Youth News for Feb. 17

Fruit Gleaning Service Project Sunday February 21
2-6pm (dinner is at 5:30)
We will gather to pick fruit to benefit Ishkash*taa Refugee Fruit Harvesting Network. Ishkash*taa uses the fruit to benefit refugee families, but also gives produce to 20 different agencies in Tucson (The Community Foodbank, Primavera, Casa Maria, etc.) We will meet in Fellowship Hall at 2pm and will return at 5:30pm and have dinner together. The dinner is free, but we will receive an offering to help with the cost. Yes, youth, YOU can give a couple of bucks towards this, too! This project is for members, visitors, singles, youth, parents, senior adults, families—everyone is invited!
Parents, you are invited to join us! We will need you PARENTS to drive! Dress to be outside, and if you have fruit picking implements, bring them. Feel free to invite a friend! This is great for community service hours! We also need plastic milk crates that can be donated to Ishkash*taa. Contact Richard with any questions (403-2403 or richard@catumc.org). You can stay after dinner for awhile if you like and play some basketball or just hang out in the youth room. Richard is closing everything down at 7pm—but the official event is OVER after dinner—probably about 6pm.
I am planning for our regular youth group crowd, so parents if you are coming, let me know (that way I can have a good count for dinner).

Paintball is being rescheduled to Saturday, April 24.
Saturdays this Spring are pretty full. This is the first available date I’ve got, and something might come up on this date. I’ll let you know.

Youth Group will not meet on Sunday February 28 (Rodeo weekend).

South District Sports Tournament is Sunday, March 7 from 2-7pm. This is an annual event held at St Marks UMC. We compete in 3-on-3 half-court basketball (middle school guys, middle school girls, high school guys, high school girls) and co-ed volleyball.

An Interesting Map...

I found this Gallup map on Matt Iglesias' blog. The Gallup article is here.
Matt titled his post "Who Goes to Church? Southerners and Mormons". Maybe a more accurate title would be "Who Goes to Church MOST? Southerners and Mormons". The church is not dead and gone in other locales.

Invitation to a Holy Lent

“I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”
from The Book of Common Prayer

Catalina Youth News

Hey there, friends! This is just a short note to let you know what is going on!

1-Sunday School will meet at 9:30 in E-225.

2-Youth group will meet with our regular schedule this week. Dinner is at 5:30 and everything is over at 7:30. Yeah, I know it is Valentine’s Day, but I am celebrating on another day (Friday) and you can, too. We will have some special Valentine’s Day activities and I will have a gift for each of you.
3- Fruit Gleaning is February 21!! Here are the details:
This is a great opportunity for you to:
serve God
help people in need
get outdoors
do some physical activity
use what God has given you to benefit others
build relationships with people in your church
work together as the body of Christ for the kingdom of God

What will we do?
We will gather at Catalina (in Fellowship Hall) at 2pm and divide into teams. We will travel to various locations and pick fruit from trees. We will gather back at Catalina at 5:30pm for dinner together. (Dinner is free of charge, but we will accept donations to help with the cost--it isn't free to us.) We will see a short video about the work of Ishkash*taa.

What do we need?
We need workers.
We need drivers.
We need fruit picking implements.
AND
We need plastic milk crates!

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes to be outdoors working.
Contact Richard with any questions: email him (richard@catumc.org) or phone/text him (403-2403).

This Sunday, we will have a sign up list so I can get an idea of how many to expect for dinner.

4-Paintball will be FRIDAY FEBRUAY 26 [Rodeo] Details to follow.

Catalina Parents E-News

Here are the announcements I sent the youth: [scroll down for some parenting-type stuff]

1-Sunday School will meet at 9:30 in E-225.

2-Youth group will meet with our regular schedule this week. Dinner is at 5:30 and everything is over at 7:30. Yeah, I know it is Valentine’s Day, but I am celebrating on another day (Friday) and you can, too. We will have some special Valentine’s Day activities and I will have a gift for each of you.

3- Fruit Gleaning is February 21!! Here are the details:
[***This event is for ALL ages! Parents, YOU are invited—encouraged—to come with us and help with this project!]

This is a great opportunity for you to:
serve God
help people in need
get outdoors
do some physical activity
use what God has given you to benefit others
build relationships with people in your church
work together as the body of Christ for the kingdom of God

What will we do?
We will gather at Catalina (in Fellowship Hall) at 2pm and divide into teams. We will travel to various locations and pick fruit from trees. We will gather back at Catalina at 5:30pm for dinner together. (Dinner is free of charge, but we will accept donations to help with the cost--it isn't free to us.) We will see a short video about the work of Ishkash*taa.

