Thanksgiving Baskets Project

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This week, we are hosting our annual Thanksgiving Basket project!  We will serve the Knoxville area by providing groceries to those experiencing food insecurity.  We need lots of hands to make this possible!  Please read the opportunities for serving below, and click the link at the bottom of the post to sign-up to serve!
 
Food Pick-Up — November 17 @ 3:30
Our food will be picked up at the Kroger in Bearden (4918 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919).  We will have the church trailer there to load the majority of the food, but always need extra vehicles to help with what does not fit.
 
Food Sorting — November 17 @ 4:30
Please meet us in the breezeway to help organize and set up our food items.  We will unload food from the trailer & vehicles, transport to the gym, sort & organize, and count to insure we have all the necessary items for packing boxes.  We anticipate being finished with this project between 5:30-6:00.
 
Basket Packing — November 21 @ 9:45
We will gather in the gym & CLC Hallway to pack our items for distribution.  All food items will be packed into either a cardboard box or a reusable grocery bag.  This will take place during the Sunday school hour.
 
Basket Delivery — November 21 @ 11:30-2:30
After our baskets are packed, we ask for members of our congregation to help deliver baskets to our recipients.  They will be taken either to individual residencies or to a local partnership location.  Recipients have been told to expect their food to be delivered between 11:30-2:30 PM.
 
Thanks again for your willingness to serve our community!  It is a true joy to provide for this need during Thanksgiving week.
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November Youth Update

Come and join us!

Weekly Events:
Tuesday – High School Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 AM (Chick-fil-A West Hills)
Wednesday – Youth Band at 7:00 PM (Youth Area)
Sunday – Sunday school at 9:45 AM (Youth Area), Advent Missions Night at 5:00 (Youth Area)
Parents: please consider helping us with our Sunday breakfasts and dinners. We have lots of open dates this semester! Thanks for helping us serve your students well!

A Thanksgiving Practice

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. A time where we gather around the table, fill our plates and bellies, and give thanks for the abundance in our lives. Our challenge for tomorrow is simple: practice radical gratitude. Throughout the day, remind yourself of the things you are thankful for – both big and small. And offer a prayer of thanks to God for them in your life. God calls us to be thankful – and one of the best ways to do that is to pay attention to the good things around us.
We’re especially thankful for you!
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

November Dates

November 25 – Thanksgiving!
November 27 – UT vs. Vanderbilt (we need your help!!)
November 28 – Advent Missions Night

Advent Missions Night

This Sunday, we are hosting our annual Advent Missions Night during NightLife! Join us from 5:00-7:00 in the Youth Area as we wrap gifts for Wesley House kids & grannies, write notes to Church Street homebound members, and make care packages for the staff of the ER and PICU floors at Children’s Hospital.

We’re going to have a great time of fellowship and mission as we kick off the Christmas season focused on what matters most!

SLA Info

If you are attending SLA 2021, you most likely already received this in an email last week.  But here it is so you don’t forget!

Schedule
Friday
5:00-5:30 — Arrival at Church Street (Youth Area)
5:30 — Dinner in Gym
6:00 — Brief group meeting
6:15 — Departure for Doe River Gorge
Sunday
12:00 — Lunch at Doe River Gorge
12:30 — Pack & Clean Up
1:30 — Depart from Doe River Gorge
3:30 — Arrival at Church Street
Packing List
  • Sleeping bag or twin sized linens
  • pillow
  • Bible
  • Water bottle
  • Warm clothes
  • Pajamas  (we will wear Christmas PJs to one of our sessions — pack some if you have them!)
  • Shoes for walking & hiking
  • towel
  • Toiletries
  • Rain jacket
  • Coat, gloves, & hat
  • flashlight
  • Snack to share (individually packaged please!)
Health & Safety
  • Mask Policy — Masks will be required during our indoor sessions and while going through the food lines; masks will be optional during free time and while outside.
  • At Home Test Requirement — We are asking everyone to take an at home, rapid test prior to our departure.  Masks are provided and are available for pick-up in the youth are on Sunday, November 21 or Sunday, November 28.  We are asking folks to take the test at home on Tuesday afternoon/evening.  That way, if you test positive, you can schedule a more accurate PCR test and will have the results before our departure on Friday.
  • Sickness Policy — If a student becomes ill while we are at Doe River, we will contact parents and ask that you plan to come and pick them up.
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October Youth Update

Come and join us!

