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 Youth Mission Statement: "To know Christ and to make Him known"
We strive in everything we do to share Christ with our youth and to have them reach out and make Him known to their friends and loved ones.
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From the October Bell
We had a great start to the new year on September 14th with the 3 F’s: fellowship, fun and food! There were some great new faces in the crowd and I truly pray that they had a great time and will continue to come back!
Both groups got some creative and new ideas for this year’s activities and Bible studies, so both the kids and the counselors are looking forward to the upcoming year. Both the junior and senior high groups are planning fall retreats to add some depth to the programs.
This year the youth will continue to volunteer at the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen on the second Saturday of each month. This month the date is October 11th so please mark your calendars!
Also coming up this month is a much anticipated wedding! I will be marrying Rasul Welch on October 18th, and if you come into the office I’m sure you will hear the latest countdown! I have formed so many great friendships here at the church and I would love if everyone could come and participate in the day.
The ceremony will begin at 2:30pm on the 18th at Boardman United Methodist Church, with a tea and cookie reception following in the Fellowship Hall. Rus and I will cut the cake there so everyone can enjoy a piece. Please feel welcome to join Rasul and me on this very important day!
I have been asked several times if planning the wedding while going to school and working at the church is causing me to go crazy (I wonder if this is a polite hint!). Actually, the only thing that is keeping me sane is going to Youth Group and having fun with the kids. I have such a great time with them and they always know how to make me laugh!
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From the September Bell
Summer is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner. This time of year is for new beginnings, with kids taking the next step in their education; whether that be graduating to the middle school, high school, or moving into their first dorm at college.
A new year is starting with Youth Ministries as well, with our kick-off being on September 7th from 7p.m.—9p.m. We will be planning for the new year, followed by corn hole, four square, and volleyball, and lots and lots of ice cream! Each youth is asked to bring their favorite topping for giant sundaes. Also, prizes will be awarded during the games!
The regular times for both the Jr. and Sr. high will continue to be from 7-8:30 p.m. on Sunday evenings. My goal this fall is to split my time between the two groups so I can get to know the senior high better, as well as enjoy our new 6th graders.
I have one more announcement: for the past few months I’ve been trying to find a place in the church that the junior high can call their own. After talking with Sue Spore, the Christian Education director, we have decided to make the first Sunday school room the Jr. high youth room! We have found a TV, but we are in need of a gently used couch and chairs to make the room more relaxing and less “school-like”. Keep in mind, the room isn’t very large, so no over-stuffed furniture, please. If anyone has something they think might work, please let Sue or me know.
I’m very excited to start the new year with our youth, and to show them that they are always welcomed at church and are loved just the way they are!
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From the June Bell
Since January, when I began this position, I have been hearing about how fun and entertaining the Youth Sunday program is. On May 18 I got to find out just what people meant by this. I haven’t been able to spend much time with the senior high youth so I had no idea the amount of talent and spirit in our high school youth! When Claire Heidenreich and Robert Lupton (who I thought were very quiet people) started shouting and dancing like crazy when they saw the ‘Garage Sale Diva,’ I couldn’t help bursting out in laughter. Then Chris Connelly came walking in dressed as Mary Raeburn and did a Garage Sale Rap and I was almost in tears from laughing so hard.
The entertainment continued with a grouchy God, bickering bees, ‘cone-heads’ learning self control, and a guest appearance from George Bush “himself.” There were also examples of how our youth are musically inclined, with beautiful singing and piano playing.
The youth took a serious tone with the last skit as we learned that being yourself is best, especially because Jesus Christ has died for our sins.
This performance couldn’t have happened without a lot of hard work and determination from Cindy Baer, who was the director-producer of this wonderful production. Over the past few years she has shown her love of Christ through her dedication to this program, and she has assured me that she will help me produce next year’s extravaganza!
Although the senior high were up on stage, the junior high were an integral part of the morning by passing out the bulletins, because no one would have known what was going on otherwise!
