WHO are we? WHAT do we do? WHERE do we meet? WHEN do we meet? WHY do we meet?

United Methodist Youth fellowship, UMYF, is open to all youth from 6-12th grades. Meetings are on Sundays at 5:00, unless otherwise noted. Activities are every weekend and vary from fellowship activities to Bible studies to community service projects. Highlights and traditions of our year include the fall pumpkin patch fundraiser, Christmas caroling and Christmas party, ROCK retreat in Ocean City, leading worship in March, Holy week activities such as the Holy Rollers Rock-A-Thon, fasting, egg dying, and car wash, and an end of the year bon fire and cook out. Most of our youth entering the ninth grade through twelfth grade attend Camp Hope in the summer. Camp Hope is based in Frostburg, MD and is a United Methodist work camp. We refurbish homes for the underpriviledged, handicapped, and elderly in the Western Maryland area. Youth work on fundraising throughout the year to attend. Fundraisers include the Super Bowl Sub Sale, Potato Bake, PROM, and Talent show. The youth choir sings several times throughout the year. Please check out their links for upcoming rehearsals and times of performances. It is the highlight of Thanksgiving Eve worship and Youth Sunday! The UMYF seeks to build Disciples of Christ while focusing on issues specific to the teenage years. We seek to fellowship with one another and to be a vital member in the body of Christ with youth taking active and leading roles in worship. We are a part of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and take part in district and conferences activities. Come join us on Sundays at 5:00 for Bible study and fun in Jesus' name! Contact the Director of Youth Ministries, Meghan Humbert, through the church office for more information or details.

UMYF OFFICERS

Congratulations to the following officers for 2008-2009

President: Kristen Baldwin
Vice-President: Victoria Laye
Secretary: Erica Magnotto
Senior High Representative: Amanda McHarg
Mid-High Representative (2): Taylor Keck, William McHarg

Download and return the 2009 emergency medical permission form if you haven't already.

Upcoming Events

• January 30-February 1: ROCK
• February 8: Camp Hope Deposit Due, 5:00 Regular Meeting
• February 15: Valentine's Day Fundraiser 
• February 21: Snow Tubing (Weather Permitting)
• February 22: No Meeting
• February 24: Pancake Supper
• February 25: Ash Wednesday Service
• March 1: Burn the Fern Sunday and Youth Sunday Rehearsal
• March 8: 5:00 Youth Sunday Rehearsal
• March 14: Set up Potato Bake and Rehearse
• March 15: Youth Sunday and Potato Bake
• March 22: Bowling Night
• March 29: 5:00 Meeting

Looking Ahead:

• April 5: Rehearsal for Easter
• April 9: Taize Service
• April 10: National Cathedral Trip
• April11: Car Wash
• April 12: Easter! 8:00 and 11:00 service
• April 18: PROM!
• April 19: No Meeting…Do your homework
• April 26: 5:00 Meeting
• May 3: Final Camp Hope Deposit Due
• May 5: MEGHAN'S 30th BIRTHDAY!
• May 10: Stay home and Love your Mother
• May 17: Put-Put Golf Night
• May 23-25: Manidoken Retreat!

"Don't let anyone make fun of you, just because you are young. Set an example for other followers by what you say and do, as well as by your love, faith and purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

This is just a break down to help plan and to stick to due dates. Our goal is that no youth be precluded from attending any event because of the cost. God always provides a way! We want our youth to participate in as many activities as possible to further and deepen their walk with Christ.

1. Revolve Weekend Nov. 7-8 Philadelphia, PA

Registration Fee: $65
Hotel and Breakfast $60
Dinner on your own, lunch on your own
Total: $125
Due: ASAP

2. Boys Jamboree November 7-8 Baldwin's House

Meals and supplies $40
Due: Near the weekend

3. Manidoken May 23-25 Harpers Ferry, WV

Lodging and Meals: $150
Dinner on own driving there
Due: End of May

4. ROCK January 30-February 1, 2009

Carousel Hotel 118th street $100
Registration
2 breakfasts
1 lunch
T-shirt
Dinner on drive, 1 "fancy" dinner on own
Total: $175
Due: November 30

5. Camp Hope

Work Team $100
Camper $250
Transportation $50
Gas and supplies $30 Total: $430
Due: $215 February 8, $215 May 10
All Fundraising Activities will be deducted from the
second payment.

