Welcome to Church Street!

Please scroll below this welcome note for blog entries.  

Vision Statement: The youth ministry of CSUMC loves, serves, and fosters the spiritual development of our youth, their families, their friends, our volunteers, and our community in order that they may grow as disciples of Jesus Christ in fellowship with one another. 

With so many different images and voices in our culture beckoning for our youth’s time and attention, the ability to clearly see the things in life that matter most sometimes become blurred. At Church Street we strive to help our youth see clearly the vision that God has for a life of real meaning, purpose and wholeness.

It is our desire to meet God where God is already working: from inner-city mission work with the Wesley House in Knoxville, Tennessee…to hurricane-relief effects in Mississippi…from special dances and parties at the church…to climbing and rappelling in the mountains of east Tennessee…from saying silent prayers in Sunday School to Spiritual Life Retreats that change our world. God works all around us in truly amazing ways. Come and be a part of it!

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End of the Year Party – Change of Plans

Due to the ever-changing weather, we are changing plans for the end of the year party tomorrow evening. It will NOT be at the Ferguson’s house, but will instead be at the Knoxville Boat Club (Rt 2 Badget Road) off of Wrights Ferry Road, . No slip-n-slide this year but lots of other fun none-the-less. Since we have changed locations, extra help with transportation would be appreciated. We will gather in the youth parking lot at 5:15 to carpool and make sure that everyone has a ride.

Don’t forget to bring your appetite; we’ll have hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, etc. We’re asking different grades to bring different foods to help out. 6th & 9th grade bring drinks, 7-8th grades bring chips, 10-11th bring desserts, & 12th bring dips and appetizers. We’ll provide the hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, plates, cups, ice, etc.

The whole family is invited! If the whole family doesn’t come, parents can make arrangements to pick youth up at the Knoxville Boat Club at 8 PM.

Don’t forget to bring your food items, we would hate to run out and only have hotdogs!

Lisa Rotton is the coordinator and contact person for this event.

Please R.S.V.P by calling 521-0287 or emailing mgamble@churchstreetumc.org.

KARM Campout

Church Street youth know how much I LOVE lock-ins, so much that I haven’t done one in ten or so years. However, KARM is doing all the work this time, and it a cause that I can support. April 26-27, KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries) is hosting their second annual Camp Out at World’s Fair Park to raise money and awareness about homelessness in our community. We are going to join them. There will be lots of fun, concerts, food, games, and teaching times from the stage. Then we will spend the night outside at the park. Don’t worry, my first question was about security and safety, and they have an extensive plan in place. The cost is $30 and we will be done by 9 AM on April 27. For more information you can visit KARM’s website at: http://www.karm.org/campout.

You can register for the Camp Out by following this link.

For Graduating Seniors

Please remember to join us for Sunday school, especially the month of April and beginning of May.. We  have several guest speakers that will be joining us to talk about college life. The line-up as scheduled right now is:

• April 7 – Pam Reeves and Charles Swanson to talk about legal issues (parents are invited and encouraged to attend this session).
• April 14 – Various college students to talk about many aspects of college life.
• April 21 – Lucy Tyler to talk about housing, living with roommates, and other interpersonal relationships.
• April 28 – Doug Tyler will talk about the psychological issues surrounding going off to college.
• May 5 – Jenny Darden and others to wrap up what has not been covered.

Dinner & a Movie: Palm Sunday Nightlife

For Palm Sunday Nightlife, we are going to switch things up for those who are still in town. Choir rehearsal will happen at its regular time. After choir we will go to dinner and to the the Oz, The Great and Powerful. The plan is to go to Market Square for dinner and then to the Riviera Theater. The movie begins at 7:10 PM and is a little more than two hours long. Bring money for dinner and the movie. Your parents can pick you up at the theater at 9:20, or back at the church around 9:30 PM, or they can join us.

Weekly Update 02/28/13

Community Worship - It is our turn to serve for Community Worship this coming Monday evening. This is a way that we serve our own church and spend time with some of our church neighbors that we might not normally get to know. If you can help, please email Amanda Armstrong. We will gather in the chapel at 5:45 PM. After worship we will serve dinner and then help clean-up. We are usually done by 7:15 PM. This is a great way to earn a few service hours for school and community groups.

Change WAR! to help Imagine No Malaria - As of Sunday night, the high schoolers are winning the Change WAR, but just barely! Collectively we have saved 33 lives with the money gathered so far. Our goal for lent is to save a total of 80 lives. Keep bringing in that change and remember that paper money counts negatively in your competition’s jar.

Help for Parents: Running the Rapids - Dr. Kevin Leman has been a favorite of Church Street parents for many years. Sue Isbell has led countless groups helping parents navigate the journey of raising kids. Running the Rapids is one of Dr. Leman’s offerings for the parents of teenagers. Ginger Holladay and others will be facilitating a group through this study March, 3, 10, 17, & 24 on Sunday evenings during the time that youth are in Nightlife. Lent provides a great opportunity to commit with others to become a better parent and remembering that your needs are important too.

KARM Camp Out - Church Street youth know how much I LOVE lock-ins, so much that I haven’t done one in ten or so years. However, KARM is doing all the work this time, and it a cause that I can support. April 26-27, KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries) is hosting their second annual Camp Out at World’s Fair Park to raise money and awareness about homelessness in our community. We are going to join them. There will be lots of fun, concerts, food, games, and teaching times from the stage. Then we will spend the night outside at the park. Don’t worry, my first question was about security and safety, and they have an extensive plan in place. The cost is $30 and we will be done by 9 AM on April 27. For more information you can visit KARM’s website at: http://www.karm.org/campout.

You can register for the Camp Out by following this link.

