Lots of information this week (looking into 2018!)--so please read carefully!
Thanks to everyone who participated in Sunday's Tacky Christmas Party! We had a lot of fun with games, gifts, and prizes--including decorating "trees", and a classic Snowball fight :)!
Our Mission Trip sign-ups are OPEN! The Chattanooga Mission Trip will be June 2-9, and the cost is $550 per person (scholarships are available). We would like to have our numbers finalized by January 14th--so please let me know if you are planning to sign up! Here are some reflections from students who did this Chattanooga Mission Trip a few years ago:
We will be serving in Chattanooga at Rec Centers, Nursing Homes, Food Banks, and/or Parks. Our free days will include an Atlanta Braves game, Whitewater Rafting, and spending the night in a cave! Please let me know if you have any questions/concerns--sign up TODAY!
Random Holiday: Thursday (12/21) is National Re-gifting Day (very helpful if you got a White Elephant gift on Sunday that you didn't like)!
Our next EYC (the first of 2018!) will be on Sunday, January 7th from 4:30-6 p.m. with a special EYC Parents' Meeting from 4-4:30 p.m. in Discovery House. At the Parents' Meeting, we'll discuss the Spring EYC Calendar, and upcoming events--I hope that everyone can make it :)!
At EYC on January 7th, we will also be writing encouraging notes to be put into Sandwich Sunday bags (which the youth group will be leading on January 21st)!
The second group of pictures from Sunday show our Tree decorating fun!
Winter Jam (an annual Christian Concert Tour) is coming to Tampa's Amalie Arena on Saturday, January 13th--and St John's EYC is going! The cost is $15 per person, and friends are welcome. We also need parents to help drive! Please let me know if you would like to sign up. Click here for more info on the tour, and check out the promo video below!
We still need parent volunteers for our EYC Dinners! Our goal would be to cover each week with a different family providing the meal for 15-20 people. You are welcome to turn in receipts for reimbursement. Sign up here!
New Beginnings #63 Middle School Retreat will be held at Dayspring Conference Center on March 2-4, 2018! New Beginnings is an awesome weekend geared especially for 6th-8th graders--using songs, skits, and small group discussions to address some meaningful topics. Here's a quick video from New Beginnings in the Diocese of Florida (some things may be different, but you'll get the idea):
You can get more info on New Beginnings here. Please let me know if you would like to sign your child up! I will have the applications at church. I am planning to work New Beginnings as an adult Sponsor, so I will be there with the Youth on the weekend.
Quote of the Week: “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"--Dr Seuss
The final group of pics include some of our White Elephant gift "haul", and a group pic outside (pre-snowballs)! I hope that you all have a great holiday season. Remember that God loves you, and so do I :)!
