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!

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
   

Bethel is Registered for the 2009 Youth Gathering!

It may not sound like much of a milestone, but I'm certainly happy that the paperwork is done... almost. We still need to send out checks for our deposits.

Here are the youths who will be attending:

Scott F	Genevieve S	David O	Amy L	Miriam B	Daniel G
Karl W	Lilly W	Carson P	Haley P

Here are the counselors:

Sherman L Rebecca B

Todd K

One happy change since the last update is the addition of the LCM and Bethel intern Todd K as one of the counselors. We look forward to the entire youth group doing the Gathering preparations together!

About Bethel and the 2009 Youth Gathering

Whether you know a little or a lot about the ELCA's national gatherings, here are some questions and answers about Bethel and the next Gathering.

First, here's the official website: 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering.

In particular, their FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page is very informational.

What's so special about a national youth gathering?
It's best to hear first hand impressions from youth who attended. As we collect those impressions, here are reflections from counselors:
Sherman: Sitting in a stadium with tens of thousands usually focuses on sports. Church service, for the most part, is tens or hundreds of people sharing meaningful rites and rituals that don't always speak to young people. Imagine a stadium filled with with tens of thousands of young Christians sharing not only those rites and rituals but also gospel-filled music of different styles, inspirational speakers who share their stories of Jesus in their lives and how the youth are not just the future of the church, but are very much the present of and to the church. But it's not just about the big events. There are many smaller group activities, service opportunities in the local community, and lots of fun.
Deb: With a group like ours which attends almost as many high schools as we have youth, it's rare to be in an environment and know that some other student has a deep relationship with Jesus. The Gathering provides a sharp contrast to that, and provides once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow spiritually and share that with others. You can make new friends in Christ, or in some cases, reacquaint with old friends who've moved away from St. Louis (such as Rachel Metzler). And down the road, it's a common experience that might be discovered when meeting new folks at college.

When is it?
July 22-26 are the dates for the actual event. Obviously time will be needed for transportation to and from New Orleans. Based on the transportation decision (bus), travel dates will be 7/20 (morning departure with an overnight stay in Memphis) to 7/27 (early morning).

What about lodging?
When we register as a group, we get a block of rooms at Gathering hotels to accommodate our participants.

What about transportation?
At the 9/14 youth group meeting, the consensus decision was to take a bus with St. Louis metro area churches. We'll be able to get to know other St. Louis Lutheran teens better, and contribute to the Gathering's request of having buses available in New Orleans to help with local transportation for service projects.

What about the cost?
First and foremost, Bethel does not want the cost to be an obstacle to participation. If you have financial concerns/difficulties, Bethel will work to overcome them.

The basic formula is:
$295 per attendee for registration, which includes events and lodging
$xxx per attendee for bus transportation
$yyy per attendee for additional night's stay in Memphis (awaiting details from St. Louis metro churches)
$zzz per attendee for food and spending money

The family is expected to pay the $125 non-refundable deposit for each youth's registration, as well as food and spending money.

The youth group has fundraisers planned throughout the year and the goal is to cover the rest of registration, transportation and additional lodging.

Again, if money is an issue, please contact Sherman, Deb and/or Pastor Bill. Bethel will try as hard as possible to remove cost as an issue.

Why do I need to commit so early?
Lots of reasons, but here are the main ones:

• We need to commit our numbers to the St. Louis area churches so they can contract the charter buses for transportation. Their deadline to us was originally 9/15, but they've graciously extended that to 10/5.
  
• Registering early increases the certainty that all are participants are housed in the same hotel.
  
• We need as much time as possible to work together on growing spiritually and raising funds in preparation for the trip.

How can I help my youth prepare for the Gathering?
(This section is updated as of Saturday 9/27)

• With your youth, seriously consider the commitment to going to the Gathering.
• Attend the special parents meeting on 9/21 at 10:00 in the Bethel Library.
  
• Formally commit and pay the deposit ($125) by 10/5. Checks should be may payable to "Bethel Lutheran Church" with the memo section stating "2009 Youth Gathering Deposit".
  
• If you cannot attend the 9/21 meeting, please contact Sherman to make other arrangements and/or to ask any questions you might have about the Gathering.
  
• Participate (and even lead!) in the fundraiser events.
• Be supportive in their efforts and preparation throughout the year for the Gathering.
  

Education Hour - 9/14/08

Attendees: Karl, David, Amy, Miriam, Maya, Scott, Carson, Deb, Sherman

Notes:

1. Explanation of a regular Sunday morning hour includes sharing of highs and lows (one each per person), then any business items (usually short), and then the bulk of the hour is devoted to spiritual growth.
2. This particular Sunday is mostly business, especially the National Youth Gathering next July in New Orleans, "Jesus, Justice, Jazz"
3. The Gathering is a great opportunity to share spiritual growth with thousands of teenagers, participate in service events, make new friends, have fun, etc.
4. Registration for the Gathering opens on 9/15. Bethel plans to register soon after the 9/21 meeting with the parents.
5. One major decision point: bus or plane, with pros or cons for both options. Those in attendance voted for joining the buses chartered with other St. Louis area churches.
6. Sherman has committed to register the Bethel participants. One adult (21 or over) is required for each five participants. For the first time, the Gathering is permitting youth who are headed into 9th grade.
7. Here's the disposition of the seven youth who attended the meeting:

• Yes -- Miriam, Amy, David, Scott
• Probable -- Karl, Carson
• Considering -- Maya
• No -- none
• Need to check with -- Genevieve, Hayley, Lily, Robert, Daniel, John, KatieP, KatieM, others?

Next steps:

1. Deb to communicate with St. Louis area churches and provide estimate of our participants
2. Sherman to research details required for registration
3. Deb to contact and remind parents about next week's meeting. The first 30 minutes will be with the youth; the second 30 minutes will be a special meeting with the parents of youth about the coming year, major events planned, volunteer opportunities, details about the Gathering.