6. Youth Sunday T-Shirts $10-$15

Due: March 15

UMYF has begun a new tradition of attending Manidoken near Harper’s Ferry West Virginia.  It is one of the three retreat/camping centers for the Baltimore Washington Conference.  We have enjoyed time there the week leading to Thanksgiving, and this year we are looking forward to spending Memorial Day weekend there.  We stay in lodges with bunk beds and private bathrooms.  The food is provided in their cafeteria and we eat family style.  Don’t worry…IT IS AMAZING!  We have spent time team building on the ropes course, and this year are looking forward to some time tubing and white water rafting.  Bible study is lead by Meghan Humbert, the Director of Youth Ministries.  Rev. and Mrs. Humbert come during the last night and serve an intimate communion.  The youth design the service based on the theme of the weekend.  This has proven to be a meaningful experience for our individual group and has brought us all together and sisters and brothers in Christ.

ROCK Retreat is an exciting Christian weekend retreat in which youth in 6th-12th grade from the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church will gather at the Ocean City Convention Center. The purpose of the retreat is to "ROCK" the lives of our youth and help them into a new or deeper faith and personal relationship with the ROCK of our Salvation, Jesus Christ. Nichols-Bethel has attended for many years now, and each year we have found it gets better! This weekend is really a time away to focus on how we struggle in our walk with Christ. Each year has a theme and a message. This year's theme is "Mission Possible." We remember all things are possible through Christ. Saturday night typically concludes with an altar call. This gives youth an opportunity to make a public declaration of their faith in Christ and accept Him as the Savior of their lives. Every year, we have more and more youth make this declaration. Saturday afternoon is spent as free time and Bible study. We have ice skated, swam, walked the Board Walk, snacked on Thrashers Fries, and challenged each other at Ski Ball! Meals are provided in the hotel room, and dinner is out at a nice restaurant on our own. This trip really gives our group the momentum is needs to finish the school years and to re-dedicate our lives to Christ. It is moving for the youth, as well as adult chaperones. Remember – "I can…you can…we can…I got your back!

 Camp Hope is celebrating its 32nd anniversary. It is based out of Frostburg United Methodist Church and the campers are housed in the dormitories of Frostburg State University. It is a predominantly United Methodist based camp. The name of the camp is actually an acronym standing for Christian Appalachian Mission Project Helping Other People Enthusiastically. The homes that are worked on are in the Allegheny and Garrett County regions of Western Maryland. The camp runs for 4 weeks. Each week a different group of churches and campers attend. The average number of people attending a week is around 110.

This summer, we will work on over 50 homes. That means that over 1,000 homes have been touched by this program throughout its history. Many home owners are ill or infirmed, widowed, handicapped, or are in some other way not economically able to make some of the repairs necessary on their homes. Each work team is divided within the church itself. So, we will be working with our own youth and adults. The day begins at 6:30 with morning devotions and breakfast, and concludes around 4:00.

We travel to a variety of churches or community service organizations like the Lions Club for dinner each night. There, each church attending Camp Hope is assigned a night to lead vespers services. There is a spiritual life director who designs the spiritual theme for the week. Thursday is a half day of work and a half day spent at Rocky Gap State Park and concludes with "Dinner on Your Own Night." Highlights from the week include the annual talent show, trip to the Fruit Bowl for candy, and the Communion Service on Friday night. Each homeowner is invited to attend and share this worship experience. We will be attending our week of Camp Hope with several other churches, but locally Glen Burnie UMC. We depart at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning and return around lunch time the following Saturday. Nichols-Bethel attends week 3 of Camp Hope.