at a later time, but I wanted to at least have a blog started! :)

Thanks for your patience and grace! :)