Youth

The mission at Tempe First UMC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. 
Teenagers are an important part of this mission through their participation with all other generations.The following is information on how you, your child, or teenage friends of yours may contribute & participate in this meaningful mission.

Announcements
For parents...There is a Tempe First parent network being formed.  You may get a call from another parent of a youth soon just to connect better and share in your commitment to growing the faith of your teens.  Any time that the youth are meeting right after worship, parents are encouraged to get to know one another better. Go out for lunch, coffee, bowling, or just enjoy the quiet moment to chat with each other in Ross Hall. You are a great support and resource for one another; begin to think of how you can better support and get to know one another!
 

Calendar

MARCH
24th Palm Sunday & the Easter Walk! 
Palm Sunday would not have been the same without all THE PEOPLE.  The people of Jerusalem participated in this event in which the celebrated and welcomed Jesus in to the city...they were noisy, active, and made their opinions known.  Come to worship at 9:30.  Pastor Dan will preach and then we'll all have a chance to pick apart the sermon, ask questions, and give our own opinions!  We'll spend the afternoon being noisy! (Maybe some bowling, screaming at the top of A mountain, scavenging on Mill Ave...who knows) Then we'll serve as tour guides, craft helpers, and wait staff for the 17th Annual Easter Walk!  Whether you've been before or this will be your first time, it's a story you'll want to hear and experience!

28th Maundy Thursday Worship
7:30pm in the sanctuary

29th Good Friday Hike!  
The events of Good Friday happened in many places through the city of Jerusalem and traveled outside the city gates to a hill outside of town.  We'll spend the day together mirroring this hike and re-telling the story. Meet@church@10am w/ your own sack lunch and plenty of water. Don't forget a hat and sunscreen! This is an all ages hike and will accommodate sturdy strollers for babies too. We'll be hiking the West Loop Trail at Papago Park. It's a 4 mile hike with little elevation change. We'll stop about halfway to have our Bible story, prayer time, and eat lunch. Then we'll hike back to the parking lot.  
Check out this website to find out more about the hike: http://phoenix.gov/parks/trails/outdoor/familyhikes/index.html 

This is a great thing to invite a friend to!  Who will you invite?

29th Good Friday Worship
7:30pm in the sanctuary

31st EASTER
Worship together at 8am or 9:30am.  Then we'll try building on one of our "unofficial traditions". Pastor Sarai will buy coffee (or tea, etc) for anyone who would like to take a walk to discuss this year's POST-EASTER TOPIC: What is Resurrection?  And how does it exist today?  Or does it?

APRIL
5-7 JHC: Junior High Convention
Youth in 6-8th grades may participate in this weekend long ROAD TRIP and RETREAT!!  We'll be joining youth from all over AZ and the Las Vegas area of Nevada.  There will be games, worship, interactive prayer, a time to learn about ways your faith can make a real difference in the world, and new friendships!  Go to http://desertsouthwestconference.org/churchmembers/young_peoples_ministries/youth/jhc_2013/ to find out more and to REGISTER ONLINE!  Scholarship money is available if needed, please talk to Pastor Sarai or Chris Guthrie.  We will leave after school on Friday and return in the mid-afternoon on Sunday.  Friends welcome!

13th Youth Leadership Training!
9am-1pm. This is a special opportunity being offered to all the churches in the Central East District.  Pastor Dan and Pastor Sarai will be teaching this day of leadership games and team building for youth to use in their own churches and for the rest of their lives.  These are skills that are used in one of the top companies in the world: Disney!  Friends welcome and lunch provided.  You need to send an email to Pastor Sarai confirming you will be there in order to participate!

20th Run/Walk Pat's Run!  
Sign up to be on the Tempe First UMC team! http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/pats-run/ We'll meet beforehand to pray together. Then we'll run or walk, each at our own pace. But EVERYONE will wait for our entire team to cross the finish line and cheer each other in! Then go home to get some rest or finish your homework because we're coming back in the evening for an ALL CHURCH POTLUCK! You definitely don't want to miss that because there are a lot of things Tempe First does well, but POTLUCKS are definitely one of the things that Tempe First does BEST! Invite a friend!

28th Youth Sunday! 
We get to lead worship at 8am and 9:30am. Want to speak? Sure! Want to not talk in front of people? That's great too! There are plenty of ways that you can serve in worship. After church we'll be going bowling from 11-1pm, lunch will be provided.


MAY
3-5 All Church Family Camp@Mingus Mountain! 
Mingus Mountain Camp is where we can get away from the city, get to know each other better, and grow in relationship to Jesus Christ.  Now when I say "get to know each other better"...I mean with late night campfires, daytime hikes, goofy games, all things that create hilarious stories to tell over and over.  When I say "grow in relationship to Jesus Christ"...I mean opening ourselves up to new ideas that others from our church can teach us, praying in the middle of a forest, experiencing God's grace in a different place than just regular daily life.  This can be a very meaningful weekend for each person and also for our entire church.  Sign up with Betty in the church office or send an email to office@tempefirstumc.org.

19th Wet N' Wild Week!
Stay after church from 11-1pm, but be sure to bring a change of clothes!  There are so many times in the Bible where water is used: the creation of the world, water gets turned into wine, baby Moses floats down the river in order to survive, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan river....we'll not just read about these stories, we'll do our best to re-enact them!  Bring a friend!  Lunch provided.

28-31 Junior High Mission Trip in Tucson!
If you are leaving grades 5-8, you may join us for this ROAD TRIP and MISSION TRIP to Tucson!  Save the dates, transportation will be provided.  Registration information will be posted attempefirstumc.org by April 15th.


Make plans for the summer!


June 
10-15 Sr. High Mission Camp @Mingus
For students entering grade 8 through graduated from grade 12
Pastor Sarai will be deaning this week of worship, leadership, and plain 'ol hard work!  Want to make a difference in people's lives?  Come and serve without getting paid any money.  You'll get paid far more in what you learn about yourself, others, and faith in Christ.  We'll spend the evenings learning how to live out higher standards of leadership every day...and there will be a DANCE :)  Go to http://desertsouthwestconference.org/churchmembers/campingyouth/camp_forms/ to register. There are also scholarship applications available there as well as through our own church.

17-22 Super Camp@Mingus Mountain
Grades 3-9
 

July
1-6 Summer Jr. and Sr. High Mission Trip!  
Tempe and Phoenix are full of ways for us to go beyond our daily walk with Christ and serve others as disciples.  We will be joining together with the youth at Desert Foothills UMC for this week of service projects, spiritual devotion time, and of course...FUN!  We'll work for many organizations that serve people of all ages.  We'll try new forms of transportation, new kinds of food, and talk with new people.  Best part is, this is probably the cheapest mission trip you'll ever get to be a part of!  The cost for Tempe First youth is just $50.  Registration information will be available at http://tempefirstumc.org/ after April 15th.

8-13 Odyssey Camp@Mingus Mountain
Grades 7-9       

   May 2013