Halloween for Hunger links

Free the Children website with Halloween for Hunger instructions:
http://we.freethechildren.com/get-involved?campaign=halloween-for-hunger

Operation Food Search website with food drive instructions:
www.ofsearch.org/how_help/food_drive.html?
PHPSESSID=ee46fe54d07f56e22862896c750aec4d

Words of Faith, Peace through Games

Dear BYG:
This morning we heard Pastor Yancey tell his story of ministry and faith. He said his central understanding of God in Christ is that he came to bring us life.
This afternoon, Amy, Carson, Miriam and her German exchange student Franzi joined with 14 other youth from Jewish and Christian Science faiths to play games and explore the possibilities for building peace in our world. Thanks to Bill Pryor and Sherman Lee for volunteering to drive.

NEXT WEEK: We will be distributing pamphlets around the neighborhood to notify them we will be picking up food during Halloween for Hunger (4-6 p.m. on Saturday, October 31.) We also need help at church during the blood drive, assisting our blood-givers with snacks and TLC. Anyone who is over 16 can donate blood, with parent permission.
We are missing Pastor Rebecca's story of ministry and faith during education hour, but we will invite her to share with our youth group one day instead.

From today's Gospel lesson in Mark 10:
Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

All about life this week,
Deb

God's Words of Peace

Today we ate hamburgers (thanks for grilling, Michael!) and chips and grapes, and agreed that beginning next month we will return to our 9:30-10:30 meeting time.
Amy, Miriam, Robert, Sherman and Deb discussed plans for future BYG Sundays and First Sundays.
We read Bible verses about peace, and prayed for peace in our lives, peace in the lives of others we know, and peace in the world.
May you experience peace in your life this week as only Christ can bring.
-Deb

October Events:
Sun, Oct. 4: First Sunday
Movie Day...more info to come

Sun, Oct. 11:
9:30 in Bethel library
Peace Building Begins in Our Hearts
October service event: Halloween for Hunger/Free the Children


Sun, Oct 18:
9:30 in undercroft with Adult Forum
Pastor Bill tells his faith story.

IMPORTANT EVENT:
Operation Cooperation with ENTeam
http://www.enteam.org/html/programs/faithbased-programs.html
2:00 at Principia High School
13201 Clayton Road
We will meet with high school students who are Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Scientist to play games and build a more peaceful world. Brenda Light, Maya's mom, is one of the facilitators. This is the first of four meetings this school year.

Sun, Oct. 25:
9:30 in the undercroft with Bethel's adult forum
Pastor Rebecca tells her faith story.

BYG Week 2: Making Peace

We gathered for pizza and prayers of whirled peace.
www.pinwheelsforpeace.com will take you to the website with the pattern and directions for making pinwheels that we decorated and wrote on with our prayers for peace in the world.
We talked about St. Francis of Assissi's message of peace in relationship and action that we experience in Christ. http://www.prayerguide.org.uk/stfrancis.htm
We also discussed the invitation to join with believers around the world to pray together for peace at noon on Monday...but if you missed it, your prayers still count! Check out the website:
http://www.odysseynetworks.org/Causes/Peace/tabid/178/Default.aspx

Next week: Bethel would like to hire some of you as workers in the nursery during the 11:00 service. If you are interested, there will be interviews at 10:00 in the nursery space downstairs. You would be working two at a time, making $20 each for about 90 minutes on duty. I know we have lots of experienced babysitters in BYG, so I hope you will be willing to offer your gifts to the congregation in this way (and get paid for it, too!)

Many blessings this week! I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to this blog to get weekly updates on BYG.

Upcoming decisions: what to do with our meeting time. Those of us who were there this week are leaning towards returning to the 9:30 a.m. Sunday time. We also need to plan for our First Sunday Fun and choose a mission emphasis for October.

May the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and in our world.
Love,
Deb

Time to Get Going: Be the Change

It is time to resume our school-year schedule for BYG (Bethel Youth Group) and our mission of letting Jesus shine in our lives and our world.
We are trying a new schedule for the month of September:
Sundays from 12:30-2:00 in the undercroft.
We will start with a light lunch and roll from there. This week includes viewing highlights from the Gathering and discussion of goals and hopes for the year. Next week we will do a more detailed survey and schedule for the year.
Peace be with you! I hope we will see you in BYG!
Deb

Bringing Back the Gathering (Sunday 8/30)...

