Senior LYO White Elephant Gift and Ugly Sweater Party!: Sunday, Dec. 15

                The Christmas Season is upon us. What better way to celebrate than to dress up in terribly awesome sweaters and give away weird prizes.

 We will be hanging out at the youth center from 6:30-8:30 on Sunday, Dec. 15 for the party and we will also talk about the real reason for Christmas. Make sure to bring a White Elephant gift for the party! I will even throw some gift cards in the mix. See you then!

December Youth Schedule

Senior LYO Small groups meet: Week of December 8

                Small groups are in full swing! These are great ways to connect with some awesome small group leaders and some of your friends. It is just a casual time to hang out and talk about some relevant issues. They meet at many different times throughout the week, so we can find something that works for you. Not in a small group, call/text Jordan at (989)600-9801 or email me at trinitymidlandyouth@gmail.com and we can get you connected!

Trinity Teens Wacky Gift Exchange: Sunday, Nov. 8

                The Trinity Teens are having a party! On Sunday, Nov. 8, from 3-5 pm, we are having a wacky gift exchange. Come on out to exchange some fun and weird prizes. Gifts are provided so no need to bring anything, except your favorite Christmas cookie topping. Also, we will be talking about the Christmas story and what that means for us. It should be a great time!

Senior LYO White Elephant Gift and Ugly Sweater Party!: Sunday, Dec. 15

                The Christmas Season is upon us. What better way to celebrate than to dress up in terribly awesome sweaters and give away weird prizes. We will be hanging out at the youth center from 6:30-8:30 on Sunday, Dec. 15 for the party and we will also talk about the real reason for Christmas. Make sure to bring a White Elephant gift for the party (who knows, there might even be some gift cards in the mix…). See you then!

               

Genesis (high school winter retreat): Feb. 28-Mar. 2

                For our winter retreat, we are heading to Genesis! Genesis is an event for Sr. High students, where leaders and students can worship honestly and grow spiritually. Students will be given an opportunity to lead and serve in various ways, grow together as a group, and connect with other youth from the Great Lakes Region that have converged on the Grand Traverse resort (one of the best resorts in Michigan). It is amazing experience and all high schoolers should go. Cost is $95 and fundraising and scholarship opportunities are available. Sign up by Dec. 9 with a down payment of $25 to reserve a spot.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Spring Hill Weekend (Middle School Winter Retreat): Feb. 21-23

                The middle school students have an opportunity to go on a winter retreat as well. We are heading to Spring Hill for an awesome weekend of outdoor activities and fun. There will be a ton to do and it is a great weekend for spiritual growth. Cost is $65 with a down payment of $25 due by Dec. 22. Signups are underway and you can contact Jordan for more details.

Mission Trip Signups are Underway!

            Sign up for the 2014 mission trip to Waterloo, IA! A down payment of $50 holds your spot. Contact Jordan for more info.

You can contact Jordan Palladino at (989) 600-9801 or trinitymidlandyouth@gmail.com or friend me on facebook at Trinity-Midland Youth-Groups, or follow me on twitter

Trinity Teens Wacky Gift Exchange: Sunday, Nov. 8

Guess what?!

The Trinity Teens are having a party! On Sunday, Nov. 8, from 3-5 pm, we are having a wacky gift exchange.

Come on out to exchange some fun and weird prizes. Gifts are provided so you don't need to bring anything. However, we are going to make Christmas cookies, so bring your favorite cookie topping. Feel free to come in a crazy Christmas Sweater too, Jordan will be in one! 

Also, we will be talking about the Christmas story and what that means for us. It should be a great time! Bring a friend if you want and we will see you on Sunday!

Middle School Spring Hill Winter Retreat

Hey,

There is an awesome winter retreat coming up for middle schoolers. We are heading to Spring Hill for an awesome weekend of outdoor activities and fun. It will be the weekend of Feb 21-23. There will be a ton to do and it is a great weekend for spiritual growth. The cost for kids is just $65 and you can use youth accounts. There are also fundraising opportunities  The Signups are underway and there is a deadline of Dec. 22 to signup with a deposit of $25 and you can contact Jordan for more details. Or, you can watch this video.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrHTDsKRbsQ&feature=youtu.be

You can also visit the website if you would like,

http://springhillcamps.com/MI/retreats/2014winter.aspx

I hope you sign up!

High School Genesis Winter Retreat!

