UMYF News!

We had an end of the year lock-in!

Summertime at Camp Cedar Glen

The San Diego District camps are ready for your registration. One of the very best experiences of summer has to be going away to camp and church camp is the best of the best! Registration packets are available for you in the narthex now. So that you can start planning, here are the dates:

Grade levels refer to grade you'll be in starting Fall 2007

Younger Elementary Camp (1st through 3rd grades) July 29-August 1
Older Elementary Camp (4th through 6th grades) July 29-August 4
        Theme: "Respect!" -- Dee Baraw, Dean
Junior High Camp (7th through 9th grades) July 15-21
        Theme: "An Inconvenient Camp" -- Rev. Molly Vetter & Matt
         Parker, Deans
Senior High Camp (10th through 12th grades) July 22-28
        Theme: "Get Healthy!" -- Rev. Jamie Dollins, Alisa Wells and
         Scott Tarvin, Deans

All camps will be held at Camp Cedar Glen in Julian , CA . You may apply for a scholarship through FUMC El Centro and the San Diego District. If you want to go to camp and find you're short on funds, don't let that stop you! We'll find a way for you to go to camp.

Did you know …

…that the Youth Group will travel to Ceres, CA in early August this summer ’07 to work the Heifer farm for a week? Yep. We will. Youth and adults will be mucking out animal pens, feeding livestock, watering crops and doing all those things that farmers do all around the world … by hand! We’ll be learning about and caring for the very same animals that will be going to people around the world to make their lives better; the raise the money to feed their families and send their children to school. If you want to know about Heifer Project go to http://www.heifer.org/ -- these are the animals that bought as gifts during our Christmas challenge.

…that the $429.00 the Youth Group raised on “Souper Sunday” and donated to the IV Food Bank was part of a national youth challenge program on Super Bowl Sunday to raise funds to feed hungry people. This year kids across America raised a total of $6,332,660.91 from 10,628 Groups! Pretty amazing, eh? If you want to know more about this project, check out http://www.souperbowl.org/ -- its waaaay cool!

…that Confirmation classes begin on Sunday 2/25 – only a week away! Our kids will need Confirmation Mentors in the adult congregation … this means YOU. A Confirmation Mentor is a special person in the life of a youth. He/she shares faith and experience with one Confirmand by arranging for time with each other. That time will include:

Attending a church function together

Sharing a meal together outside of church

Participating in one or more events of the Confirmation program such as going to worship at another church in El Centro or the Jewish Temple in San Diego

Standing with your Confirmand and his/her family on Easter Sunday when the ritual of Confirmation is celebrated in the worship service

…that our 5^th/6^th Grade group of “Fresh Friends” has been meeting monthly with Mrs. Fansler for fun, study and service all year since September? This group is learning all about becoming full members of their church (and the Youth Group) and loving every minute. Thanks kids!

…that we have six, count ‘em SIX high school seniors graduating this Spring. Stay tuned to learn more about each one.