Parent’s Youth
Ministry Newsletter
Immanuel Lutheran Church
May, 2015
Volume 5, Issue 5
Summer is Coming!
Get in touch:
Soon the town will get a little quieter, we will have Mother’s Day, graduation, and then
two short weeks later BOOM!
Now, I’m sure you already have the tournaments and vacations marked on the calendar,
but I would like to make sure you know about some youth ministry stuff that will be going
on this summer. On the following pages you will not only will you find our parent volunteer
schedule (which if you need to substitute please let us know ASAP), but you will also be
able to see all of the activities we have planned.
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May 3 – Bacon
Immanuel Lutheran is
located at:
902 Cleveland
Charleston, IL 61920
Church Phone:
217-345-3008
Kyle’s Cell: 217-317-0707
E-mail: anotherymguy@
hotmail.com
If you want reminders of
upcoming events or want
to see photos from
previous ones, make sure
to “like” our page on
Facebook. Just search for:
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May 10 – MOTHER’S DAY - NO YOUTH GROUP
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May 17 – Kallis
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May 24 – MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND - NO YOUTH GROUP
“Immanuel Lutheran Youth
- Charleston IL”
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May 31 – Fifield
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June 7 – Bommelje
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Wet and Wild Sunday Nights Are
Coming Back with Summer!
June 14 – YOUTH MISSION TRIP – NO YOUTH GROUP
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June 21 – FATHER’S DAY - NO YOUTH GROUP
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June 28 – Rotramel
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July 5 – Bennett
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July 12 – Oetting
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July 19 – Sipes
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July 26 – Thomas
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August 2 – NO YOUTH GROUP (RETURNING FROM CAMPING TRIP)
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August 9 – Back To School Parent’s Meeting (All Invited)
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August 16 – Morecraft
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Remind your children that on Sunday
nights there is a good chance that they
could get drenched, because this
summer will be filled with wet and wild
games. We are talking about water
balloon fights, squirt guns, and shaving
cream, and everybody knows that when
teenagers and these types of activities
are combined, there are no innocent
bystanders. Make sure you send them
with a towel and modest clothes that
they can get messy in!
Liven Up Your Summer With a Little T.A.G.
T.A.G. stands for “Thursday Afternoon Gatherings”, and it is our way to provide
consistent fellowship opportunities to our students during their summer break full of
camps, vacations, and summer jobs. We will have several different activities over the
next two months, but not all activities will provide transportation, so please pay careful
attention to what is listed below…
June 4th - Bike Rally to Burger King
Leaving from Jefferson Elementary parking lot at 10:00 A.M., Returning time is
dependent on group. Bring your bike and money for lunch at Burger King in Mattoon.
June 11th – Hang Out at Starbucks in Charleston
Meet there 1:00 P.M. Bring money and a card game. We will stay until 3:30 PM.
June 18th - MISSION TRIP (NO EVENT)
June 25th – “Inside Out”
We will meet at the church to carpool over to the AMC 10 in Mattoon for a matinee.
Students will need to bring money for tickets and concessions. Time is T.B.A.
July 2nd - Geek Out Game Day
Starts at 1:00 PM and will go until 4:30 PM. Bring your favorite consol or PC to the youth
room and we will play some games. Snacks provided.
July 9th – Moonshine Burger Run
We will be going to the renowned burger barn in Martinsville. We will be leaving at
10:00 AM, and hope to be back around 1:00 PM. Bring money for lunch.
July 14th - Cow Appreciation Day/Sky Zone trip to Indianapolis
We are going to Plainfield (West Indianapolis), IN to dress up like cows at Chic-fil-a and
get FREE lunch, and then go to an indoor trampoline park. Admission to the park is $15.
Waivers will be required for this event! We will leave at 8:30 AM and return by 4:00 PM.
July 23rd - Swim at Libby’s
Meet at 6130 N. County CR 1400 E. from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Bring a towel!
August 1st-2nd - Camping Trip to Garden of Gods
(More information is T.B.A. but forms will be available at our Party in the Park)
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March Curriculum: Don’t Stop…Serving
This month is going to be broken up due to holidays, and we will not have any weeks with Sunday Night meetings back to
back. For our devotional times we will be having the following messages:
MAY 3rd – DON’T STOP – This week we will be looking at a special video sermon by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation
Church where he shares the command that we, “need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive
what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:36). An excellent parallel is given to the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho (Joshua
6) and we discover that we often stop short of completing things because our perspective gets blocked, our progress isn’t
always obvious, or we just don’t know when we are going to reach our goals.
