This summer, we’re heading to Tuscaloosa, AL for our week long summer mission trip. We will be working alongside the United Methodist Council on Relief doing construction work on homes damaged by the storms of the last year(s). All the job sites will be heavily supervised and no previous experience is required to serve.

We’ve gone back and forth with the price to find a number that allows us to provide the youth with a great trip while still keeping it from crushing the family budget. But ultimately this ministry’s mission is to allow ANY YOUTH to participate in the trip if they desire to regardless of cost. Please be patient and we will let you know a final price ASAP.

With that said, I’ll be reaching out individually to all youth families to answer questions about the trip and to get a solid “yay” or “nay” regarding the trip. But if you know you are interested in going on the trip, go ahead and send an email to thockman@stjamesatlanta.org (you can also fill out a permission form packet that is on the youth boards, too!) so I don’t have to call you at home when you’re eating dinner!

Our youth choir will be singing and performing from their upcoming choir tour selections.  We have musicians for the introit (the musical start of the service) and the benediction response (the sending off of the congregation).  However, we have opportunities for MANY others to join.

We will need speakers for the:

-Call to Worship-the invitation to worship together and greet the congregation
-Ritual of Friendship – where we greet our fellow members and share the love of Christ
-Welcome and Announcements – sharing the activities and noted events of the church
-Morning Prayer – going to God in prayer as we move toward hearing his word
-Special Moments with Children – this is the children’s time to hear about the lesson in an age appropriate way
-Scripture – reading from the Bible the passages that will be used in the message

We also need people to help with:

-Ushering
-Greeters – both before and after church
-Passing out bulletins
-Taking the offering
-Singing with the youth for a whole group song
-Helping with lemonade refreshment after church

If you will be in town and can participate with us, WE NEED YOU!!!  If you are NOT in the choir and you have a special part you would like to do, let us know!!  Our choir members will be involved, so we would like to see other youth join in our service.  We will be leading both the 8:30 and 10:50 services, so there is room for many.  If you can only do one service, let us know.

Also, we will be learning a song for all to sing. Practices will happen in both Sunday School and Sunday Night Youth (Trey will teach and lead).

Our rehearsal for Youth Sunday will be two hours on Saturday, May 19th (morning or afternoon). Our speakers (including seniors) can schedule other times to rehearse in the sanctuary in addition to the rehearsal day.

Please let us know ASAP if you can join us.  We would love your support and participation.  You can email Holly Middleton at hollybenm@bellsouth.net for questions, or call her at 404-483-6556.

Here is the list of tasks and their point values:

Mandatory Category (Must have all of these to qualify for prize!)
-A creative introduction to that particular team’s video
-3 team members being pushed in a shopping cart
-A team member spontaneously interviewing 3 strangers: ask “What is God like?”
-Someone in group chugging an entire can of soda and belching
-Team hanging upside down singing the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the tune of “Gilligan’s Island”
-Everybody in a public place ‘searching’ frantically on the ground for a contact lens. (1000 bonus points if you convince someone into looking with your group)

1000 point items
-Team member hugging a stranger
-Lady scolding child
-A guy coming out of the girl’s bathroom
-A grocery clerk singing a recognizable song
-Someone ordering a cheeseburger without any cheese
-Lady walking her dog
-Fitting your entire team on one tree
-Make a human pyramid

1500 point items
-Person peeling out in a car (team vehicles not included)
-A fireman in uniform
-Someone (other than a team member) buying “Depends”
-Someone making a citizen’s arrest
-Someone on your team in a parking lot pretending to be a used car salesman
-Little kid singing Mary had a little lamb
-A member of your group in a church member’s bathtub serenading a rubber duck with “Rubber Ducky”
-Team member hugging a gas station attendant
-Create a “Duck, Duck, Goose” flashmob (Double points if you can get someone outside the group to play with you!)

3000 point items
-A dog relieving himself on a fire hydrant
-Old lady on the ground yelling “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up”
-A police car with its lights and/or siren
-Get two total strangers to sing and do the motions to YMCA with your entire group.
-Make a commercial in front of a Blockbuster
-Fitting the entire team in a telephone booth
-Someone crawling out of a manhole
-Entire team coming out of a VW bug
-Singing to a waitress at a busy restaurant (either to be sung by a representative or the whole group)
-Entire Group walking through a chicken-based restaurant (KFC, Zaxby’s, etc.) flapping their wings clucking like a chicken.
-Your group buying $.10 of gas (Show receipt and/or pump for proof)
-A member of your group sitting in the driver’s seat of a fire engine, making siren noises.
-A member leading another member on a leash through a pet store

5,000 point item
-A member of your group handcuffed and put in the back of a police car.
-Get a policeman in uniform to sing the theme to COPS, “Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do…”
-Entire group singing the National Anthem at the top of their lungs at a baseball diamond
-Everyone in your group standing outside a Wal-Mart entrance singing a Christmas Carol and welcoming people to Wal-Mart

25,000 point item
-Video of a 300 pound Rottweiler eating an entire salad bar

500,000 point item
-Video of entire team hovering over The Georgia Dome wearing chicken costumes balancing a stack of 7 baseballs each on their noses and reciting “Hamlet” backwards.