Hey everyone,

I wanted to let you know about the awesome high school winter retreat that we are going on.  For our winter retreat, we are heading to the Genesis Conference the weekend of Feb. 28-Mar. 2! 

Genesis is an event for Sr. High students, where leaders and students can worship honestly and grow spiritually. Students will be given an opportunity to lead and serve in various ways, grow together as a group, and connect with other youth from the Great Lakes Region that have converged on the Grand Traverse resort (one of the best resorts in Michigan). It is amazing experience and all high schoolers should go. Cost will be $95 and fundraising and scholarship opportunities are available. Sign up by Dec. 8th with a down payment of $25 to reserve a spot. 

To sign up, you need to do so online. Here is the link
http://genesisevent.org/register/

This really is an amazing experience. There are few experiences like it and it was very instrumental for my faith when I went in High School. I really hope that you/ your high schooler goes.

If you want more info, you can check out the website

http://genesisevent.org/

or, you can call/text me at 989-600-9801 or email me at trinitymidlandyouth@gmail.com

Cool Kids Operation Christmas Child recap

The cool kids had a great time working on their Operation Christmas Child boxes this last week. Once everyone arrived at church they headed to the store and picked up some awesome gifts for kids in other counties. It is great to see how into it they got! Then they came back to the youth center, filled their boxes, ate some snacks and they even all wrote a nice letter to the kid who will get their gift. 

Here are some of the finished boxes. 

Great job cool kids! I am so proud that they were all willing to help make another kids Christiana's. Because of their help, 10 kids will get a present this Christmas that might not have otherwise. 

Thanks again everyone!

Jordan

Summer Mission Trip Info!

I hope you or your high schooler/8th grader is prayerfully considering joining others in their class and in our other high school classes on the 2014 mission trip next July 13-19 in Waterloo, IA!   All high schoolers have the chance to go on our summer mission trip. Registration is currently underway – see the information provided below and in the weekend bulletins. 

                                     

We are planning for 25-30 youth (ranging from incoming freshman through recent graduates) and 6-7 adults (at a minimum we need 1 adult for every 5 youth).   I am amazed by the friendships that form within our youth group along with the focus on faith, mission, and evangelism that takes place throughout the week.  This experience is an excellent time for all Senior LYO. 

Group Workcamps are week-long Christian mission camps where our group will serve people in need through challenging home repair projects.  During the week, each youth will work with a crew that consists of 1 or 2 adults along with 4 other youth from other congregations (there are a total of 450 youth that will attend this week from across the U.S.).  For six days, around 60 crews will work together to repair sagging porches, rebuild unsafe steps and wheelchair ramps, and paint homes in the Waterloo area.  The community knows they are blessed with this influx of youth and they are normally very welcoming throughout the week through treats and events to make the event special for our youth.  It’s a powerful experience…and an important “stepping stone” on the faith journey of each participant – youth and adult! Ask anyone who went on the Muskegon trip last year and I bet they will tell you the same thing. Please join us on this awesome experience!  You can find additional information about the Group Workcamp Foundation at their website:  http://groupmissiontrips.com/workcamps/. 

For your viewing pleasure, I have included links to slideshows from the 2013 trip at the end of this message, curtsy of Sandy Schlesinger.  Click CTRL + "Play Slideshow" and you will see a great overview of the week along with the fun the youth had both with our youth group as well as with their crews. 

You can register for the 2014 mission trip with a $50 deposit.   You can reserve a spot  by contacting Jordan Palladino (cell:  989-600-9801 ortrinitymidlandyouth@gmail.com).  Total cost for the trip (including travel costs, food, and incidentals) for youth and adults is currently estimated at $500.  The Mission trip planning team has set a goal to raise $3000 through fundraising to decrease the cost of each registration by $100 – changing the total estimate to $400!   Trinity Youth Account funds can be used to cover the costs for this service trip – let me know if you need the current youth account balances for your family.  In addition, we are blessed to have scholarships available – contact either Pastor Gerald or Chuck for more information.

Questions?  You can contact me by phone or e-mail.

For the rest of the 2014 Mission Trip Planning Team.