1.) Do you have a dream or goal you stopped short of reaching? Share the first one you think of.
2.) How can you identify with Joshua’s armed men when it comes to your obstacles?
3.) What are you facing that requires you to just “shut up and march” without seeing the outcome or knowing the distance?
MAY 10th – MOTHER’S DAY (NO YOUTH)
MAY 17th – SERVING PART 1 (THE HEART OF SERVICE) –Mark 10:42-45, Galatians 5:13, Philippians 2:4, Ephesians 2:10 –
Lot’s of people volunteer. Sometimes it is because they are just trying to look good, other times they are looking for a way to
make them feel better about themselves, or perhaps they may even be seeking something in return. God gave us gifts for a
purpose, and when we use them to only bring our selves pleasure (money, fame, etc) we will find ourselves wanting. To
truly find joy, and use our gifts to the fullest extent, we must deny ourselves. When we serve we do it without thinking about
ourselves, only others. This example is laid before us by Jesus himself when he says, “The Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve”.
1.) What is your greatest talent, and how does it bring you joy?
2.) What percentage of your actions are over the course of the day are for yourself versus others?
3.) How can you use your gifts and interests to help others?
MAY 24th – NO YOUTH (MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND)
MAY 31st – SERVING PART 2 (HOW TO SERVE: GO) – John 12:26, 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6, 1 Timothy 4:14, Matthew
25:14-30, Matthew 5:14-16 – Some people think that there is a secret to serving that they need to figure out before they can
serve, or that you can only do it on a church mission trip. The truth is that anyone can do it anywhere. I think there is an
important reason Jesus’ Great Commission starts with “Go”, because a lot of people need that encouragement to move! Too
often we let our talents just sit on the shelf un-used while people around us could really use our help. We just need to GO!
1.) When you think of someone going on a mission trip, where do you think of?
2.) Why is it so hard to “go”? (Many reasons could be given)
3.) Name one place you went this week? How could you serve someone even there?
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Homeward Culture Brief: Youth and Money Edition
High Student Loan Debt Grows 10X in Past 8 Years Published by MarketWatch
The share of college graduates with more than $40,000 in student loans grew by almost 10 times in just 8 years, a new
report shows. In 2004, just 2% of student loan borrowers with bachelor’s degrees were holding $40,000 or more in
student loans. By 2012, that share jumped to 18%, according to a report released Monday by the Urban Institute, a
Washington-based think tank. The bulk of bachelor’s degree recipients with student loans have relatively manageable
levels of debt that they should be able to reasonably pay off, but the growing number of undergraduate borrowers
taking on high levels of debt is “a reason for concern,” said Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and the
co-author of the report.
The highest debt burdens are still reserved for graduate students, whose degrees theoretically provide them with the
means to pay off their loans. But a combination of rising tuition costs, the stagnant economy, students taking longer to
finish college, and the recent growth in enrollment in for-profit schools is likely contributing to higher levels of debt
among undergraduates, Baum said.
A Third of Millennials Have Never Had a Credit Card Published by USA Today
In a society where tens of millions rely on a credit card to shop or pay bills, a new survey reveals that more than a third
of Millennials have never had one. According to CreditCards.com, 36% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29
have never had a credit card.
That may be due in part to a 2009 law that whittled away the near-ubiquitous offers of credit to college students, says
Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com. Those reforms stated that those under age 21 had to prove
their income or get parental permission in order to obtain a credit card. “That’s very different from the past,” Schulz
says. “I know when I was in college, every dorm mailbox was overrun with credit cards, and you had banks and credit
card issuers handing out pizzas and Frisbees to get people to sign up.”
The Great Recession also may have left some younger consumers reluctant to rack up charges. “With Millennials, we
have a generation that is plagued with student loan debt, dealing with a difficult, ever-changing job market, and has
already witnessed an extremely negative stock market event, all at the beginning of their adult lives,” says Michael
Baker, a certified financial planner based in Charlotte, N.C. “Adding credit card debt to the mix isn’t very appealing, and
I believe that Millennials are trying a different path.”
Schulz says that more Millennials are leaning towards debit or pre-paid, rather than credit, cards. But the
CreditCards.com poll found that among those who do have a credit card, 47% got their first one before they turned 21,
in many cases before the federal legislation went into effect. And a significant number of Americans believe young
people should have their own credit lines. The survey of 1,000 respondents found that 1/3 believe those between the
ages of 18 and 20 should have a credit card in their wallets.
What do you think? How are you going to talk to your children about managing credit and loans in
their young adulthood? It is never too early to talk about.
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
– Proverbs 22:6
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