April 2008

We need your help.  We need some adults to help us.  We are planning activities and need drivers, adults to come to activities and help out.  We need adults at every event and at out weekly meetings.  If you can help see Hap or Pastor Les.  We have about 6-8 teens every Sunday.  Thank you.

It is so hard to get a teen to come out to a meeting.  They would rather sit in front of a computer, text their friends, go to school activities, or a sporting event.  Then when they show up we do not have the help.  If I am sick we have to cancel the meeting.  Its not fair to the teens.

Thank you to all who bought candles.  We made $100.00.

Events coming up:
Sunday, 4/13 - bowling in Lockport
Sunday, 4/20 - regular meeting
Wednesday, 4/23 - movie and pizza night
Saturday, 4/26 - possible overnighter with Ransomville Church to Sunday morning.

We need to help carry out this schedule.

We meet every Sunday night at 6p to 8p in the youth area in the Ransomville United Methodist Church.  They are a great group of teens...give a little time to them!

January 2008

2008 will be a year of challenge. As you read this, look around the church, how many teens in church today. Not Many. That’s the Challenge facing us as a church family and those of us in youth ministries. Just last week I talked to a youth leader I have respected for many years, andthey are calling it quits, they just can’t get the youth to come anymore. Awhile back I attended a church where they are shutting down the youth group. Youth events like the Fall Gathering that we as a group attended started out with 1,000 est. now it draws 300 – 400.

Where are the teens going? What are they doing? Why will a teen go to a sports practice 7 days a week and stay after school for hours practicing for a play but will not come to church for an hour on Sunday morning, or come for a youth meeting once a week? These are questions that need to be answered.

There have been nights that I have sat in an empty youth room, planned an event, and no one shows up. We need to ask what needs to change. We are tow small churches, we do not have the gym, and we do not have a game room that the big churches can offer.

The challenge this year for me is to figure out the answer to that question and re-energize the youth group. Make a group that they can’t wait to come to.

I ask you to pray for this group, we always can use help driving, need someone to help run a weekly Bible study. Just come out to a meeting and hangout with the teens. Teens I think need to see adults care and love them. We may be small but we have a whole lot of love to give.

If you know a teen, ask them what are they looking for, and pass it on to Mom York or me. My e-mail is hskellen@aol.com.

Maybe I have run my course, and they need someone different, what ever it takes to get them coming back to youth.

Like I have said many times to the teens I count them as a blessing in my life.
 

December 2007

The no-name youth group has a name, The A.R.K.’s after watching
Evan Almighty last week at our movie night. The teens chose the
name in the movie at the end they kept talking about changing the
world; God said you start one act of random kindness at a time.
ACT RANDOM KINDNESS.
ARK.’s are selling candy bars at $1.00 to help raise funds for our
youth programs. See any youth or see Mom York at Ransomville and
Hap at Fillmore Chapel.
This Sunday, November 25th will be our monthly breakfast at Knead
the Dough at 8:00 AM.
We are going Christmas caroling at the Newfane Nursing Home, and
shut-ins, if you know anyone that would like us to stop by, let Pastor
Les know. We will open this to the whole church, and going on the
candlelight tour of Fort Niagara.
Pastor Les is going to start a devotional time with the youth on Sunday
nights.
Watch for a new fund raiser “The 52 weeks Club”. This is where you
pledge $1.00 for 52 weeks. That will be used for Youth programs.
Think of it if 40 people joined the “52 Week Club” that would be
$2000.00 est. for youth programs.
Mark your calendars for December 9th for the Remember When
Dinner for people over 60. The ARK’s will be hosting a light dinner
of soup/salad/dessert at 5:00 PM at the Ransomville Fellowship Hall.
Afterward the teens are going to ask the seniors what it was like at
their age (they have some good questions). Bring some questions for
them too.
There will be a sign-up sheet in the back of each church or e-mail/call
Bev at the office. We need to know how much food we will need.
As you can see we are trying to do a wide range of activities. We can
always use your prayers, help at any of these events, driver or adults to
help out at our meeting.
Special thank you to Jim for finding a pool for us.
As we come into Thanksgiving…Count your blessings…I have and
these youth are right up there on my list.

Our Mission Statement
The youth group is a place that we can come to learn more
about God and to learn how to have a relationship with God.
We can learn how to live better Christian lives. We can feel we
belong here and are able to explore our faith as a group. It is a
place where youth can feel safe and hopeful as we deal with
our own lives.