What do we need?
We need workers.
We need drivers.
We need fruit picking implements.
AND
We need plastic milk crates!

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes to be outdoors working.
Contact Richard with any questions: email him (richard@catumc.org) or phone/text him (403-2403).

This Sunday, we will have a sign up list so I can get an idea of how many to expect for dinner.

4-Paintball will be FRIDAY FEBRUAY 26 [Rodeo] Details to follow.

FOR PARENTS

Teenage girls 'have poorest diet' http://foxyurl.com/Pe3

Take your family on this hike http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/HBsouthtrail_8520.asp

Tech-savvy 'iGeneration' kids multi-task, connect http://ow.ly/15UNw

Fruit Gleaning is February 21!!

This is a great opportunity for you to:
serve God
help people in need
support young people in your church
get outdoors
do some physical activity
use what God has given you to benefit others
build relationships with people in your church
work together as the body of Christ for the kingdom of God

What will we do?
We will gather at Catalina (in Fellowship Hall) at 2pm and divide into teams. We will travel to various locations and pick fruit from trees. We will gather back at Catalina at 5:30pm for dinner together. (Dinner is free of charge, but we will accept donations to help with the cost--it isn't free to us.) We will see a short video about the work of Ishkash*taa.

What do we need?
We need workers.
We need drivers.
We need fruit picking implements.
AND
We need plastic milk crates!

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes to be outdoors working.
Contact Richard with any questions: email him (richard@catumc.org) or phone/text him (403-2403).

This Sunday, we will have a sign up list so I can get an idea of how many to expect for dinner.

Transfiguration Sunday February 14, 2010

This Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday in the church year. This is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany, and therefore the last Sunday before Lent--which begins with Ash Wednesday (February 17). The Scripture for this Sunday is Luke 9.28-43. The worship bulletin is here. With the conclusion of Transfiguration Sunday, the work of Epiphany is over: Jesus is presented as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. And the Transfiguration story finishes this. Jesus is shown in his heavenly glory and is elevated above Moses and Elijah--the Law and the Prophets.
And the message of the Transfiguration is a fitting introduction to Lent. As we will see this Sunday.
Join us for worship at 9:30 or 11.

Jesus Meets Us in Every Day Life

This week we will continue our study of who Jesus is. Our premise is simple: at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus (and rightly so), but whose birth is it that we celebrate? The season of Epiphany (which follows Christmas and lasts until Lent) strives to communicate that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah.
We have been considering the lectionary texts for the Sundays in Epiphany in our worship. This Sunday the text is Luke 5.1-11. This is the story of Jesus calling his first disciples. I think this text tells us about how we, too, can encounter Christ, and how that can lead us forward in our faith journey. Join us Sunday!
The worship bulletin is here.

Atheist and Atonement

The Blind Beggar blog (say that 5 times really fast) posted this excerpt from an interview with famous author and neo-atheist Christopher Hitchens.

Christopher Hitchens on the Atonement

Published by Rick Meigs on February 1st, 2010 in Quotes.

Christopher Hitchens was in Portland recently for a speaking engagement. Unitarian minister Marilyn Sewell interviewed him for a local publication, Portland Monthly. The interview was pretty much what one would expect, but I did find the following a fascinating observation from Hitchens:

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Now, I think there are several possible responses to this exchange.
First, you could say, "That's right!" And in many ways, I would agree with Hitchens about what it means to be a Christian.
Second, you could say "Wait a minute. An atheist is not going to define Christianity for me." And I think that is a valid point too.
Third, I think we must come to terms with the fact that people (yea, our whole culture) HAVE defined Christianity. We all live with that definition whether or not it fits with our personal faith. When you say "Christian", that means something generally to the general public. It might mean something different to you, but in order for language to have meaning, there must be some level of agreement on what the words mean. Does that mean we start calling ourselves something different? This reminds me of the video series "Christfollower vs Christian" (a parody of the Mac vs PC commercials) that you can probably find on Youtube. Or does this mean that we proudly and maybe rebelliously wear the label Christian? Knowing that people are going to judge us anyway, why try to hide? This reminds me of how gay people have taken back the epiphet "queer" and have used it themselves.
I believe strongly that there is a different kind of Christian today--one that is not defined by the religious/political fundamentalism that you find in mainstream America. But in the end, we must admit we are Christian. Maybe we should let how we live define us more than what label we insist on.

