I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. We've got a lot of stuff going on this week, plus a lot to talk about from this past weekend. As you know, Parish Retreat at Kanuga was this past weekend, and I have to say it was a lot of fun for everyone who went. We had a program talking about the church 100 years ago, took silly pictures, went to Eagle Rock where we had a lovely Noonday service, watched a few movies, and competed in the Talent Show, where the Youth finished tied for 3rd place. If you would like to see pictures from this past weekend, they are on the Facebook page, which can be accessed by clicking the link on the left hand side of the page, and if you'd like to see the EYC's talent, you can watch it on Youtube here.
This Saturday night, St. John's will be hosting Fr. Fritz Lafontant, founder of the mission in Cange, Haiti for a reception. This event will be from 5:30-7 P.M., but I need some youth to volunteer to be greeters/ushers at this event. You will need to get here at 5, dress somewhat nice, and just tell people where they need to go. This will count as Community Service Hours for those of you who need them, and it is also a great opportunity for y'all to learn about our Diocese's mission in Cange.
Sunday night, we will be meeting for EYC at St. John's from 5 till 7 to discuss "What is Lent" and talk about what Lent means to us, why we celebrate this season, and what we can do to better ourselves during this time. We will also be making shopping bags for the Harvest Hope event on March 3rd to help with the collection.
This Wednesday, the 29th, we will begin our month long Lenten program "The Gospel According to Willy Wonka," in which we will watch the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory in its entirety and discuss the biblical connections between the movie and the Bible, plus our everyday lives. I hope you'll join us every Wednesday from the 29th of February till March 28th for this wonderful program.
We are still doing our Firewood Fundraiser. We will be selling firewood after church this Sunday, and will also be selling from 4-5 on Sunday. There's still time for it to get cold, so get your firewood today!
Here are a few upcoming events to keep on your calendar:
March 23rd-25th: Happening #67 @ Camp Gravatt
April 20th-21st: All Ages Lock-In @ St. John's
April 27th-29th: Jr. High Spring Retreat-New Beginnings @ Camp Gravatt.
If you're in 10th-12th grade and haven't gone thru Happening, Candidate forms are due March 1st and can be found here. Forms for New Beginnings can be found here.
Lastly, during this season of Lent, I want y'all to look at this daily Lenten reflection made specifically for youth. The reflection can be found here and only takes about 10 minutes to complete daily. It's a great reflection, and I hope y'all will take the time to do it.
Until next time
Peace and blessings,
Clay
The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”-Mark 1:15