The official date for the youth group to bring back the Gathering to Bethel will be Sunday 8/30.   There will be two parts to that event:

1. 9:30 -- Worship service (the only service that day) -- highlights include sermon/message to be delivered by the youth group, and jazz-themed music for the service
2. 10:45 -- Hospitality Hour with a multimedia presentation by the youth group -- highlights include photo slideshow, videos, music and dancing from the Gathering

Here's an outline of what needs to be done, who's doing it:

1. Organizing the Sermon/Message -- Miriam will be contacting everyone to gather their reflections.  The goal is for the youth to share their reflections and tie them together for the sermon/message.  (We should try to representative of the entire Gathering experience, and include snippets from the bus journey, the Civil Rights Museum, our Servant Event (chopping down trees), listening to the speakers, hotel life, Closing Worship, etc.
2. Scripture Readings for the Worship Service -- To make the service as cohesive as possible, let's use the main texts from the Gathering itself.  [Miriam or Sherman to get this to Pastor Bill]
3. Music for the Worship Service -- The Bethel Band will provide music for the worship service.  The plan is to use hymns from the current hymnal (in Center Celebration style).  In addition to that we'll use jazz charts used at the "Jazz" event at Unity Bel Nor (from June), generously supplied by UM-St. Louis Chancellor Thomas George (who played piano that day).  Musicians from the youth group will join in.  We'll also try to select a couple of songs played at the Gathering's mass events.  [Sherman will coordinate this]
4. Hospitality Food and Beverage - This will be hosted in the Fellowship Hall, to coincide with the multimedia presentation. [This task needs volunteers]
5. Multimedia Presentation Content -- Organizing photos and video into a slideshow, along with other musical selections (dancing optional) from the Gathering's mass events.  [Amy will coordinate this]
6. A/V technical support -- Supply and install the projector (Albert Webster's), set up the playback device (Lilly Webster's laptop).  [Albert and Lilly Webster]
7. Anything else? -- Please chime in (by commenting to this post or emailing Sherman) if this outline missed anything we need to plan/coordinate.

Follow Bethel Youth at the Gathering...

Many thanks to all who have supported the youth throughout the year in the Sunday morning sessions, monthly fellowship meetings, fundraisers and of course, at worship.

At long last, the Gathering trip is about to begin.  And in the spirit of relationship and connectedness, please check out a new sibling youth group blog to follow our Gathering trip:

http://byg-jjj2009.blogspot.com/

In case you need help unpacking that?  It stands for Bethel Youth Group - Jesus Justice Jazz 2009.

Now off for a quick nap before heading to our bus stop (Hope Lutheran - St. Charles)!

What's Still Incomplete?

We're almost ready, but here's a list of what still needs to be completed:

General:

• Everyone -- Read the updates carefully from after the last group meeting.  Click here
• Everyone -- Read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) entry.  Click here

Contact Info:

• Need cell phone numbers for Daniel, Haley, Karl
• Need emergency contacts and numbers for Genevieve, Rebecca and Todd

Forms:

• Need photocopy of insurance form for David Owen
• Need signature from Carson and Haley's mom on one form.  (It's on all the other forms -- just a clerical glitch.)
• Need all forms for Genevieve, Amy, Sherman, Rebecca and Todd.  (*** I'll work on mine as soon as I finish updating the blog! ***)

For the bus:

• DVDs
• Icebreaker activities

Generic stuff to do:

• Wash the t-shirts from Central States Synod, and the STL congregations ("STL NOLA") -- Amy/Sherman to do this
• Mark the Jesus, Justice, Jazz water bottles with Bethel Youth Group labels -- Amy/Sherman to do this.  (Yes, this means you don't need to buy water bottles)
• Make lunches for the outbound bus trip -- Stierholz/Websters to do this
• Buy breakfast/snack supplies -- Pastor Rebecca/Pastor Todd to do this
• Transportation to/from Hope Lutheran Church in St. Charles -- everyone to insure their own transportation or coordinate car pools

Post Lock-In Update (7/7 Meeting)

At 7/7, I learned about "Spoons" and "Sardines", one of which I watched, the other I only heard about.  Sounds like the Lock-in was a blast, and many thanks to Rebecca and Todd for hosting it.