Jordan Palladino

Youth Director, Trinity Lutheran Church

Midland, Michigan

trinitymidlandyouth@gmail.com

989-600-9801

You are invited to view Sandy Schlesinger's photo album: 2013 Mission Trip - Saturday 2013 Mission Trip - Saturday Jul 6, 2013 by Sandy Schlesinger View Album Play slideshow Message from Sandy Schlesinger: Enjoy these photos from our first day on the mission trip as we headed to Muskegon, MI! If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112511568117708776023&target=ALBUM&id=5897890389027689393&authkey=Gv1sRgCPG5vYy7ktnOngE&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Sandy Schlesinger's photo album: 2013 Mission Trip - Sunday 2013 Mission Trip - Sunday Jul 7, 2013 by Sandy Schlesinger View Album Play slideshow Message from Sandy Schlesinger: Enjoy these photos from our first day at camp on Sunday! If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112511568117708776023&target=ALBUM&id=5898088899155183953&authkey=Gv1sRgCIaWw6OkqInn0AE&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Sandy Schlesinger's photo album: 2013 Mission Trip - Monday 2013 Mission Trip - Monday Jul 8, 2013 by Sandy Schlesinger View Album Play slideshow Message from Sandy Schlesinger: Enjoy these photos from our day at camp on Monday! If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112511568117708776023&target=ALBUM&id=5898381375682177857&authkey=Gv1sRgCKe2mNW99eetSQ&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Sandy Schlesinger's photo album: 2013 Mission Trip - Tuesday 2013 Mission Trip - Tuesday Jul 9, 2013 by Sandy Schlesinger View Album Play slideshow Message from Sandy Schlesinger: Enjoy these photos from our day on the mission trip on Tuesday! If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112511568117708776023&target=ALBUM&id=5898824787510428161&authkey=Gv1sRgCKTImY7x9fWF_AE&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Sandy Schlesinger's photo album: 2013 Mission Trip - Wednesday 2013 Mission Trip - Wednesday Jul 10, 2013 by Sandy Schlesinger View Album Play slideshow Message from Sandy Schlesinger: Enjoy these photos from our mission trip - it is Wednesday! All downhill from here . . . If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112511568117708776023&target=ALBUM&id=5899182990072195713&authkey=Gv1sRgCMPz7fnG6rCgmQE&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

You are invited to view Sandy Schlesinger's photo album: 2013 Mission Trip - Thursday 2013 Mission Trip - Thursday Jul 11, 2013 by Sandy Schlesinger View Album Play slideshow Message from Sandy Schlesinger: Enjoy these photos from our Thursday activities! If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=112511568117708776023&target=ALBUM&id=5899566829697198273&authkey=Gv1sRgCM37r_eQ9_SHQg&feat=email To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

Cool Kids This Sunday Nov. 17!

Operation Christmas Child!!

Let's pass on the blessings God has given us to children all over the world (God's Work - Our Hands!).  Just bring a shoebox to the youth center on November 17th.  We will meet from 3-5pm.  During our time together we will shop for supplies to help children in need, like toys, health care products, and school items.  Back at the youth center, we will pack shoeboxes and, of course, eat snacks.  As always, feel free to bring a friend (or two:))!!  

See you Sunday - 

the Cool Kids Team 

CD and Cookbook Fundraiser

Trinity Teens and Sr. LYO

Here is another opportunity to earn money for your youth account.  There are 60 cookbooks left to sell from the Fall 2008 cookbook fundraiser. Also, there are around 75 Christmas CD's as well. The congregation will be able to purchase cookbooks in the church lobby though the month of November or until all are sold.  Cookbooks will be sold for $6 each or 2 or more for $5 each and CD's will be sold for $5 each. 

Please read the following information carefully.

1. Cookbooks should be sold for $6 each or 2 or more for $5 each and CD's for $5. Youth will earn either the whole $6 or $5 per cookbook/CD depending on the purchase price of the cookbook/CD. 

2. To insure proper distribution of cookbooks/CD's youth should turn in their orders daily to Helena Devore at 835-5026 or 600-3686.  

3. Helena will be at church on Thursday before and after confirmation and on Sundays to exchange money for cookbooks sold. 

If you have an questions or concerns feel free to call Helena at any time or send an email to jkddevore@gmail.com.

November Youth Schedule

Senior LYO Small Groups meet: Week of November 17

               High School small groups are in gear! These are great ways to connect with some awesome small group leaders and some of your friends and they are a great safe place to talk about life. It is just a casual time to hang out and talk about some relevant issues. They meet at different times throughout the week, so we can find something that works for you. Not in a small group, call/text Jordan at (989)600-9801 or email me at trinitymidlandyouth@gmail.com and we can get you connected!

