Welcome to the

Bethel Youth Group!

 

We hope that by describing many of the activities that we’ve participated in over the years, you will become interested in joining us. We are always looking for youth to join us, & for adults to assist in providing transportation, chaperoning, & leadership. It is also our hope that you’ll provide us with some feedback on how we could better serve together. If you have any suggestions, please put them in the Youth Mailbox, out in the Narthex.

 

The information that follows is subject to change based upon youth interest, leader and volunteer availability, etc. Activities and policies will be reviewed and revised as necessary. Copies of our current policies are available on the Youth Table in the Narthex.

 

ACTIVITIES: In addition to attending Activities, youth are encouraged to participate in Service projects. For more information on all events, please read your Parish Visitor for Youth Announcements.

Confir Camp at Calumet: Confir-Camp, held in late June at Camp Calumet, is the best way of fulfilling the third year requirement for Confirmation. Students from New England Lutheran churches gather for five days of religious education and fun activities such as swimming, pontoon boat rides, campfires, ice cream socials, and team building games.

Christmas Shopping: One Sunday in early December, the Youth Group takes a trip to a mall outside of the area to do some holiday shopping.

Discussion Group: The Discussion Group, an extension of the Sunday evening Youth Group Meetings, is a welcoming opportunity for all youth beyond grade 6 to meet in the Youth Lounge during the 9:15 worship service on Sunday mornings. Discussions on a wide variety of topics are led by a youth advisor. Providing attendance is steady, a youth advisor will be available to open the lounge and guide teens through student selected topics. This is another opportunity for Bethel youth to stay connected and share thoughts, ideas and excitement about their faith.

Davis Farmland Mega Maze: On a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in the fall, the youth have gone to the Davis Mega Maze. Each year the maze has a theme, and the object is to find the quickest way out.

 

       

 

        Iditarod: The youth attend a weekend retreat at Calumet in February, during school vacation. We leave the church at 4 p.m. on Friday, and return to the church by 4 p.m. on Sunday. We sleep in heated cabins down by the lake. During the weekend we can go ice skating, tubing, or just relax near the fire in the Conference Center playing cards. On Saturday, most youth participate in the “Iditarod” sled race, where there are tasks to perform at stations along the route.

 

 

 

 

LIPY (Lutheran Inter-Parish Youth): Our youth attend events once a month, except for the summer months, with other Lutheran churches in the area. We meet at one of the churches from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. on a Sunday for activities. Pizza is provided.

Hammonasset: Hammonasset is a New England Synod weekend, where youth from all over the region come to listen to a speaker, hear a live Christian band, and share fun and fellowship with one another. We leave on the Friday after Labor Day at 4p.m. and arrive back (after attending worship on Sunday) at 4 p.m. Hammonasset is a State beach located on the Long Island Sound in southern Connecticut.

 

 

 

Mini-Golf - Ice Cream: Every July, after the Vacation Bible School “show”, the Youth Group (many of whom volunteered their help during the week of VBS) goes over to Crystal Caves for a fun night of mini-golf & ice cream!

 

 

 

Lock-in: Tubing or Bowling: After a winter’s night of tubing or bowling, the youth participate in an annual lock-in event. The youth are locked into the church for a night filled with faith, fun & fellowship. We arrive at the church by 5 p.m. on a Saturday, and leave after attending the 8 a.m. service on Sunday.

Soulfest: For the first 4-5 days each August, Gunstock Mountain in Gilford, NH hosts New England’s largest Christian Music festival. Concerts begin each afternoon on several stages, & continue late into the night. Over 12,000 attended the 2006 concerts, featuring many nationally & internationally known artists (like Newsboys, Third Day, Jars of Clay, Pillar, Hawk Nelson, Audio Adrenaline, Superchick, Reliant K, Switchfoot, Toby Mac, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Rebecca St. James, etc.). For more information, & news on upcoming local concerts, visit the website: www.thesoulfest.com.

Spring Fling: Spring Fling is a weekend retreat in May at Camp Calumet, where the youth participate in various activities with other youth groups from across New England. The youth have time where they are divided into groups for discussions about their faith. On Saturday night, there is a coffee house and a dance. We leave on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., and arrive back by 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Six Flags: The youth head to Six Flags at the end of June. We leave around 8:30 a.m., and return around 9 p.m. The youth can spend their day at both the amusement and water park.

Summer Camp at Calumet: Calumet is just about the best summer camp in the world. Over the past 45 summers, kids from 8 to 18 have been going to Camp Calumet, on the shores of Lake Ossipee in New Hampshire to have the time of their lives. They promise a safe, fun, faith-building time that you will never forget. The Bethel Men’s Group provides scholarships to our youth to help cover the costs.

Sunday Night Youth Group: Every Sunday from 6-8 p.m. (except when we attend LIPY events, which are usually the 1st Sunday of the month), the youth gather for games, event planning, fellowship and a brief worship service. Friends are welcome!

