Schedule Changes for Christmas Break

There are several changes to the regular Wesley UMC and youth group schedules over Christmas break...

Sunday December 26 - one worship service at 10:00am
                                      NO Sunday School for children and youth
                                      NO youth group or youth choir

Sunday January 2 - NO youth group or youth choir

Sunday January 9 - Youth group and youth choir start again

Best wishes for a blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year!
See you in 2011!

Christmas at Wesley

Join us for Christmas Eve services!

5:30pm - Cookin' Up Christmas (a musical by the youth and children)

7:00pm - traditional worship with Holy Communion, candle lighting and music by the Chancel Choir

11:00pm - a more informal worship with Holy Communion, candle lighting and special music

Sign up for ASP

It's cold and snowy outside which can mean only one thing...it's time to start thinking about what you're going to do on summer break!

This year the high school youth will be heading to Appalachia again to work with ASP (Appalachia Service Project). ASP gives us the chance to serve the people of Appalachia by helping make their homes warmer, safer and drier.

This summer our week at ASP will be June 12-18.

If you would like to come on ASP this summer, please turn in the first payment of $75, along with the participation covenant sign up sheet by Sunday January 9 to reserve your spot on the trip.

You can download more information and the participation covenant here.

Halloween with Wally!

Reverend Wally is going Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF on Halloween...

...and he wants you to come too!

Join him on Halloween from 4-6 for Trick-or-Treating followed by a pizza party. (Meet at the church)

Starting getting your costume together now!

For more information about Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, check out their website.

Pumpkin Patch

We're going to Pumpkin Works in Paris on October 24!

We'll leave the church at 2:00 and be back by 6:45.

Tickets cost $2.50 each (11 tickets for $25). Most corn mazes and activities are 1-2 tickets. Hayrides are 3 tickets.

For more info about Pumpkin Works you can visit their website.

Middle School YAR Oct. 15-17

Middle School YAR is coming in October!

Join youth from all over our conference at Lake Williamson in Carlinville for a weekend retreat. It's a great time to get to know other people from all over Illinois and play, learn and worship. The cost is $50 per person.

If you are planning to attend, please have your money and registration form turned in by September 19! You can download the registration packet here.

sign up to help with youth group!

Calling all Middle School parents!

Please sign up to provide snacks or help out at youth group (or both!) this fall. You can sign up here. Also, chaperons are needed for the fall lock in on September 24, you can sign up for a shift here.

Thanks for your help!

ASP Pictures!

As promised, here are the pictures from the high school mission trip to Kentucky!

Thanks to all of the youth and adults who went on the trip for a great week. And thanks to all the great people at Wesley for your prayers and support!

ASP 2010

Back to Youth Group news

It's August and you know what that means...time for youth group to start again!

Let's get together to welcome the newcomers and have some fun before school starts.

High School (incoming 9th-12th graders) we're getting together at Buffalo Wild Wings on Friday August 13th at 5:30 - we'll meet at the church parking lot.

Middle School (incoming 7th-8th graders) are invited to a potluck right after second service on Sunday August 15 at noon in the church parlor. Bring your parents and a dish to share!

See you then!

Back from Kentucky!

Check out this article in the paper about our mission trip!

If you want to see the work that was done all summer long at our mission center in Clay County, you can find it here on the ASP website.

Pictures coming soon!!

Holiday World Trip Info

What better way to end the summer than with a trip to Holiday World in Indiana? We're planning to go together August 10-11! We will plan to be at the park all day on August 10, stay overnight at a church and head back to Charleston in the morning on August 11. Here's the schedule:

Tuesday August 10

   - 6:30am - leave the church parking lot

   - Holiday World all day (lunch on your own at the park)

   - 7:00pm - leave Holiday World for Newburgh UMC (45 min drive)

   - 8:00pm - overnight at Newburgh UMC (we'll have pizza when we get

                        to the church)

Wednesday August 11

   - 8:00am - breakfast and pack up the van

   - 9:00am - leave Newburgh and head back to Charleston

   - 12:00pm - arrive back at the church

The cost for the trip is $30 per person for tickets, plus $5 per person for pizza on Tuesday night. Everyone will be on their own for lunch at the park and anything else they want to get along the way (souveniers, snacks, etc).

If you're planning to come, let me know and get your money turned in to the church office NO LATER than August 1! (Checks payable to Wesley UMC with "youth trip" in the memo line). If you have friends who are planning to go, please make sure that their parents fill out a Medical Authorization Form.

Chaperones/drivers are needed as well!

Holiday World website - www.holidayworld.com

Newburgh UMC website - www.newburghumc.org

If you have any questions, or if you need help with the cost of the trip, please get in touch with me!

Make Youth Group (even more) Awesome

Planning is under way for youth group next year - but what do you think we should do?

Take a couple of minutes to answer a couple of questions about what you like and what you wish we did in youth group. Here's the link to the questions!

Thanks for your help!

Summer Youth Group Fun!

Regular youth group is taking a break for the summer, but that doesn't mean we won't see each other! Here's what's coming up!

Tuesday Nights Together (TNT)
Once a month we're getting together on Tuesdays for fellowship and fun. In the words of Nathan "here's how it's going down..."
Tuesday June 8, 5:30-7:30 - Fox Ridge
Drop off at the church - pick up at Fox Ridge.
Bring a volleyball, softball or kickball and food to share with the rest of us!
Tuesday June 6, 5:30-7:30 - Pool Party at Paige's house
Drop off/pick up at Paige's house (email me for directions.)
Tuesday June 10 - Holiday World trip 
More info coming soon!


Saturdays at the JAC
Join me for a refreshing beverage at the JAC on Saturday afternoons from 1-3. It's pretty casual, just getting together to catch up. I won't be around on June12, 19, 26, July 10, 17 or 24 (whew! busy summer!) but don't let that stop you from getting together!