Trinity Teens Hang Time: Thursday Nov. 7, 14, 21

                Trinity Teens (middle school kids) come over to the Youth Center and hang out and play games for an hour before confirmation. It is a ton of fun and a great way to meet up with some of your Trinity friends. It will be every Thursday right after school at the Trinity Youth Center from 3-4. Parents, please let me know if you would like to volunteer and bring snacks. I need some help. Also, there is a ride provided to the youth center from both middle schools for all kids who are interested. Contact Jordan Palladino if interested.

High School YL Fall Weekend!: Nov. 15-17

                Younglife is heading to Timberwolf Camp up north for an amazing fall weekend. For those of you who don’t know, Timberwolf is an amazing and beautiful camp with really nice cabins, a zip line, giant swing, full gym, Frisbee golf course, great food, and much more. Younglife has extended this opportunity to Trinity for all high schoolers who want to join. It is an amazing experience with some great teachings and a very powerful weekend. Interested? Contact Jordan (who is very excited to go) for more details. Also, there will be a discount for any Trinity high school student who wants to go.

Cool Kids (3-5 grade) Operation Christmas Child!!: Nov. 17

             Let's pass on the blessings God has given us to children all over the world (God's Work - Our Hands!).  Just bring a shoebox to the youth center on November 17th.  We will meet from 3-5pm.  During our time together we will shop for supplies to help children in need, like toys, health care products, and school items.  Back at the youth center, we will pack shoeboxes and, of course, eat snacks.  As always, feel free to bring a friend (or two:))!!  

Trinity Teens Ice Skating: Sunday, Nov. 24
              Time to get your skate on! Trinity Teens are heading to the civic center for some awesome ice skating. We will meet right after Sunday School (11am) and return to youth center at around 1:30. The entrance fee is covered, so the kids just need to bring either skates or $3 for rental.  There will be a snack bar there too, if parents want, the kids can bring some extra cash for a snack. However, we will be eating some free pizza for lunch as well! Bring a friend and come on out for a good time!

Senior LYO Thanks Giving and Eating: Sunday, Nov. 24

                What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving by helping those in need. So, on Sunday Nov. 24 from 3-5 we going to volunteer with some other churches by sorting some food for some families in need. It is a great way to give back to the community. We will meet at the Trinity Youth Center at 2:40. Once we are done serving, we will get to be served! We will be having a dinner at the Youth Center right afterward. Several families will be providing a very delicious dinner as a thank you for your hard work. It should be a great time, so bring a friend and come on out.

Trinity Teens and Senior LYO Pie Event Sunday 11/10

Hey everyone!

This Sunday we have a couple awesome events! Both the middle schoolers and high schoolers are meeting for youth group. I would love to see everyone there!

Trinity Teens Pie Eating Day

                Who doesn’t love pie?! All Middle School students are welcome to come out on Sunday from 3-5 at the Trinity Youth Center.  It will be a ton of fun and very delicious. Bring a friend and come on out for a good time. You may also want to bring some clothes that can get a little dirty…Parents, if you would like to help out, please let me know. We can always use some help.

               

Senior LYO Pie Night

                Everybody loves pie! High School Senior LYO is having a pie night! We are meeting Sunday,  from 6:30-8:00 at the Trinity Youth Center. This will be a great time to come out and eat some delicious pie. In addition, we will also be making our own pizza pies. I will have all the fixings ready to go, all you need to do is show up! After our pizza pies, we will be enjoying some delicious normal pie. Have a pie request? Send me a tweet on twitter, message on facebook, a text or even just find me around. Also, the summer mission trip meeting is directly after Senior LYO at 8:00

Senior LYO Service and Bonfire

Hey everyone, We had a great time at Senior LYO on Sunday. Thanks for all of the great work done by everyone who came out. ere is a run down of our activities. First we busted out a awesome service project. The gang headed over to Barb's house (with no wrong turns at all) and helped out with her yard, by raking pine needles and leaves. She was great and very appreciative of the help. The group was equally as awesome as they knocked out the entire yard, and we only jumped in the piles a few times. It was basically sunset when they finished. Here is the gang. After we finished the yard, we headed back to the youth center for a bonfire. Pastor Gerald had hooked up up with a fire behind the youth center. We busted out some marshmellows, hot dogs, hobo pies (or are they pudgie pies?), chips, drinks and other snacks. We hung out around the camp fire for a bit, and then everyone headed home. I had a great time and I hope everyone else did too. Thanks again to everyone who came out!