 

SERVICE ACTIVITIES:

 

Dismas House: Social Ministries seeks volunteers to serve a meal one Wednesday evening per month. Youth are encouraged to volunteer, and at least once per year, the Youth Group as a whole will serve at one of these meals. To learn more, please visit www.dismashouse.org.

Interfaith Hospitality Network: Bethel hosts families (for a week each summer) who are waiting for affordable housing. Volunteers are needed for Hospitality (6:30-8:30) each night to visit with guests, play with children, etc.; Overnight (must be 18, or accompanied by an adult); Meals--prepare, serve & share an evening meal, & clean up afterwards.

Vacation Bible School: Volunteers are always needed to assist the teachers, or help with crafts, etc., during this week in mid-July.

Fall Raking: Youth participate in leaf clean-up one Saturday morning each Fall on the Church grounds.

Apple Picking: Each Fall, the Youth Group gets together on the last Saturday of October for a trip to Stowe Orchards in Millbury to pick apples. The apples are used by the Pastor & his peeling & baking volunteers to make apple strudel to sell at the annual Church Fair. Picking apples is a lot of fun, and the youth also enjoy the baked goods & candy for sale in the Country Store at Stowe Orchards!

Concordia: On the first Friday of every odd month, the Youth Group gets together & goes to Concordia Lutheran Church in downtown Worcester. From about 5:15 - 8:15 p.m., we bring, cook & serve supper to the neighborhood children who are between 4 and 14 years old. There is a “theme” each visit. If it’s “Crazy Hair Night”, we get to spray paint their hair (or ours!), & make their hair look funky! It is so much fun! We clean up after the meal & play with the kids, & it’s always a blast!

Care Packages: Twice a year, prior to the Christmas & Easter holidays, the Congregation (in conjunction with the Youth Group) brings in snacks and small gifts to put into “Care Packages” for former members of the Bethel Youth Group who are now away at college or in the military. The Youth Group also makes cards for them, just to show that we care, and haven’t forgotten them.

        Compassion Sunday - Sponsored Child: Bethel has sponsored a child (“Jomil”) in the Philippines for over 4 years through Compassion International. Our support (about $1/day) has made a real difference in his life, which we hear about in letters we receive from him. The Youth Group writes to Jomil 2-3 times each year. In April of 2006, we hosted our first “Compassion Sunday”, in conjunction with the Youth Group’s Annual Pancake Breakfast. We hope to make it an annual event. A member of the Youth Group spoke at all 3 services, explaining that we had a display table set up with additional children that were in need of sponsors, & that a special collection basket was on that table to receive donations towards the Congregation’s support of Jomil.

 

Church Fair: (see Fundraisers)

Mother’s Day Carnations: Youth Group volunteers pass out a carnation to every woman after each service on Mother’s Day.

Crop Walk: On the second to last Sunday of October, the youth group participates in the annual Crop Walk to raise money for hunger. We leave Bethel after the last service and head to Auburn Youth and Family Services to meet other walkers for a moment of devotions. The 3-mile walk includes stops along the way at local Auburn churches. See Pastor Bob Fenby for pledge sheets and additional information.

Calumet Walkathon: On a Saturday in mid-April, the youth and a few advisors head to Gloucester, MA for a 5-mile walk along the shore to raise money for kids who cannot afford to pay for summer camp at Calumet. There is a cookout after the walk for all participants. We leave Bethel around 9 a.m., and return sometime in mid-afternoon.

Youth Sunday: The youth help out at each service on “Sunday School Recognition” Sunday, which takes place at the end of the Christian education year. The youth can sign up to be ushers, deacons, lectors, liturgical assistants and acolytes.

 

FUNDRAISERS:

Not only do we have FUN at the FUNdraisers, but if you work at them, you are entitled to discounts on some of our activities!

         Bottle & Can Drive: At least once each year, the Youth Group holds a bottle & can drive. It’s on a Saturday, from 8 a.m. till noon. Usually, lunch is provided.

        Car Wash: The Youth Group holds a carwash from 8 a.m. till noon on the Saturday before Father’s Day, and again one Saturday in mid-September. It’s a lot of fun, & there’s usually a cook-out afterwards!

        Church Fair: On the first Saturday of November, the youth come together to support the Annual Church Fair, where they sell snacks & drinks at the Youth Table. Youth are always needed between the hours of 8 and 3 to help at that table, as well as at many of the other tables, in the kitchen, or at set-up before & cleanup after the fair. It is a lot of fun to work at the fair!

        Pancake Breakfast: On a Sunday in the Spring, the Youth cook and serve a pancake breakfast for a freewill offering. In 2006, it was held in conjunction with “Compassion Sunday”, from 8 a.m. till noon.

 

Super Bowl Sub Sale: On Super Bowl Sunday, the youth arrive at the Church by 7:30 a.m. to make sub sandwiches. Orders are taken in advance, sandwiches are made to order, and are ready to be picked up following each service.