We got lots done at the parents' meeting and we're almost totally ready for getting on the Gathering bus.

But we're not completely ready... so here are a few points, and they're all important:

• We finally know more about our Service Project.  I wish we had one more meeting before the Gathering to discuss, but since we don't, please carefully read our our "Service Project" blog entry.  Please note that we go into New Orleans as partners (with locals) in rebuilding the city, and be prepared to receive God's Spirit as much as we are bringing material supplies and labor.  Click here.
• What are we supposed to bring?  I've cobbled together a Pack List, based on suggestions from the Gathering site, plus what we know our group has discussed.  If I've missed anything, please comment to that blog entry... I'll update the list.  Click here.
• We had many good questions from both parents and youth on 7/7 (and at earlier meetings).  I've captured them in a  FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) entry.  Again, if anything is missing, please comment and I'll to the list.  Click here.
• As much as I've collected everything in blog format for easy reading, I'm also trying to jam everything into an Excel workbook version so it's easier to read/print offline for Ready Reference.  It's the least up-to-date of everything so count on me posting several versions of the document.  Please check for accuracy, especially of contact information (like phone numbers).  Click here.

Pack List

Here's a suggested pack list -- this list started from the Gathering website, click here -- customize where you see fit.

General Stuff to Bring:

• Bible (You'll be receiving a special Gathering Bible when you arrive in New Orleans.)
  
• Journal and pen
  
• Money for meals (about $100 for the week)
  
• Money for Sunday offering
  
• 4-6 outfits
  
• Comfortable walking shoes
  
• Pajamas (be considerate of roommates)
  
• Bathing suit (if your hotel has a pool)
  
• Gathering t-shirt
  
• Sweatshirt for the AC
  
• Any medications prescribed to you that you might need 
  
• Book or magazines to read 
  
• Cards or other free time activity stuff 
  
• Hat and sunglasses (you will be walking outside quite a bit) 
  
• Snacks, cereal bars, etc… 
  

Stuff for Servant Life Day:

• Closed foot shoes (tennis shoes or boots)
  
• Sunscreen and insect repellent
  
• Re-usable water bottle.  [Sherman has purchased aluminum water bottles from the Gathering website and will bring on the bus.  Click here]
  
• Knee-length shorts (no short shorts)
  
• Backpack
  
• Camera (optional)
  
• Work Gloves
  

What NOT to Bring:

• Expensive belongings
  
• Drugs, alcohol, and medications not prescribed to you
  
• Firearms, knives, weapons
  
• Glass bottles
  
• Laser pointers, air horns, matches, lighters
  

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for Youth and Parents

Q:  When do we leave?

A:  We must be at Hope Lutheran Church in St. Charles by 5:30 AM on Tuesday 7/21.  The address is 1975 S Old Highway 94, St Charles, MO 63303.

Q:  When do we return?

A:  We are scheduled to return to Hope Lutheran Church in St. Charles on Monday 7/27 at 2:00 AM.  That's late night Sunday / early Monday morning

Q:  What paperwork do I need to fill out?

A:  See a list of all required forms:  click here 

Q:  What about the group covenant that we worked so hard on?

A:  For the "mandatory" covenant clauses from the ELCA Gathering committee, click here

     For the Bethel-added (or Bonus) Covenant, click here

Q:  What project did we get assigned to for our Service activity?

A:  For our ServantLife project, click here

Q:   What do I need to pack?

A:  See a list of all items we'll need for the trip:  click here (new entry coming soon)

Q:   How much money should each youth pack?

A:   About $100 for meals and souvenirs.

Q:   How many meals will that cover?

A:   Total of  7.  (Tue=1, Wed=0, Thu=1, Fri=2, Sat=2, Sun=1)  Other meals are already included as part of Gathering/Metro St Louis Coalition-Youth planning.  These 7 meals will be fast food stops during the bus trip, or 'open meal times' during the Gathering itself.

Q:  What about breakfasts?