Snowblast 2010 Photo/Video

Youth Group News for This Week

We had a GREAT Snowblast! Thanks to all of you who made it great fun for all!
Youth group will meet this Sunday with regular schedule (5:30-7:30)! Everyone join us!
I hope to have photos and video from Snowblast ready to show you Sunday night. I’m probably going to wait and put it online AFTER I show it in youth group Sunday.
Also, we may have a first look at our winter/spring youth plans.
Remember, Sunday School is at 9:30!

I’ll see you Sunday!

Richard
403-2403

Snowblast 2010 is this weekend!

Just a quick note to remind all Catalina youth and parents that youth Sunday School and youth group will NOT be meeting this Sunday, January 17, since many of us will be on Snowblast 2010!!

Youth group and Sunday School will return to normal schedule on January 24.

THANKS to all who helped with Project Hospitality! You guys did a great job, worked hard, were friendly hosts, and were a lot of fun to hang out with!

Richard 403-2403

Kristin 602-696-5411

The Refuge Sunday January 10, 2010

This week's worship bulletin is here. This Sunday is part of the season of Epiphany, which presents Jesus as the Son of God. The Gospel readings during this time include the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, his first miracle, and the Transfiguration. This Sunday, we continue our theme "Who Is Jesus?". We celebrated his birth with much hoopla at Christmas, but whose birth is it that we celebrate? That is our study for the next few weeks.
This week, we look at the baptism of Jesus, as found in the Gospel of Luke. The Scripture is Luke 3.15-17, 21-22. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God's dearly loved child. What implication does that have for us? Come and hear about it!
We will also observe a traditional reaffirmation of baptism this Sunday.

Youth News for January 10, 2010

Here’s the news!

Sunday School is at 9:30 in E-225.

Regular youth group schedule for this Sunday:
5:30 dinner, everything over at 7:30. I think we are planning to do music this Sunday.

If you have not registered for Snowblast 2010 yet, I MIGHT be able to add you. Go to http://foxyurl.com/MJA for details.

The youth group is hosting and providing meals for Project Hospitality this Friday. All the info is at http://foxyurl.com/NGj .

On Sunday, January 17, there will be NO Sunday School and NO youth group—that’s Snowblast 2010!!

We’ll see you Sunday!

Richard 403-2403
Kristin

Project Hospitality for Youth Friday January 8

I’m sorry this is getting to you so late, but it has been one of those weeks. Here is the scoop for the youth facilitating Project Hospitality at Catalina this Friday:

What it is:

During the winter months, more people than maximum capacity seek shelter with the Salvation Army. Various churches agree to house a few men to relieve the overcrowding. Catalina has been doing this for years. The men are screened by the Salvation Army (usually they send out their regulars that they know) and we house and feed 6 men each week.

What we need:

Set up: I need 2 or 3 people to show up at 5pm on Friday in the church kitchen to help set up E-23 (room next to kitchen) for sleeping and dinner.

Dinner: We provide dinner for the 6 men and any of us who are here at the time. I anticipate feeding approximately 12 people. Here is what we need:
3 boxes of spaghetti (we will cook it at church-it needs to be here by 5:30)
2 pots of sauce (already prepared-can be re-heated at church)
Rolls/bread
2 large bags of salad
2 bottles of salad dressing
Dessert

Clean up: We will clean up dinner tables and dishes.

Overnight: As part of Project Hospitality, we must have someone stay all night. I will be doing this and any interested youth are invited also. However, keep these things in mind:
You will stay all night.
You will need to cooperate and help.
You need to bring sleeping gear because we will sleep.
We will have some work we will be doing.
Feel free to bring games or movies.
This is not something to bring friends to.
We will be getting up EARLY. Breakfast is at 6:15am—and we must prepare it.

Breakfast:
3 doz eggs
3 lb bacon
3 cans of biscuits
2 jugs of juice
1 gallon milk
Fruit
1 tub magarine
1 large jar of jelly

If you plan to come, I need you to bring something. I know this is a rush, but I need to know right away what you can bring so I can resolve any duplicates and know what we don’t have covered. Items can be split up; you can bring 1 dozen eggs, not all 3, etc. You can bring something and leave. You can bring something and stay for part of the time. Obviously, it would be better for me to get the spaghetti sauce covered for sure (since it needs to be prepared ahead of time).

