St. John's Youth News
"Growing Together in our Faith as we Serve Others"
Sunday School Resumes -- Sept. 8th
The 2019-2020 Sunday School year will resume on Sunday, September 8th following 9am worship. Sunday School begins at 10:10am and dismisses at 11:10am. Registration forms & more information will be mailed to homes in late August. Please watch for more information in the weekly bulletins and the September Eagle newsletter.
Backpack Blessing -- Sept. 8th
Students of all ages (and teachers, too) are invited to bring your backpack to worship with you on Sunday School Rally Day, September 8th for a special “back to school” prayer. You will be called forward to have your backpack blessed and you will be given a gift that you can attach to your backpack to carry God's love with you throughout the entire school year. We’re looking forward to seeing you on September 8th for the Backpack Blessing and Rally Day!
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Support Our College Students!
Would you like to be a part of our College Kids Support Team? We are sending out questionnaires to each of our 13 college students about their upcoming year. If you’d like to be a part of the team, you would be invited to “adopt” a college student and provided with their questionnaire to give you a little info about them. We would ask that at least once a month you send them a card. If you choose to, you may (very once in a while) send a little care package, but it is certainly not expected. This is just one way to help them feel connected to their church family while they’re away and to provide a little joy when they arrive at a mailbox and find MAIL!! If you are interested, please let Karen Goy know.
Who'll Wear The Crown?
We wish the best of luck to three of our recent MHS graduates — Katie Beetz, Abby Phalen, and Katherine Wohrley — who will be participating in the Sweet Corn Festival Queen Pageant on Friday, August 9th! Our own Don & Karen Goy will emcee the event.
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Well Done, Team St. Louis!
Thank You for doing God's work with your hands!
All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned While At Confirmation Camp
by Karen Goy, Youth Director
Karen, Haden, Jace, Garret, and Gracie
Last week I was blessed to accompany four of our youth to confirmation camp… and can I be honest that I wasn’t feeling the “camp vibe” when I left. God is in the business of transformation and that was what our theme was all about. Our bible studies focused on how a community is transformed as they experience and then extend His inclusion, compassion, forgiveness, justice, and generosity. It was amazing to witness first-hand the transformation of the community of strangers that was at camp throughout the week as we spent time, prayed, ate, laughed, studied, enjoyed, and adventured together. Being in community over time and in a setting outside the normal routine indeed had transforming power. Not only did my mindset change very quickly, but I saw/heard the kids thoughts, mindset, actions, and words transform into an amazing community that was definitely different than the one that arrived on Sunday night. There is power in spending time in community – transforming power. There is power in hearing again and again about God’s compassion, forgiveness, generosity, inclusion, and justice – a message very different than those messages we are daily bombarded with. It is empowering to extend and live inclusion, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and justice that happens in that community time too… and from there, think of all the other communities we are a part of that can in turn be transformed!!
We have an amazing opportunity to spend time in such a community right here at St. John’s! I’m grateful for the blessed reminder of the transformation that can happen in us, for us, and through us as we make the choice to leave our “typical” routine to also participate more fully in the community here. Thank you, St. John’s, for the opportunity you made for the five us to go to confirmation camp. What a generous and supportive community you are!
We have an amazing opportunity to spend time in such a community right here at St. John’s! I’m grateful for the blessed reminder of the transformation that can happen in us, for us, and through us as we make the choice to leave our “typical” routine to also participate more fully in the community here. Thank you, St. John’s, for the opportunity you made for the five us to go to confirmation camp. What a generous and supportive community you are!
Thank You, St. John’s Family!
Your encouragement and support of the “Textathon” we held last month helped us pray for cancer patients, share information about free services available to patients, be part of a great community cause (Relay For Life March To A Million) and to raise over $6,000! The day was a memorable example of how we are to be Christ in the world!
Your encouragement and support of the “Textathon” we held last month helped us pray for cancer patients, share information about free services available to patients, be part of a great community cause (Relay For Life March To A Million) and to raise over $6,000! The day was a memorable example of how we are to be Christ in the world!
St. John's was well-represented on the 2018 MHS Homecoming Court!
Congratulations to Katie, Ally, Maya & Ted!
High School student, Samantha Katschke, is pictured on the bench that was installed in the new playground in Paw Paw. Sammi and her Girl Scout Troop #5158 would like to thank St. John's for the generous donations of bottle caps to help them reach their goal.
Team Pictures from previous High School Mission Trips
2018 Benton Harbor, MI Mission Trip Team - Natalie, Tammy, Gabrielle, Grace, Gabbi, Maya, Bailey, Sophie, Sammi, Amy, Matthew, Mitch, Troy, Cole, Gavin, Ted and Logan
2017 Red Lake, MN Mission Trip Team - Maria, Natalie, Brent, Grace, Matthew, Gabrielle, Gavin, Gillian, Cole, Cameron, Aaron, Gabbi and Sammye
2016 Cincinnati, OH Mission Trip Team - Maria, Gavin, Jacquelynn, Haleigh, Gillian, Cameron, Natalie, Dave, Grace, Aaron and Roberta.
2015 St. Louis, MO Mission Trip Team - Mary, Jared, Grace, Brock, Natalie, Gillian, Mark, Cameron, Amy, Jacquelynn, Brady, Karen, Don, Maria and Joey
2014 Bayou La Batre, AL Mission Trip Team - Maria, Paige, Grace, Emily, Cameron, Gillian, Jacquelynn, Brady, Amy, Lukas, Jared, Joey, Mark, Brock and Barry
2013 Benton Harbon, MI Mission Trip Team - Jared, Mark, Erik, Brock, Brady, Gillian, Amy, Cameron and Jacquelynn (not pictured: Maria, Alice and Curt)
2012 Eastern Shore of Virginia Mission Trip Team with YouthWorks staff members and Jeff, Amy, Marcus, Mark, Jared, Brock, Paige S., Paige H., Brady and Maria.
2011 Cass Lake, MN Mission Trip Team - Don, Travis, Mark, Amy, Cady, Devan, Paige, Jared, Laurie, Grif, Karen and Marcus.
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2018 Team Benton Harbor had a great time at Silver Beach
2017 Red Lake Team enjoyed a beautiful sunset!
2016 Cincinnati Mission Trip Team onsite with YouthWorks!
2015 St. Louis Mission Trip Team
onsite with YouthWorks at Kossuth Church of God in Christ
We work hard and we play hard! A day of fun on the beach at Dauphin Island, AL.
Our Benton Harbor Mission Trip team with the beloved Mama Wilder.
We LOVED serving the community of Cass Lake!
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