A:  Breakfast is included as part of our hotel stay.  Worst case scenario is that there are long lines at the hotel breakfast.  For that contingency, Bethel will provide cereals, milk and bagels (Thanks to Pastor Rebecca for organizing that.  And thanks to Albert Webster for providing the lunch for the outbound bus trip.)

Q:  What about snacks?

A:  Bethel will also provide some snacks for hotel life, but each youth should feel free to bring their own (and plan to share with others)

Q:  Will the group eat all meals together?

A:  Based on different categories:

• While traveling:  can break out in small groups, but must return to the bus on time
• At the Gathering:  breakfasts -- in our hotel rooms, or at hotel breakfast area, but must meet as group prior to the day's first activity
• At the Gathering:  lunches -- on your own, but must observe the buddy rule
• At the Gathering:  dinners -- the group will dine together every night.  That will be one of the main reflection times each day (along with the "Final 15")

Q:  What should the youth have with them at all times?

A:  Here's a list:

• Emergency Contact Card -- to be provided by Bethel
• Water bottle -- probably to be provided by Bethel
• Energy bar or snack -- something that doesn't melt in the heat (i.e. NOT chocolate) that can help especially during the service event or long time between meals
• Cell phone (or buddy up with someone who has a cell phone)

Q:  What can our youth do in the last days before the Gathering?

A:  Another list:

• Think of a bus icebreaker activity
• Bring DVDs to share on the bus
• Read parts of the Gathering website.  Even with all of our youth events we didn't get to cover everything.  Something we really missed was preparation for the Servant Event.  It's not just us going to give of ourselves to "the needy."  We are needy also, and we get the chance to partner up with people in New Orleans to help reclaim God's Creation (especially since our Interest Area is The Environment).  Look at the special entry on ServantLife:  click here  (provide link)

Q:  What about worship opportunities?

A:  There are two opportunities for full Gathering worship -- at the Opening Worship (Wednesday evening) and Closing Worship (Sunday morning).  There will also be daily worship, also with Communion, at 7:30 am and 9:30 am daily.  We won't be able to that on our ServantLife Day (Thursday).

Q:  What about community life?

A:  There are many activities planned for us, including dances themed by decade, "Generation Idol" based on the "American Idol" format, and much more.  The official Gathering site says it best:  click here

Q:  Can we bring iPods or portable games (Nintendo Gameboy, Sony PSP, etc.)?

A:  Yes, but everyone is responsible for their own property.  And... on the bus you will not be allowed to wired to your device for the entire trip.

Q:  What if my question is not addressed here?

A:  Please comment to this post, and someone will include the question and a response in this FAQ entry.

Our Service Project: Creation Care (#44)

Updates:

• The ELCA Gathering organizers just released details about the service project that Bethel Youth Group has been assigned to:  #44 Creation Care.
• Fortunately we do not have to fill out any additional release forms.
• Please recall that our youth group chose "The Environment".  We did some discussion during the year on this with only part of the group.  Here's the page for the entire lesson: Click here
• Our servant day is Thursday 7/23 (which is the first full day of the Gathering)

Here's the skinny on what we need to read before we leave:

• Read ServantLife information document first:  Click here
• How does my project fit in my interest area:  Click here
• Creation Care (Bethel's project):  Click here

All of the above links are available at the home page for Project Descriptions:  Click here

Here's some important reference information for ServantLife:

• ServantLife Home Page:  Click here
• ServantLife FAQs (frequently asked questions):  Click here
• ServantLife What to Wear:  Click here
• ServantLife Blessing:  Click here

Fundraiser Switch-Around Time

Dear BYG,
Sorry to disappoint, if you were planning on big fun for the car wash, but for several reasons I have decided to cancel it. Instead, we will do a little prep during the lock-in for another easier, faster, simpler fundraiser, if that's okay with your leaders! I will bring everything you need then.
Peace, out,
Deb

Post-Pool Party Updates (6/22)...

Most of us had a great time at the pool party at the Meiners house, and again, many thanks to them for their generous hospitality.

There are three major things to remember after our discussions at the pool party, and they're all posted as different blog entries:

1. 'Jazz' Event (6/28): Car Pool, Anyone?
2. Forms, Forms, Nothing But Forms...
   
