First Presbyterian Church - Winchester, Virginia. Serving Christ and Neighbor in the Heart of Winchester, Virginia and Beyond Since 1800

This Week @ 12 East Cork

Sunday school:

NEXT - 5-6^th graders will meet in the NEXT room (B8) located in the basement – the breakfast snack shack will be up and running!!!

BIBLE IN ACTION - 7^th Grade Sunday School – will meet on the first floor of 12 East Cork

CONFIRMING OUR FAITH - 8^th Grade Sunday school will meet in the back classroom on the 2^nd floor of 12 East Cork

EXPLORING THE BIBLE – 9-12^th graders meet in the high school lounge on the 2^nd floor of 12 East Cork

For 7-12^th graders Breakfast Club on the 2^nd Floor of 12 East Cork will be up and running for breakfast!!!

THIS WEEK @ 12 East Cork:

Wednesday:

5:45pm Wonderful Wednesday meal – TACOS!!!!!

7-8pm 7^th Sense Rehearsal!!!

Thursday: West Virginia mission trip preparation meeting #2 – in 12 East Cork 7-8:30pm

Sunday:

5pm – high school bells and middle school chimes practice!!!!!

CROSSROADS (9-12^th grade) and SEEKERS (7-8^th grade) meet 6-7:30pm!!

CROSSROADS will be having a FLASHLIGHT all-sardines night!! PLEASE BRING A FLASHLIGHT OR YOU WILL BE IN THE DARK!!

Upcoming:

Seekers (7-8^th grade) LOCK-IN – Friday- Saturday, March 12-13^th 7pm-7am – drop-off and pick-up is at 12 East Cork – Come for movies, fellowship, games, cosmic bowling, IHOP at 2am, and more (maybe some sleeping) – Please bring: pillows, sleeping bag, snacks to share, money for 2 games of cosmic bowling and food at IHOP, and a signed permission slip (attached to this email!!)

In Other News:

Nicaragua Mission trip Fundraisers:

- COOKIES! COOKIES! COOKIES! The next cookie Sunday is THIS SUNDAY - members of the Nicaragua mission trip team will be selling homemade sugar cookies! The cost is $5 for a dozen and they will be sold before and after the 8:30 and 11:00 services! Then you have the opportunity to pre-order for future cookie Sundays!! Each cookie Sunday will feature a different kind of cookie!!

- FIRST NIGHT BABYSITTING – members of the Nicaragua mission team are offering babysitting on the First Friday of March, April and May, 6-8:30pm – go out and enjoy First night activities while your kids have fun with the Nicaragua mission team members!! Please sign up on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary!

- CHICK-FIL-A Spirit Night – On Thursday, March 25^th come join us for dinner at the Chick-Fil-A on Pleasant Valley from 5-8pm – 10% of receipts turned in that night (and from the drive-thru) will go towards the Nicaragua mission trip!!

CRAFT FAIR – Libba Pendleton and Rachel Dodson are organizing a craft fair fundraiser for the building fund – the craft fair will take place Saturday, April 24^th and Sunday, April 25^th and they need people to make things to donate to be sold!! So if you are crafty get to it!!!

GOT ANY USED CELL PHONES? DON”T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM?: Do you have an old cell phone lying around? You can donate it at the church to help raise funds for the youth mission trip!!! Donate your old cell phones (no accessories or charges needed) by placing them in boxes (that say “please donate your cell phones here”) located in the gathering area and outside the church office. This is great way to be green and support youth mission!

SUMMER 2010 TRIPS!!!!!

For RISING 9^th graders through graduating seniors:

Managua, Nicaragua—Saturday, June 26th—Saturday, July 3rd - total cost is $1100 per person (the goal, through fundraising, is to reduce the cost per person to $550)

We will be partnering with Forward Edge International, a mission organization with a long-term presence in Nicaragua, the poorest country in the Americas.

What We Will Do: Whether hugging a child at the school in La Churcea, Managua’s city dump, or serving and interacting with children who have been abandoned by their families and are temporarily living in a government-run protection center, or providing support at a local school, there will be a many opportunities to serve and to demonstrate God’s love to the people you meet in Nicaragua. It will be an amazing experience for each one of you. Forward Edge is continuing to build Villa Esperanza, the “Village of Hope” in Managua. The Villa is a safe haven for abused or otherwise at-risk girls. You will have the opportunity to stay at or visit the Villa and work along side the local laborers as we work towards completion of the Villa.