Weekly Events:
Tuesday – Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 AM (Chick-fil-A West Hills)
Wednesday – Youth Band at 7:00 PM (Youth Area)
Sunday – Sunday school at 9:45 AM (Youth Area), Fall Fest at 12:00 (Youth Lot), Choir Rehearsal at 1:30 (Parish Hall)
Parents: please consider helping us with our Sunday breakfasts and dinners. We have lots of open dates this semester! Thanks for helping us serve your students well!

Fall Fest

We have a special event this Sunday. Can’t wait to see you there!
October 31 – Youth Fall Fest
We will have a Fall Fest in the Youth Lot from 12:00-1:30. There will be food, pumpkin painting, and outdoor fun! This is a great time for fellowship and great food. Youth Choir rehearse will be from 1:30-2:30. There will be no NightLife that night.

SLA Registration

It’s that time of the year again – time to sign up for SLA!
SLA stands for Spiritual Life Advance, and is our annual fall retreat. This year, we’re heading back to Doe River Gorge for what is affectionately being referred to as “Christmas SLA”! Mark your calendars and register for December 3-5!
Please be on the lookout for an email next week with all the details about the weekend, including what to expect and our safety protocols.

Football Parking

We have the incredible opportunity to fundraise by offering football parking in our lots for UT home games. We ask every family to cover 2 parking shifts during the season.
We had a great opening parking night last week. Check out the survey below to sign up for other shifts this season!
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September Youth Update

Come and join us!

Weekly Events:
Tuesday – Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 AM, Chick-fil-A West Hills
Wednesday – Youth Band at 7:00 PM, Youth Area
Sunday – Sunday school at 9:45 AM, NightLife at 5:00, Youth Area
We’re bringing back theme nights, and NightLife this week will be JERSEY NIGHT. Wear a jersey or something from your favorite team/school!

Surveys & Forms

Please use the links below to fill out our forms and surveys! We are requesting that they be completed by this Friday. And everyone who enters one of our surveys has a chance to win a Chick-fil-a gift card!
Student Links:
Parent Links:

Sunday Meals

This year, we’re excited to offer meals on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings to our students. We are following COVID protocols and serving in safe ways. If you would be willing to offer one of our meals this fall, please use the links provided to sign up and learn more!
Parents, thanks in advance for helping to feed us as we join together!

Football Parking

We have the incredible opportunity to fundraise by offering football parking in our lots for UT home games. We ask every family to cover 2 parking shifts during the season.
We had a great opening parking night last week. Check out the survey below to sign up for other shifts this season!

Sunday Recap

This week we discuss our Jesus in the Old Testament study from NightLife and our Jesus and Stress series from Sunday school.
We’re looking at scripture from Genesis 6 and Luke 1. Head the video to learn more!
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August Youth Update

Come and join us!

We had our first official NightLife on Sunday night! It was such a special time of fellowship and worship. It is always such a gift to join together, but it was especially great after a long season away. We hope you’ll join us as we continue on this semester!
We will have regular Sunday school and the choir will sing in worship this coming Sunday, but there will be not choir rehearsal or NightLife on Labor Day weekend.
Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 12 to join us for NightLife again!
Grace and peace,
Jenny
P.S. Check out the link below for our welcome info sheet for the year!
Weekly Events:
Tuesday – Prayer Breakfast at 7:15 AM, Chick-fil-A West Hills
Wednesday – Youth Band at 7:00 PM, Youth Area
Sunday – Sunday school at 9:45 AM, Youth Area, No NightLife

Welcome Info 2021

Sunday Recap

We have a new series this semester called Sunday Recap, where each week we will highlight what we discussed during Sunday school or NightLife. Check out the video to learn more! Tune in for a special guest this week!!!

A Sacred Season

During Sunday school in the month of August, we are doing a study called “A Sacred Season” where we learn to look at our back-to-school seasons of life with fresh eyes. We are working to identify what truly matters and consider new ways to prioritize those things. Click on the video to learn all about it if you weren’t able to be with us or to refresh if you want a reminder!

Football Parking

We have the incredible opportunity to fundraise by offering football parking in our lots for UT home games. We ask every family to cover 2 parking shifts during the season.
Our first game is Thursday, September 2 with an 8:00 Kick-Off. We will need help during the afternoon and evening to make this happen. Please head to the link below to sign up!