3. The Lucky Seven Lock-In (7/7)
   

Please be sure to read each of those articles and leave a comment with your availability/response. 

I'm trying out a new feature of the blog -- comments -- and we'll see how this works.  Don't panic if you don't see your comment right away.  I've got them set up that I need to moderate the comments...  that means comments will be visible only after I approve them.  (For now I'm being conservative and don't want strangers to leave comments.)

The Lucky Seven Lock-In

Our final big prep activity prior to the Gathering will be a lock-in...

When:  7 pm on 7/7 (Tuesday)

Where:  evening activities at the LCM house (next to Bethel Church)

                sleep overnight at the Church

In addition to Rock Band and other fun stuff, at this meeting we will:

1.  Finalize and sign the Bethel Covenant.  (Todd will bring the final draft that night)

2.  Receive the completed, signed forms required for the Gathering.  (Click here for details)

Please leave comments regarding your attendance for this event.  (If you can't make this, you need to make arrangements with Sherman about signing the Covenant and submitting your forms.)

'Jazz' Event (6/28): Car Pool, Anyone?

Most of us are going to the 'Jazz' event (click here for details)...

Would anyone like to car pool there from Bethel?  We'd want to meet at Bethel around 5:30 to get to Unity-Bel Nor by 6:00.

And let's try something new here... please comment to this post and list the people from your family going to the 'Jazz' event with you, and your vote about car pooling.

Thanks!

(Please be patient with the commenting... this is my first time trying this feature.)

Forms, Forms, Nothing But Forms...

As inevitable as death (and new life!) and taxes... paperwork.

These forms need to be filled out, signed and submitted by Tuesday 7 July at the Youth Lock-in.

There are three forms that all youth must fill out:

1.  Bethel's Emergency Medical Form:  Click here

2.  ELCA's Medical and Emergency Form:  Click here

3.  ELCA's Liability and Release Form* (for youth):  Click here

Rebecca, Todd -- the ELCA Liability and Release Form for counselors:  Click here

UPDATE as of 7/9:  There are only three forms required for each youth.  The Bethel Travel Form is to be filled out by only one leader.  And our ServantLife project does NOT require additional release forms!

Bethel Connection: Youth Article for June 2009 Issue

Here's the text of what appeared in the June 2009 Issue of the Bethel Connection (monthly newsletter):

Counting Down to the Youth Gathering...

The school year is coming to a close and the high school students are ramping up for the national gathering in late July.

The 2009 Gathering, whose theme is "Jesus, Justice and Jazz," focuses on how God calls on us to help in redeeming the world.  In that vein, this is the first time that the Gathering is subcontracting all the buses specifically for local transportation to service events.  At previous gatherings, there were optional service opportunities; this year each participant will spend one of their three full Gathering days at a service project as part of rebuilding New Orleans from the damage of Hurricane Katrina.  One of the other two days will focus on Learning, and the other day will be in the Interaction Center.  All three days (Learning Day, Interaction Center Day, Servant Day) build upon each other, making for a very focused Gathering experience.

In addition to the Gathering programming, the St. Louis-area youth groups have planned some extra stuff:  on the way down we'll be visiting the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis (usually closed on Tuesdays but they'll open for 90 minutes just for us).  Also there will be a half-day trip to a Mississippi Beach to see some of the Katrina-ravaged coastline that still hasn't be rebuilt.  And we'll have one special dinner at Mulatte's, a local restaurant with authentic Cajun cuisine with live music and dancing.

The Bethel participants are:   Miriam Bohlmann Kunz, Scott Floerke, Daniel Gross, Amy Lee, David Owen, Carson Pryor, Haley Pryor, Genevieve Schmoeker, Karl Webster, Lilly Webster;  adult counselors are Pastor Rebecca Boardman, Pastor Todd Koch and Sherman Lee.

Look for more news about the Gathering in future Bethel Connections.  The Youth Group will also keep its website (http://bethel-ucity-youth.blogspot.com/, also available as a link from the Bethel Church home page) updated with news and planning.