Be sure and visit The St. James YouthTube Channel for clips from our night out!

PRICE REDUCED!!! Only $60 per person*

Mark your calendar for our Spring Beach Retreat! We’re heading to Gulf Shores for an incredible weekend. This event will be available to all youth 7th-12th grade.

Click here to download the permission form!

Stuff to pack:
-Clothes for the weekend
-Bathing suit (No bikinis)
-Pillow
-Sleeping bag and/or sheets for bunk bed
-Toiletries, towel

Stuff not to pack:
-Cell phone
-MP3 players, video, and gaming devices

The final deadline for fees and forms is Sunday, April 15th. See you at the beach!

*All St. James Youth trips and special events have financial assistance available if needed. For more information, contact Trey Hockman, Director of Youth Ministries at thockman@stjamesatlanta.org

Food providers for 2012 Needed!

We’ve updated our food provider volunteer page for 2012. Click here to view the page and volunteer to help us this semester!

Time Capsule Night This Sunday!

Sunday Night Youth is back! And what better way to kick off 2012 than with creating a St. James Youth time capsule! We’ll provide everything you need for the event so don’t stress about having to sacrificing your favorite copy of Twilight. Join us from 6pm-8pm and don’t forget to bring $5 for dinner (First time visitors eat free so bring a friend!)

Earn Some $$$ Off Your Next Youth Event!

The Activities Ministry here at St. James will be hosting a Kids Night Out once a month and we need your help to staff it! The first event will be Saturday, Jauary 21st. Click here to read more details and sign up!

Trinity Soup Kitchen Day

3rd Thursday Planning Meeting

Jr. High Lock-Out

Ski Trip Payments

The main reason for the updated blog is the addition of a youth calendar page. We will be using Google Calendar to create a comprehensive and updated church calendar here at St. James UMC in the coming months. Visit stjamesyouthblog.com/calendar to see an early version of what the calendar will look like and stay connected.

We’d also love your feedback on how to make this site better for you. Send an email to Trey Hockman, Director of Youth Ministries, at thockman@stjamesatlanta.org with your suggestions.

Thanks!

By registering, you are only reserving a placeholder for the trip. Full cost of the trip must be made by January 8th, 2012. Make all checks out to “St. James UMC.” A basic health and safety form will also be required for this trip. You can fill out this form on Friday, the 27th before departure or pick up a form in the youth room of the church.

Click on the link above and follow the instructions to reserve your spot. If you are reserving multiple youth or are a parent reserving your child, please make a note in the comment section of your reservation with the name(s) of the youth participating in the event.

*All St. James Youth trips and special events have financial assistance available if needed. For more information, contact Trey Hockman, Director of Youth Ministries at thockman@stjamesatlanta.org

(Available to all current confirmation students. Contact church office for details about confirmation at St. James.)

The time has finally come to get ready for our Confirmation retreat to Lake Junaluska! This is always an incredible trip and I’m looking forward to spending the weekend with this year’s class. Here’s the details:

-Meet at the church on Friday at 5pm. Dinner Friday will be at Chick-fil-A and is included in your retreat payment.

-The Retreat is $185 per person.* You can turn your check into the church office or simply drop it off on Friday before we leave for the trip.

-You’ll also need to fill out a brief medical release form. These forms will be handed out this Sunday morning at class and can also be filled out on when before departure. (NOTE: Despite what the form states You will NOT need to notarize the form.)

Here’s a quick packing list:
-Clothing (indoor & outdoor) for Friday-Sunday
-Toiletries
-Bible, Notebook, Pen
-Optional money for Christian Book store on site

We are staying in hotel room accommodation so bedding won’t be needing. However, if you’d like to bring an extra pillow for the bus or your room, that would be fine.

We will be returning back to the church on Sunday morning at 12:00. We will not be stopping for lunch on the way back Sunday.

If you have any questions, please email Trey Hockman at thockman@stjamesatlanta.org.

*All St. James Youth trips and special events have financial assistance available if needed. For more information, contact the church office.

Grab your best zombie-slaying gear and join us for a night of games, food, entertainment, and other bits of random spookiness. Visitors are STRONGLY encouraged to join us for this event so bring your friends!

There is no sign up for this event, so if you plan on coming make sure you are on time. Otherwise, you might get accidentally locked out. If you are unable to stay for the entire event and would still like to participate, you will need to make special arrangements in advance. Shoot an email to thockman@stjamesatlanta.org to discuss options.

*All St. James Youth events have scholarships available. Contact Trey Hockman at the church office for details.