Trinity Teens Leaf Raking Service Project

Hey there!

We just had a great time at the Trinity Teens leaf raking event this past Sunday. Here is a glimpse of the action!

We had 7 awesome Trinity Teens come on out for our leaf raking service project. Let me say, they all did a fantastic job! I have never seen middle school kids work so hard. We headed over to Dawn's house to give her a hand, but guess what. Pastor Gerald had beaten us to the punch. So, we starting by hauling a bunch of brush to the street.

Jacob and Mitchell found some projects as well.

 

They basically took down a whole tree..twice!

 

Josh and Nate did some damage on some weeds.

                
Kirsten found some good projects too!


 
 

We even had some time for some snacks and practicing our talents.

Thanks again for the help everyone. You all did a great job serving and your help was really appreciated. I can't wait to see everyone at the next Trinity Teens event! See you all later!



Senior LYO and Trinity Teens this Sunday!

We have an awesome Trinity Teens and Senior LYO day coming up this Sunday the 27th!

 

First off, the Trinity Teens are going to be hanging out for a great service project. We are going to be heading into the neighborhood to do some yard work.

 

It will be a good way to give back, and I am sure that it will be a lot of fun too. There may even be some snacks involved... We are meeting at the Trinity Youth Center this Sunday at 3 pm and we will be back around 5pm. Make sure to dress for the weather and I will see you there!

 

Also....

 

Senior LYO is this Sunday. I am really excited and you should be too! We are going to have a fun night of raking leaves/doing yard work and having a bonfire. 

 

We are meeting at the Youth Center at 5:15 on Sunday and going on a short walk to a house that could use some help. The people living there aren't able to do everything, so we are going to do some work for them for an hour or two. It is a great way to serve some great people who can use the help. Then, between 6:30-7:00, we are going to head back to the youth center for a bonfire. We will roast hot dogs, marshmallows and do other fun things. I hope that you can make it. Bring some warm clothes and a friend and I will see you on Sunday!

Younglife Dodgeball Night

Had a great time last night with everyone at the Midland Younglife Dodgeball night. We had 22 fierce warriors come to do battle at the community center. After an hour of brutal competition, the purple cobras reigned supreme. I have to give it up for the other three teams (FSU's, Average Joe's and team Stafford) as well for putting up such a great fight. Kudos to everyone for remembering the 5 D's of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge! I can't wait for the next Midland YL on Monday!

Cool Kids Pumpkin Pandemonium!

Hey Everyone,
We just had a great time at the Cool Kids annual Pumpkin Pandemonium! Here is what we did!

We started off with some hanging out and running around the youth center. Once we all arrived, the pumpkin activities began. First up was the Pumpkin relay race. We broke up into teams and got ready to go.

 

 Each team received their own pumpkin (which may have had some grease on it) and, once the starting whistle was sounded, they were off! First obstacle was to hurdle the gaga pit.

Once, that task was complete, it was time for 3 laps around the Trinity Youth Center sign.

 


The final task was the roll the pumpkin the length of the youth center (without breaking it...)




All of the kids competed very well and worthy of the pumpkin! The next event following the relay race was the pumpkin seed spitting competition. However, we needed to find a way to get the seeds out of the pumpkin. Any ideas?

That works.



The goal for the seed spitting way to step up to the line and hit the van on the fly. There were some valiant efforts.

but in the end, only two made it to the finals.
 


It was great work by everyone! After we all recovered from the spitting, it was time for the real fun. The Pumpkin Slingshot! Everyone was given a pumpkin, and well...I will let you see for yourself.


It took a little while, but we managed to slingshot everyone's pumpkin. After a quick cleanup it was time for the world famous, goo goo splat. Ponchos for everyone!


For those of you who don't know, goo goo splat is played just the same as duck duck goose, except they say goo goo splat. Also, once someone says splat, they take a handful of pumpkin goo and smash it on the persons head. Here are some action shots
.


After everyone was sufficiently covered in pumpkin, we headed back inside for snacks, after cleaning up of course. Our snack was an awesome pumpkin rice crispy treat that we turned into faces with candy corn, Twizzlers, and M&M's. We also had some cookies and listened to a great talk from Mrs. Mutscher about how God protects us and can use us to make new things. Once we were done with that, it was time to go. Thanks again to the awesome volunteers and the 22 Cool Kids that made the Pumpkin Pandemonium a success. Until next time.
 Jordan