Alright. I THINK that covers it! If you can bring something PLEASE let me know ASAP. You can email me at richard@catumc.org or text or call me at 403-2403.

Thanks.
Richard

Truer Words Were Never Spoken--I mean Written

From here.

Youth News! For January 3, 2010

A little variety is in store for this Sunday!

High School Youth Group is at Richard’s House

This Sunday January 3. We will begin with dinner at 5:30, and will be finished by 7:30. We will eat, play some games, discuss, pray, share—all the stuff we do at youth group, only in Richard’s living room. What a great way to END (how sad, I know) your holiday break! Casual, informal, fun—don’t miss it.

Here are directions:

1-Go EAST on Broadway PAST Camino Seco.

2-Turn LEFT on to Gollob. Gollob runs between 2 apartment complexes and is the first cross street after Camino Seco.

3-Turn LEFT on to E Berkshire Place (this is the first left on Gollob).

4-My house is the second house on the left (9080 E Berkshire Place).

If you get lost, call me 403-2403.

If you need a ride, I will try to arrange it, but it would probably be with a youth.

Can you bring something? I could use brownies (or other dessert you eat with your fingers), cut up veggies, cut up fruit. Let me know ASAP if you are bringing something, so I won’t get it at the store. Feel free to bring friends.

Parents, if you are driving your youth, feel free to stay to avoid driving around too much. (Or you could park it up at Safeway and have a Starbucks or at McDonalds, etc)

Middle School Youth Group is Bowling this Sunday! Meet at Lucky Strike (Speedway east of Alvernon) at 5:30. Bring money for bowling and food. Parents are invited to stay and bowl! More info? Call Kristin 602-696-5411. I wonder how many of you can beat Kristin at bowling?

Youth Sunday School begins to meet at 9:30 this Sunday in E-225 (upstairs over library).

Snowblast 2010 registrations are due THIS SUNDAY!!!! Info is at http://foxyurl.com/MJA

Project Hospitality Friday January 8 The youth group will be filling all the spots for Project Hospitality on January 8. Project Hospitality is a ministry of our church that takes 6 men from the Salvation Army shelter (they are too full when it’s cold) and houses and feeds them at our church. That means I will need a couple of you to come set up, a few to bring and serve dinner, a few (actually, anyone who wants to) to stay overnight in the library (kind of like a camp-out/overnighter), a couple to bring and serve breakfast. I will have specifics next week. But think about how you would like to help. Maybe your family or friends would volunteer to bring dinner or breakfast. Let me know!

Read a Psalm, high school students!!

Christmas Caroling Photos are at http://foxyurl.com/Nd8

We’ll See You Sunday!!

Richard 403-2403

Kristin 602-696-5411

Epiphany Sunday

Epiphany is always January 6 (like Christmas is always December 25). It is the celebration in the church that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. An intro to Epiphany can be found in the worship bulletin. Epiphany Sunday is the Sunday nearest Epiphany--so this Sunday (January 3) is Epiphany Sunday. I think Epiphany is a very important observance in the church. Come and find out why this Sunday! The worship bulletin will let you know about our music for this Sunday and give you info about the history and meaning of Epiphany.
Our study from Christmas to Lent is Who Is Jesus? We celebrate the birth of Jesus, but exactly who is it that we are celebrating? On Epiphany Sunday, we consider that Jesus is Lord of all.

Catalina Youth: News and PHOTOS!!!

A few words for this week:

1-Christmas Caroling was great! Honestly, I think it was our best year ever! You guys participated very well, and we were received by our "victims" very enthusiastically!! Photos are at http://foxyurl.com/Nd8 and on my Facebook.

2-Christmas Eve services are 5pm [sanctuary], 9pm [hall], and 11pm [sanctuary].

3-No youth group OR Sunday School this Sunday! We WILL be having Sunday morning worship [9:30 and 11]!!!!

4-January 3, Sunday School moves to 9:30am.

5-January 3, high school youth group goes to Richard's house. Word will come on the middle school plan.

6-I have signed up 20 out of 30 spots for Snowblast 2010. Get your paper and deposit in SOON!! Info is at http://foxyurl.com/MJA

Richard
403-2403

Advent Week Three: LOVE

This should be the crowning week of advent; after all, God IS love. Maybe this is why the climactic week is love and week three is joy-although joy is often portrayed as the main emphasis at Advent. The worship bulletin is here. There will be lots of great music this week, too.