In the meantime, here's one other special link, specifically for receiving donations to be used in New Orleans to buy supplies for the service projects.  Rather than have youth groups transport tools and equipment from their home cities, these donations help New Orleans rebuild their businesses:  http://archive.elca.org/scriptlib/DS/giving/youthgiving_gift.asp.  And you can use that link to explore other information at the Gathering's official web site.

STL Pre-Gathering Event "Jazz" (6/28)

The STL coordinators for the Gathering planned three area-wide events, named "Jesus", "Justice", and "Jazz."  We missed the first two because of scheduling conflicts.  The third one we're all planning to attend.

The specs:

• Date/Time:   Sunday 6/28, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm
• Place:  Unity Lutheran in Bel Nor, 8454 Glen Echo Dr, Bel Nor, MO 63121
• Who's invited?  Youth and adults... that includes all parents (even if not chaperones!)
• Agenda:  Cajun style dinner, making a MSLC-Youth Banner (that's Metro St. Louis Coalition Youth), swaps, Cajun are projects, and if you bring your instruments, you can have a jam session with a jazz pianist, followed by worship.
• Cost:  $3 / person
• I need to have a final headcount by 6/14 (our pool party) so I can meet the RSVP deadline of 6/15.

Gathering Prep: Pool Party (6/14)

From the Backyard Bonfire to the Pool Party, our group certainly loves alliteration...

The second summer planning event will be a Pool Party!

• Sunday 6/14 -- 2:00 - 5:00 pm
• At Ted and Emmy Meiners' house, 6235 Waterman, University City.  (It's right up the block from Karl and Lilly's house.)
• Will focus on Covenant Planning
• Will get final head count for the STL-area (MSLC-Youth) "Jazz" Event on 6/28

Our Covenant Planning...

Pastor Todd will be leading our Covenant discussion at the Pool Party.

He will provide a starter covenant, some of the major topics to consider for group discussion and approval, and the enthusiasm to drive us to a final draft of the covenant.

What is a covenant?  As Lilly pointed out at the Backyard Bonfire, it's a promise.  Just as God promised us new life in Christ, we will make promises to each other as we journey to New Orleans and back.  It will include what we will do for each other -- on the bus, in New Orleans, at the Gathering, in the hotel -- like always travel in threes, be respectful and so on.  It will also include what we promise not to do to each other, like not keeping someone up late who prefers to go to sleep on the early side.

Eventually we'll post our Covenant to another entry on this site.

Decisions about Food/Budget

One of the myths about Lutherans is that whenever they gather they have good food.  And all myths are grounded in some truth...

Here's a rundown of the meals during our trip, and whether we're bringing our own, buying onsite, etc.:

• Tue 7/21 -- Breakfast: before/during the bus ride -- Each person to bring their own
• Tue 7/21 -- Lunch:  Stierholz-Websters to provide individual lunches for bus ride, in coolers
• Tue 7/21 -- Dinner:  Fast food on the way to New Orleans

• Wed 7/22 -- Breakfast:  eat what we bring, or try the hotel-supplied breakfast for variety, quality and most importantly speed of service.  [Sherman will be in the pre-registration line getting our Gathering packets]
  
• Wed 7/22 -- Lunch:  bringing our own lunch in coolers for our trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast
• Wed 7/22 -- Dinner:  Mulate's Restaurant for authentic Cajun cuisine and entertainment

• Thu/Fri/Sat  7/23-7/25 -- Breakfast:  eat what we bring, or the hotel-supplied breakfast
• Thu/Fri/Sat  7/23-7/25 -- Lunch:  grab lunch onsite at/near Gathering events.  For the one day of our Servant Project, lunches from Subway Restaurant will be supplied.  (In case you're wondering, the owner of Subway hails from New Orleans.)
  
• Thu/Fri/Sat  7/23-7/25 -- Dinner:  grab dinner onsite at/near Gathering events.

• Sun 7/26 -- Breakfast: eat what we bring, or the hotel-supplied breakfast
• Sun 7/26 -- Lunch:  will be supplied to us for the return bus trip as part of the STL bus contingent (we've already paid for this)
• Sun 7/26 -- Dinner:  fast food restaurant

Other notes:

• I'm pretty sure we said we would buy cereal, milk and other breakfast stuff in STL to bring down to New Orleans. 
  
