Grace and peace. I want to thank you for all the work you are doing to engage youth in your community. I greatly appreciate all that you are doing.
Thank you to those who have followed the link below and filled out the form. We want to keep you informed of what is happening in the district, but the list that we have for youth leaders, paid and volunteer, is not complete. We are missing about 1/3 of the churches in the district. I understand that not every church has a youth ministry but if you do, even if you have received an email from me, please follow the link below and input your information. We would like to have the most up-to-date contact information for each of you. https://forms.gle/aCYiuEhx4JqcoC1SA
As I stated in previous newsletters, I am working on creating district sub-groups and also on putting together a District Youth Leadership team. More information on both will be coming soon. If you are willing to help with district youth, fill out the form at the link above.
I am looking for stories of youth in action. If your youth group has a project that they have been doing, I would love to highlight it in the newsletter. Send me an email or give me a call.
The dates for conference events have been posted on the conference youth website https://nccumc.org/leadership/youth/events/. Also the district youth have a FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/FairwayDistrictYouthNCCUMC), an Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/fairwaydistrictyouth/), and a website (https://fairwaydistrictnc.org/youth/). I invite you to follow and like the social media pages and bookmark the website.
If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or ideas you can send me, Justin Wells, an email at [email protected] or call me at 910-591-8156.
Without further ado, let’s meet another youth serving on the CYC.
Greetings, Fairway District! I’m Ellie Dykema, I’m in 8th Grade (2020-21), I go to Holly Springs UMC – I only recently discovered/got involved in youth ministries – and I completed Confirmation in Spring 2020!
I am your Alternative District Representative for the Youth Ministries of NCCUMC. I believe youth ministries are important because We Are The Future! I know you probably hear that a lot, but it is important that we are educated and involved in our mission and duty as Christians to love each other, demonstrate our faith, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world! Things like Breakaway and Pilgrimage create a wonderful environment and safe haven for all of us youth, to enjoy fellowship with one another, experience Christ together, learn, and have fun! I participated in NCCUMC Breakaway 2020 – The One Where They Did Virtual Camp – and it was INCREDIBLE! I loved every minute of it, even though it was virtual, and I can’t wait to (hopefully!) participate mask-to-mask this year!
I also watched the virtual Pilgrimage last November in my church parking lot with my friends! I helped set up the screen and projector, and our amazing Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries, Mrs. Kathy, brought snacks, coordinated everything, and set up everything else. Regardless of my busy schedule, it was very inspiring and thought-provoking, and the music was amazing! Thanks for reading, and have a good day! Ellie Dykema
If you would like to view past editions of Youth News You Can Use, follow this link: https://fairwaydistrictnc.org/category/youth/