Sunday, April 06, 2008

Talent Show


more Talent Show photos on Flickr
This past Friday we had another great Church of the Epiphany Talent Show and Pasta Dinner. Zach and Claire (to the right) were the MCs for the night and did a fabulous job. Parents Barb, Robin, and Schelly really pulled together a great night; they make me look good!

Our acts this year ranged from Sam lip syncing with a friend to the Blues Brothers to a German lesson to an amazing display of Rubiks Cube solving. There was plenty of singing in the mix. It was a great example of just how creative (and hilarious!) the people at Epiphany are.

The turnout was fabulous, too. The parish hall was packed to near capacity. People donated $496 at the door to help with the cost of this summer's combined Jr./Sr. High Mission Trip.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Noise

Week I:

After reminding the group of the past Sunday's Gospel account of Christ's 40 days in the desert, we watched the nooma video Noise. In the midst of the video was an extended period of silence, interrupted only by words and sentences slowly fading on and off the screen.

Once the short film was completed, we broke up into two groups and, led by some questions, discussed things like: the noise in our lives; the place of silence; how God might want to speak to us; how we might be blocking out God's voice; etc.

Next we broke out of the groups to explore four different prayer stations: a spot for lectio divina with a section of the 40 days story; a table to reflect on how noisy our lives are on a daily basis; an animated version of Si Smith's 40 illustrations; and a place to challenge ourselves to a bit of silence using either earplugs, closed eyes, or both.

Finally, we gathered back into the two groups to share with one another a challenge for the week: finding some way to incorporate about 30 minutes of silence into each day. It could be reading, or walking, or writing, or drawing; part of the challenge was to make at least 10 of the minutes an experience of not doing anything but being presence in a state of undisturbed silence.

I have invited people to come on the blog and leave some reflections during the week as they engage the challenge. Hopefully they do so by clicking on the comments link below.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

SuperBowl Party

Mark your calendars; call Josh and RSVP - the SuperBowl is coming up on Sunday, February 3rd. All 6th-12th grade youth and their friends are invited to the home of Mattie and Casey to watch the game, have some great food, hang out, and have a great time. Even if you don't like football, it's always a good time (and there are other things to do, too). Here's the skinny:
    Sunday, 2/3
    6-10 p.m.
    RSVP by Wednesday, 1/30 in the Comments, call Josh at 570.561.7793, or e-mail Josh at iamjoshfrank@gmail.com

When you RSVP, Josh will ask you to bring a bag of chips, some cookies, or some other snack to help with the food.

Covenant Groups

4-5 week sessions exploring our Christian faith. Sessions will alternate: 6th-8th grade for a session, then 9th-12th for the next. The first meeting of each session is open to all youth and their friends so that they can discover the topics and activities and then make a decision to commit to attending the remaining weeks of that session.

(3)hree = 3rd Sunday @ 3 Peaks

(3)hree is an afternoon of rock climbing for 6th-12th grade at 3 Peaks, a local climbing gym.

We climb on the 3rd Sunday of the month from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Pack a lunch and some active clothes, then stay after the 10:30 a.m. service and hang out in the Youth Room for a bit until we head to the gym (less than 10 minutes down the road!).

Fun & Recreation

We like to have fun together! Activities like bowling, game/movie nights, seeing a hockey or baseball game - all open to 6th-12th graders and their friends.

Youth Advisory Council (YAC)

The YAC is a team of 4 youth and 4 adults who help Josh dream, plan, and accomplish the varied youth group offerings.

We meet the 1st Sunday of the month from 12-1:30 p.m. (after the 10:30 a.m. service)

Current Team:
    Senior High Youth: Dominic & David
    Junior High Youth: Seth & Norah
    Adults: John, Sulema, Schelly, and Robin