• Stierholz-Websters will prepare lunch for our outbound bus trip AND will buy lunch supplies for our Wednesday lunch, if we give them a shopping list.  (Probably the easiest thing is double up whatever they buy for the Tuesday lunch.)
• Snacks (for the bus ride, hotel life and day trips) are to be brought by each individual.
• Everyone should bring their own water bottle / canteen for the trip.

We're scheduled to return Sunday night / Monday morning around 2:00 AM.

Bethel NYG 6/3 Update (Post Backyard Bonfire)

Although Pastor Rebecca took notes, she's been really busy prepping for and attending the Synod Assembly... so I've cobbled together what I can from my hazy memory from our Backyard Bonfire (5/31).  Here are the high points:

1. Next Bethel Youth event is the Pool Party, followed by the STL-Area Pre-Gathering event called "Jazz."  You can always see the latest Bethel Youth Schedule at Upcoming Bethel Youth meetings
2. We made decisions about food/budget.  Each person is to bring their breakfast for Tuesday 7/21, the Stierholz-Webster family will pack lunches for the 7/21 bus ride and purchase lunch supplies for the Wednesday 7/22 day trip to Mississippi.  We'll also bring our own breakfast supplies as a group.  More details are at Decisions about food/budget
3. We need to draft and finalize a group Covenant for the Gathering and for the bus.  More details about our planning are at Covenant Planning for the Gathering

Even though I hit the high points above, please be sure to traverse all the above links for details.

*** Update!  We have some fine marshmallow roasting devices left over at our house.  We also have some leftover tupperware.  Please help us reunite these wayward kitchen thingies!

The List of Lists...

We're officially about two months from the Gathering, and our planning will kick into high gear at a Backyard Bonfire on 5/31.

This blog entry is a brainstorm (or perhaps simply a brain dump) of ideas, tasks and concerns prior to leaving for New Orleans.

1. Communications -- The primary means for conveying information is at this blog site.
2. Notifications -- The primary means for informing folks about new information is by email and Facebook email.  The content of those emails should be recorded at this blog site.
3. Meetings and Scheduling-- We'll need to have several in-person get-togethers as we prepare for the Gathering itself.  While there will always be 'logistics' to take care of, we'll make sure there's lot of fun stuff at our get-togethers.
4. The 'Logistics' --  The most important part of our logistics is our study of scriptures and the other lessons from the Gathering's preparation guides.
5. Forms and Legal Stuff -- Another big part of our preparation are the forms required for our trip.  There's one for Bethel (for anyone traveling as part of a Bethel activity), and two from the Gathering (one is for medical emergencies, the other is for photo/video release of your image for official ELCA Youth Gathering publications)
6. The Costs -- We're in pretty good shape for the big bills (registration, hotel, bus costs), but there are quite a few details regarding food...
7. Food/Meals -- We can save a lot of time and money by bringing ice chests of groceries for meals and snacks.  In fact, there are at least a couple of occasions on the bus where we're expected to bring our own meals.  More details about this during our planning... 
8. Planning -- We'll be away for less than a week, and that time will fly by like the blink of an eye.  The better we plan for it, the deeper our experience will be.  Please note the emphasis on we/our:  everyone is expected to take ownership in the planning.  Our Gathering experience breaks down into three distinct phases:

• Traveling to and Getting Settled in New Orleans -- this includes a stop at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis on Tuesday, Wednesday's trip to the Mississippi Gulf and then dinner at Mulatte's in New Orleans.
• The Gathering Proper -- Three full days (Thu/Fri/Sat) of programs and events, bookended by Opening Worship on Wednesday evening and Closing Worship on Sunday morning
• Return Travel -- Immediately after the Closing Worship, we'll board our buses and head back to STL in a mostly straight shot.

Miscellaneous Items:

1. Bethel Youth are to bring DVDs for our bus (shared with 3 other congregations).
2. Bethel Youth are to think of at least one activity for the entire bus to do.
3. Bethel Youth are to consider having one activity with the St. Mark's Youth Group.
4. What cereals/sandwiches/drinks/snacks do people like?
5. Who wants to do the shopping and/or meal preparation?
6. And much, much more...