Where We Will Stay: We will stay at the Villa in Managua on twin beds, linens are provided.

What Else You Need to Know: A passport is required (if you don’t have one, please begin the process immediately because it will take several months to complete) and an up-to-date Tetanus shot is required. There is a $5 entrance fee into Nicaragua, and we will acquire trip insurance which will be approximately $20 per person. As always, we will have four mandatory preparation meetings and several fundraisers.

Because this is an international trip, registration and payment deadlines will need to be met on-time to entitle you to participation. The first deadline is January 6th—on, or before Wednesday, January 6th I need to have a $100 non-refundable deposit and written confirmation of participation (email or letter).

On Wednesday, January 6th from 7-8:30pm we will have our first information/planning/team meeting.

For RISING 7^th graders through graduating seniors:

McDowell County, WV—Monday, July 19— Saturday, July 24

This year, because of the international trip, we will be taking a combined middle school and high school mission trip to Appalachia. We will be staying at the old Panther Elementary School and working with Americans Helping Americans (AHA) and Panther Christian Outreach. We will be doing construction and repair on houses and offering some programs for children. Mission trips are an awesome experience and unlike anything you’ve done before and you are welcome to invite friends to be a part of the trip. As with any mission trip, there will be several fundraisers and four preparatory meetings throughout the winter and spring which you are expected to participate in. The cost of the trip is $375 with a $75 deposit due Sunday, January 10th [however, we have made a commitment that no one gets left out because of finances – if you have concerns about this – PLEASE contact me! We want everyone who wants to go to be able to go!]

All About US!

CROSSROADS

Jeremiah 6:16 (Message version)

9-12^th Graders are led by the talented team of Maren Spray, Lesley Covington, and Mary Jordan, and gather in the upper room of 12 East Cork for fun, fellowship, and deep conversations on Sundays from 6:-7:30pm.

The Seekers

Psalm 5:11-12 (Message Version)

Our 7-8^th grade fellowship is led by Bobby Pumphrey, Lee Whitacre and Alex Iden. The Seekers gather in the middle school lounge in 12 East Cork (the 1^st floor) for some crazy games, fun, and God-talk – come meet some friends, new and old, from 6-7:30pm on Sunday nights!

Thanks to our fabulous kitchen team led by Dave and Debbie Lawall and Jamie and Shannon Brannon, we have dinner on Sunday nights from 6-6:30pm in Fellowship Hall.

Nex†_5∙6

Matthew 3:11 (Message Version)

NEXT is our ministry designed specifically for 5th and 6th grade students. We want to provide a place and a ministry where pre-teens feel valued, where they have fun together in the name of Christ, where they are encouraged to reflect more deeply on the meaning of their faith, share their faith, and put faith into action through worship and mission.

NEXT meets Sunday mornings, 9:45-10:45am and several times a year for a fellowship or service activity.

Youth Praise Team

7th Sense, the senior high youth praise team, meets on Wednesday nights from 7-8pm in the firehouse—if you are interested in participating please contact Jen Galang (willnshell@yahoo.com).

Students in Service

We take Jesus' call to love our neighbors to heart. The students have served at Jubilee soup kitchen, collected apples for a local food bank, collected canned goods for CCAP, raised funds and awareness for hunger and AIDS relief worldwide through World Vision's 30 Hour Famine and One Life Revolution, gone on a mission trip to do home repairs in Kentucky, worked on a Habitat for Humanity project, raised funds for the Evans Home and the Shelter for Abused Women, sorted vitamins for a medical mission trip to Nicaragua, raised funds for a local suicide hotline, did trail clearing at Paddy Run Camp, worked at the Volunteer Farm of the Shenandoah . . .

Our Vision

The G’s of FPC Youth Ministry

Our youth ministry seeks to Gather together teens in our church and community, in order to Glorify God, to Guide others to faith in Jesus Christ, to Give to others in love, and to Grow in God’s Word and grace.

Our Leaders

We are led and guided by the vision and energy of a wonderful group of adults and parents. Thank you to all for all you do: helping with homework, going on mission trips, baking cookies, staying up all night, playing games, directing skits and music, and praying!! We couldn't do it without you! If you are interested in being involved with youth, please contact Maren (maren@firstchurch-winchester.org).

Check out Maren's blog at http://www.crossroadsandseekers.blogspot.com/

If you would like to receive regular emails about youth activities, please contact Maren (maren@firstchurch-winchester.org)

Ministries

Youth