Youth-Activities

One reason United Methodists are able to accomplish great things is the church’s emphasis on “connectionalism.” It is common to hear United Methodist leaders speak of the denomination as “the connection.” This concept has been central to Methodism from its beginning.

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Poolesville Memorial United Methodist

Youth Fellowship (UMYF)

Our church youth group has a lot of fun and does a lot of good works. Our activities can be broken into three categories:

1.Worship

2.Service

3.Fun and Fellowship

Activities focused on Worship include:

1.DC Rock Retreat. This is an awesome event where we stay in Ocean City, Maryland. There are great Christian bands and speakers – typically more than 5000 people. We grow closer to Christ and to each other on these weekends.

2.Support for Celebrating Grace and regular worship service. Most of us attend Celebrating Grace each month and sometimes we demonstrate the hand motions that go along with the praise songs. Occasionally we support the main service.

3.We go to Christian Music Concerts – such as Casting Crowns last year

4.We go Christmas caroling each December

5.We go to the Sunrise Easter service on Sugarloaf Mountain, which is early.

6.We support Chrysalis – which is a really cool retreat weekend where we truly experience God’s love and grace.

Activities focused on Service include:

1.Serving at Frederick Rescue Mission – twice each year the youth group prepares a meal and then goes up to Frederick and serves it at the mission.

2.We clean up Cattail Road.

3.We buy gifts for WUMCO families at Christmas time….shopping for them is fun --- we have a budget and go through the store buying gifts for a whole family.

4.We helped with the Poolesville Athletic Association pancake breakfast.

5.We run games at Lord’s Acre

6.We make Super Bowl Subs and give money to WUMCO.

7.We baby-sit for certain church activities….such as the young couple’s gatherings.

8.We support Relay for Life where we raise money for the American Cancer Society. This hits close to home for us and is special because Justin’s girlfriend, Lindsay, had cancer.

9.But our biggest service project is the annual Mission Work Camp. For three years we went to Southern Ohio fixing up homes of those in need. Last year we worked at Camp Joy in West Virginia. We learned how to use power equipment, do carpentry and painting, fix windows and things like that. We really made a difference to these folks and they get to know the love of God as we ask for nothing in return. We really get closer to each other during these trips and we have lots of fun as well, which brings us to the last type of activity we do as a youth group:

Activities focused on Fellowship and Fun include:

1.We play ultimate Frisbee and soccer and basketball.

2.We do video scavenger hunts – that is where you drive all over Poolesville with a van full of youth and a video camera and film the group doing really crazy things, like singing praise music in McDonalds…then we watch all the videos.

3.We go to the beach.

4.We go to King’s Dominion. We eat lots of food.

5.We play paintball. We go swimming at the Germantown Swim Center. We go sledding. This year we went snow tubing at Liberty.

6.We have lock-ins. We watch movies. We go cosmic bowling. And we eat junk.

7.We watch the super bowl together.

8.We go fishing. We have hot dog cookouts. We go to the haunted forest.

9.We do fund raisers like car washes and make ice cream sundaes and collect donations. I think we eat half the ice cream.

5.We do a progressive dinner each year near Christmas time….to eat healthy, once.

6.We go White Water Rafting each year and camping and while we are there, we prepare our meals and eat a lot, of course.

Youth Activities

Click on pictures for enlargement

L2R, front: Kimberly Buress, Megan Flick, Sophia Cortijo, Cecilia Cortijo, Margo Cortijo Jake Schwartzbeck Back: Jordan Schwartzbeck, Jon Schwartzbeck, Josh Krasner, Eddie Schwartzbeck, Justin Schwartzbeck, Lindsay Wilson, Josh Schwartzbeck, Laura Snyder (photo by Dan Stout)

Kyle Flick playing with Minstrels and Youth clowning skit – both at Celebrating Grace worship

R to L: Margo Cortijo, Dan Stout, Jake & Jon Schwartzbeck, Megan MacKenzie, Josh and Mike