Summer Gathering Schedule

Here's a list of Gathering dates... please keep this post bookmarked.  Bold-faced means confirmed:

• Sun 5/31, 7:30 -- Bonfire at the Lees house
  
• Sun 6/14, 2:00-5:00 -- Pool Party
• Sun (6/28) -- STL-area youth get-together at Unity Bel-Nor
• Sat (7/11) -- Canoe Trip?
• Sun (7/19) -- Auto Baptism Car Wash and Lemonade Stand Fundraiser

• Tue (7/21) 5:45 AM -- Participants meet at Hope-St. Charles for bus for Gathering
  
• Mon (7/27) 1:30 AM -- Participants return from Gathering

Gathering Season Kickoff - Bonfire Night - 5/31

The Bethel Youth Group will kick off its summer Gathering preparation with a bonfire at the Lee house at 7:30 pm.

Address:

8772 Pine Ave

Brentwood, MO 63144

Phone:  314-962-7279

The house is just off of Brentwood Blvd, a few blocks south of Borders in Brentwood.  (Turn east from Brentwood Blvd)

What to bring: 

1. Your own chair
   
2. Your own marshmallow roasting stick/device
   

Gathering - Wednesday Free Day Options (7/22)

The following is from the Metro St. Louis Coalition - Youth letter of March 2009.  Each youth should indicate their choice -- and we'll see how many groups we might have to split into:

Each group will have an opportunity of participating in 1 of 3 activities on Wednesday, July 22.  A group of youth leaders was able to investigate these 3 options during the ELCA Extravaganza in January!  We believe your group will have a fabulous time at any of these locations!  Your group does not have to go to an option as a whole, but each group of students MUST HAVE at least one adult with them.  We ask that you make your final free day decision NO LATER THAN April 26 with payment due at that time!  In this packet, you will find a registration form for these options.

OPTION 1 - MARDI GRAS WORLD

See the world's largest fleet of Carnival floats and the artists who create them!  See mardigrasworld.com for details.  The bus will leave the Hampton Inn at 10:30 am.  Your group can take their time enjoying the 2nd oldest neighborhood in the New Orleans Parish before taking a leisurely ride back on the FREE ferry boat across the Mississippi River.  Feel free to find a unique lunch location for your group.  Cost is $8/person.

OPTION 2 - INSTA-GATOR RANCH & HATCHERY

Do you love alligators?!?  Learn about the the Louisiana alligator industry through an interactive guided tour.  You will have the chance to see, touch, hold, feed, and get your picture taken with the alligators!  See http://www.insta-gatorranch.com/ for details.  The bus will leave the Hampton Inn at 9:30 am and return around 2:30 pm.  Bus will also stop for lunch, or feel free to bring along a picnic lunch.  Cost is $25/person including additional bus fare and ticket to ranch.

OPTION 3 - THE BEACH IN MISSISSIPPI

Enjoy a relaxing day at Long Beach, MS.  wim in the Gulf, walk along the sandy beach and simply enjoy this big of God's creation.  During your drive you will be able to see some areas of devastation from Hurricane Katrina and how the area has or has not recovered since 2005.  The bus will be leaving the Hampton Inn at 9 am and return to the hotel around 3 pm.  There are fast food options within walking distance of the beach, or feel free to bring along a picnic lunch. Cost is $15/person for bus fare.

Some Key Gathering Updates

Here are some key dates:

• 4/20 - RSVP for 4/26 Adult Leader Meeting
• 4/26 - Adult Leader Meeting.  2-4 pm.  Christ - Webster Groves
• 4/26 - Wednesday Free Day Options (7/22) and payment due
• 5/11 - Final bus payment due
• 5/25 - Final Gathering Registration payment due
• 6/15 - RSVP for 6/28 Pre-Gathering Event
• 6/28 - Pre-Gathering Event.  6-8 pm.  Unity - BelNor
• 7/21 - Gathering Bus departs from Hope-St. Charles at 5:30 am
• 7/27 - Gathering Bus returns to Hope-St. Charles around 1:00 am

January Sunday Night Fun

WHEN: Today, January 4, 5-7 p.m.
WHERE: Lutheran Campus Ministry House next door to Bethel
WHAT: video games and pizza
Call Deb for more info (647-3929).