College Bound - Acceptance letters are arriving and decisions are being made. It is a busy time for students and families with a student starting college for the first time. We would like to provide some resources to hopefully ease the process for both students and families.

• For graduating high school seniors we would like to gather on Thursday evenings beginning March 7, 7 PM, at Panera in Bearden. We plan to meet March 7, 14, 21, and April 4. and possibly continue if the group wants. We will have guest speakers and group discussions. We plan to cover topics like: how to deal with roommates, over commitment, Greek life, religious communities, legal issues, alcohol & parties, time management, and faith issues you are sure to be confronted with.
• For parents we plan to have a couple of Sunday school classes in April to cover the emotional issues with your child beginning college as well as legal issues that you may not have thought about. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

Basketball Banquet - Put Sunday, April 11 on your calendar. We will have a lunch banquet to celebrate the season. More information coming soon.

Weekly Update – Change of plans for the One Day Retreat

Change of Plans…Please Read - The turn out for the One Day Retreat was much lower than expected. However, instead of canceling we would like to alter the plan and see who else might be able to join us. The retreat is now a 1/2 day retreat. It is still at the church in the youth area. We will begin by gathering between 8:30 and 9 AM. We will use the morning to study, discuss, and learn. We will have lunch and then go to the girls’ basketball game together. Then we will be done. You can either leave from the basketball game or I will bring you back to the church.

The cost has also changed. It is now $25, not $40. If you have already written a check, I have not deposited them yet and you can pick your check up and write a new one if you like.

I am reopening registration until Thursday. If you would like to join us, please respond to this email. Thank you!

Change WAR! to help Imagine No Malaria - As of Sunday night, the high schoolers are winning the Change WAR! However, collectively we have saved 17 lives with the money gathered so far. Our goal for lent is to save a total of 80 lives. Keep bringing in that change and remember that paper money counts negatively in your competition’s jar.

Help for Parents: Running the Rapids - Dr. Kevin Leman has been a favorite of Church Street parents for many years. Sue Isbell has led countless groups helping parents navigate the journey of raising kids. Running the Rapids is one of Dr. Leman’s offerings for the parents of teenagers. Ginger Holladay and others will be facilitating a group through this study March, 3, 10, 17, & 24 on Sunday evenings during the time that youth are in Nightlife. Lent provides a great opportunity to commit with others to become a better parent and remembering that your needs are important too

KARM Camp Out - Church Street youth know how much I LOVE lock-ins, so much that I haven’t done one in ten or so years. However, KARM is doing all the work this time, and it a cause that I can support. April 26-27, KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries) is hosting their second annual Camp Out at World’s Fair Park to raise money and awareness about homelessness in our community. We are going to join them. There will be lots of fun, concerts, food, games, and teaching times from the stage. Then we will spend the night outside at the park. Don’t worry, my first question was about security and safety, and they have an extensive plan in place. The cost is $30 and we will be done by 9 AM on April 27. For more information you can visit KARM’s website at: http://www.karm.org/campout.

College Bound - Acceptance letters are arriving and decisions are being made. It is a busy time for students and families with a student starting college for the first time. We would like to provide some resources to hopefully ease the process for both students and families.

• For graduating high school seniors we would like to gather on Thursday evenings beginning March 7, 7 PM, at Panera in Bearden. We plan to meet March 7, 14, 21, and April 4. and possibly continue if the group wants. We will have guest speakers and group discussions. We plan to cover topics like: how to deal with roommates, over commitment, greek life, religious communities, legal issues, alcohol & parties, time management, and faith issues you are sure to be confronted with.
• For parents we plan to have a couple of Sunday school classes in April to cover the emotional issues with your child beginning college as well as legal issues that you may not have thought about. Look for more information in the coming weeks.

Perspectives on the Confirmation Retreat

The Lightholder family joined their daughter Lucy in Lake Junaluska for the Confirmation Retreat over the first weekend in February. The retreat is an important part of the confirmation experience. Really, the weekend is about relationships: strengthening relationships between students and their families, creating bonds between classmates as friends, and deepening the relationships with Jesus for all whom are involved. Here you can read the thoughts of Kim Lightholder (Mom) and her daughter Lucy.

Lucy’s Perspective - This past weekend I attended our Confirmation retreat at Lake Junaluska. It was a lot of fun! Usually on the weekends I enjoy sleeping in, but this weekend was worth the early mornings! During the time I was there I became very close to my classmates. During our free time, we would always meet in the hallway and hangout.  Our time together was sort of our bonding time.  We have gotten to know each other way better. It has been such a great experience! I think  this has been the best part of confirmation!  In between all the fun, I enjoyed learning about my Methodist heritage and sharing Jesus.  I also enjoyed spending the weekend with my parents.  All these things put together, along with some beautiful snow, made this trip extra special. Our class started out being shy toward each other and  now we are like a family.

Mom’s Perspective - The greatest earthly blessing I believe you ever receive is a precious baby that God entrust you with – but only for a short while. You look to the Heavens in awe and just can’t believe the amazing gift you have been given.  You watch her grow and pray that you are doing all the right things.  You hold her hand and try and lead her to be the best person possible.  This past weekend at Lake Junaluska , my daughter held my hand and showed me truly the best things in life.  I listened to my daughter talk about Jesus and his love – and not to her family, but to people she really didn’t know very well.  I was overwhelmed at how she spoke.  She wasn’t a little girl anymore.  She was her own person with her own ideas and opinions.  I was so proud of them.  I was so thankful to have the opportunity to watch her in this spiritual setting.  Thankful to give communion to each other. Thankful for Church Street and all that it offers. It was wonderful sharing this experience with Lucy and the other families.  I believe the weekend touched all our hearts. I will always cherish those memories.