I have to say this has been one of my favorite experiences here at the church, and I can’t wait to see what other surprises these kids have in store for me!
I’m sad to say that we will be losing a few of our youth when graduation comes, but I’m sure they’re excited to start new adventures with God on their side.
Pastor Ron and I will be congratulating our graduates in church on June 1st, and we will also be presenting them with a guide to aid them in the years to come. I remember the feeling of being both excited and a little terrified when I graduated from high school, and what a relief it was to know that God was there with me even when I was 300 miles from my family, friends, and everything I knew. That is one thing I pray our graduates will always remember: friends, styles and everything else will change or leave, but God is here forever.
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From the May Bell
The creative juices are flowing for both the Junior and Senior high youth groups. The Junior High is developing their own commercial based on one of Pastor Ron’s sermons and a Progressive Insurance ad. During the idea stages we’ve had some great discussions on prayer and what it means to be a Christian. The kids are beginning to show their true colors and each week I am surprised by how unique and witty they are.
The Senior High is diligently working on the skits for this year’s Youth Sunday. You’ll be able to find them in the sanctuary during Sunday School time, but don’t peek! It’ll be very worthwhile to wait until Youth Sunday, May 18! Mark your calendar and plan to be in worship that morning.
In April we began to see God’s creation come alive again with the budding flowers and the return of the songbirds. In the spirit of seeing everything turn green outside, we began talking about how we can “go green” inside. The Junior High had a Bible study focusing on what God says about taking care of His creation. At the end of the study we brainstormed on how we can take care of God’s creation as a youth group. The youth came up with ideas such as planting trees, car pooling to youth group meetings and events, conserving the paper we use, setting up recycling bins for paper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans in the church, and cleaning up the litter around the church. We decided to make a service project out of picking up the litter, so on April 20th we rolled up our sleeves and got dirty. After a couple of hours of hard work, my fiancé Rus treated us to hotdogs and hamburgers along with the goodies everyone had brought.
This year’s confirmands have been very studious in their lessons on Christianity, United Methodism, and even Judaism. On April 25th they worshiped with the congregation of Beth Israel Jewish Temple in Warren. Before the service they met with Dr. Bernie Shultz to learn more about our Jewish heritage and to understand the major elements of their worship service. Confirmation Sunday will be celebrated on May 11th (Mother’s Day). A cookie and punch reception will follow worship. Come and welcome these newest members of our church.
With spring comes new challenges such as trying to stay focused on school work, especially challenging for our seniors who have a bad case of “senioritis”. If we take a moment to pray and take a deep breath, somehow summer comes a little sooner.
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The Staff-Parish Relations Committee and the Pastor are pleased to announce that Heidi Pifer has joined our church staff, effective January 28, 2008. Heidi serves as youth pastor with responsibilities for planning and overseeing all junior and senior high youth ministries.
Heidi is a senior at YSU majoring in Religious Studies, and plans to attend the Methodist Theological School in Delaware, Ohio. She has been a life-long United Methodist, involved with leading youth groups and events, particularly the Chrysalis Flight for spiritual renewal of young people, the youth version of the Emmaus Walk program. She grew up in Conneaut where she was inspired to ministry by Revs. Ash and Peg Welch, pastors of First UMC and East Conneaut UMC. The Welch’s currently co-pastor the Boardman UMC.
Heidi is engaged to Russ Welch, son of Peg and Ash, and plans an October 2008 wedding.
Please make a point of welcoming Heidi to our staff. We are excited about the vitality and skills she brings to our youth program, and hope you will all get to know her in the coming months. We especially invite our junior and senior high youth to make yourselves known to Heidi and help her get to know you.
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| Youth Counselors |
| Cheryl Headland |
Suzanne Ross |
| Frank McCauley |
Diana Plecker |
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Howland United Methodist Church
730 Howland Wilson Rd NE
Warren, OH 44484
Phone: 330-856-3463
Fax: 330-856-7037
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