Also, don't forget to collect those bumper stickers from wherever your travels take you!

Youth Sunday Pictures!

Check out the pictures from our May 2nd Youth Sunday service! Everyone did a great job and you all looked fabulous!

Youth Sunday

The Bumper Sticker Project

We're going places this summer - on vacations, mission trips, to camps, etc. Whatever you do this summer, pick up a bumper sticker from where you've been. When we come back together in the fall, we will put them all together and display them in the Youth Room!

Youth Sunday is THIS Sunday!

This Sunday - May 2 - is the day for the youth to lead worship at 8:30 and 10:45! The service is going to be great!

If you are part of the worship service, come to practice on Saturday from 2:30-4:30 in the sanctuary. Then on Sunday you need to be at the church and in the library NO LATER than 8:00am.

We'll be having breakfast together between services during Sunday School time. If you do eat something before first service, make it small because Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins are making us a BIG feast for breakfast!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Thanks for giving to the Great Lenten Giveaway!

Thanks for making the Great Lenten Giveaway a big success!

We got all kinds of great stuff for HOPE of East Central Illinois - from bedding to toys to cookware and even a bed!

It's always so wonderful to see the ways that the people at Wesley give so generously!

Thanks again!

Summer Youth Group ideas?

Believe it or not - summer is RIGHT around the corner!

Several of you have asked if we can continue youth group over the summer. And we're going to, but it will look a little bit different...

Instead of meeting every week on Sundays, we're going to meet once a month on Wednesdays. We're calling summer youth group Wesley Wednesdays and instead of meeting at the church we'll do something fun together like a pool party or a cook-out.

What kinds of things do you want to do this summer?
Have a bonfire/cookout at someone's house?
Have a pool party?
Go on a day trip somewhere?
Have a softball game?

Any and every idea is great! You can email me your ideas or leave a comment here!

Ping-Pong is back just in time for the lock-in!

So today Keith Kohanzo was cleaning out the garage at the church and found an AWESOME Ping-Pong table for us! It's in the youth room and ready to be used at the lock-in on Friday.

Get excited!

Maundy Thursday pictures!

On Maundy Thursday the Confirmands hosted a Seder dinner. Here are the pictures - it was a great evening - thanks Trent, Anna, Josie, Paige and Getty!

Seder Dinner

ASP Building Day Pictures

We've been hard at work building a storage shed to be auctioned off for ASP. THANKS to Dave and Darlene Stoltz for helping us out! Here are some pictures of our efforts so far.

Our next (hopefully last) building day is Sunday April 11 from 1-4pm at the Stoltz's farm!

ASP Building Days

Middle School Lock-In Coming Up!

The Spring Lock in for middle school is right around the corner! Invite your friends and join us at the church for games, movies, and lots of fun! Please let Sarah know by April 12 if you're planning to come and who you're bringing!

When is it? Friday April 17 at 8:00pm until Saturday April 18 at 8:00am

Where do we meet? Fellowship Hall at the church

What should I bring? Here's a list of stuff!

Will it be fun? Do you even have to ask?!

Spring Break - no youth group

Youth Group & confirmation will not meet this Sunday March 14 because of Spring Break.

We'll get back together again next Sunday.

Enjoy your break!

Youth Room Under Construction

We're giving the youth room a makeover! Danny and Savannah have been busy painting and we'll soon be ready to reveal the new and improved room! Thanks to Mark Hudson and Keith Kohanzo for all of their great help too!

Great Lenten Giveaway

During the season of Lent in youth group, we are spending time thinking and reflecting on the things we have, the things we want, and the things we really need. We're also thinking about the ways that we can use what we have been given to be a blessing to others.

During Lent we are doing a project called the Great Lenten Giveaway to help the people at HOPE of East Central Illinois, which is our local domestic violence shelter. HOPE has supplied us witha list of the things that are most needed right now. Some things on the list should be new (like underwear and socks), but I encourage you to think about the things on the list that you already have that could be given away to the folks at HOPE. During youth group each Sunday in Lent, you will bring something that we can give to the people at HOPE.

Here's the list:

Walmart Gift Cards
Phone Cards
Gas Cards
Disposal Razors
Deoderant
Wash Cloths and Towels
Sheets of all sizes
Blankets of all sizes
Bedspreads or Comforters
Pillows
Cleaning Supplies
Laundry Soap
Dryer Sheets
Stain Remover
Dish Soap
Flashlights
Alarm Clocks
New items in package for Birthday gifts for children (of all ages)
New children's underwear and socks
New women's underwear and socks
Baby bottles, Bibs, Onesies, and Unisex sleep-n-plays
Pots and Pans
Kitchen Items (bowls, dishes, utensils)
Lamps
Nightlights
Furniture (esp. twin beds)

Confirmation Retreat Pictures

Last weekend Paige, Josie, Anna, Sarah and Wally made their way through the snow to the Confirmation Retreat at Living Springs Camp! It was a great trip - good discussions, good people and rock wall climbing too! Enjoy the pictures and if you're interested, ask Paige why she thinks her Sunday School teachers have been lying to her all these years!

Confirmation Retreat

Ice Skating Pictures

Check out the pictures from our trip to the U of I Ice Arena last week!

Ice Skating

Way to Go Savannah and Danny!

Thanks so much to Danny and Savannah for leading the Children's Time last Sunday. In case you missed it, they told the story of Jesus calming the waters in a very creative way - it involved a big blue sheet, and flashing lights! They did a great job!

Congratulations Skyler!

Congrats to our very own Skyler James who was named "Rising Star of the Month" by the Illinois Drill Team Association! We're proud of you Skyler!

Amazing and exciting tricks with Danny and Savannah