Forms & Surveys

This year, we’re trying to simplify as much as possible! So, we’ve moved to an online Annual Release Form! For those of you who did MAD, filled out one like it for our summer release.
We ask all families to fill out one form for each student! And we would like to have one on file for everyone by Sunday, September 19.
For our students and parents, we also have a brief survey we’d love for you to complete! It will help us with planning our programming and will allow us to serve with intention. It is a great place for you to show us how you would like to serve! Plus, if you fill it out, you’ll be entered to win a Chick-fil-a gift card!
Parents: we have some volunteers needs to help things run smoothly this year! Click below for more info!
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Promotion Sunday

Join us for Promotion Sunday!

This Sunday, we’ll start the school year with Promotion Sunday! Join us in the gym at 9:45. We will start the school year with a blessing before heading to our Sunday school classes. This is a really exciting day because we will welcome all of the 6th graders into our program! We will spend time in our Sunday school classes and look to the year ahead. Can’t wait to see you there!

Also this week…

Wesley House Block Party
Friday – 3:30-6:00 PM at Wesley House
This Friday, we have a service opportunity to support Wesley House’s block party. This is a way they start the school year for their families and others in the community. They will serve a meal, provide school supplies, and offer fun! We are hosting outdoor games (giant Jenga, corn hole, etc.) and need your help! If you would like to volunteer for this event, please respond to this email or contact Jenny at (423) 747-8774. We need at least 2 more volunteers to make this work!
Senior Meeting
Sunday – After Sunday School
All rising seniors are invited for a brief meeting following Sunday school on the porch outside Jenny’s office! We will discuss what matters most to you in Youth Ministry and talk through some plans for the school year! Hope you’ll join us!
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MAD in the City 2021

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Our youth had an incredible week last week. And while it sounds cliche, our students really did make a difference in our city last week. They finished mission projects with such efficiency that we had to work hard to find more projects for them to complete! But even more than that, they served with generosity and joy — it was a beautiful thing to behold. And it was so special to have our first big event back together. Multiplied students and parents shared about how meaningful it was to be back and appreciated that we shifted to make this event a possibility.

Here’s a list of all the projects completed at our various worksites in just a few days:

Wesley House Community Center
– hosted a virtual Walk-a-thon to raise funds for the capital campaign
– spent time in classrooms and playing with students
– sorted and labeled close to 2000 library books
– built new shelves for library storage
– took inventory on hundreds of school supplies and sorted for the upcoming school year’s distribution
– created a resource closet in the library for student supplies
– cleaned and organized the stage and gym storage
– provided storage solutions for storage areas
– provided daily lunches and field trips
– cleaned Wesley House vehicles inside and out
– set up a music room
– assisted with donation room and multipurpose room

Operation Backyard
– built parts for handicap ramps to serve at least 7 Knoxville homeowners
– built storage shelves and work tables for the OBY warehouse
– cleaned the OBY warehouse

Beacon of Hope
– sorted and labeled all food co-op items
– cleaned and organized food pantry area
– sorted all toiletries
– cleaned and set up a children’s area with a children’s library

Church Street Missions
– packed hygiene kits
– packed Blessing Bags
– packed disaster relief kits for UMCOR
– made laundry detergent for Sharing Shop and Beacon of Hope
– sorted Sharing Shop items
– wrote notes to homebound church members

Emerald Youth
– packed incentive goody bags for students
– packed STEAM kits
– cleaned gym and bleachers
– cleaned concession stand and took inventory on items
– cleaned and reset rec room

Wesley Foundation at UTK
– cleaned and organized storage areas
– cleaned and worked in kitchen
– prepared walls and bulletin boards for fall semester info

Church Street Youth
– cleaned all common areas and kitchen
– set Sunday school rooms for fall semester
– prepared mailings for all students

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MAD in the City

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Making a Difference (MAD) in the City is Church Street Youth’s annual summer mission project. This project is focused on serving Knoxville and is a longstanding partnership with the Wesley House Community Center. Historically, we have spent time each summer with Wesley House students by providing academic support with one-on-one schoolwork, playing games, going on field trips, and working on building projects.

This year, in order to honor COVID protocols, we are adding other service projects to the week to keep our groups smaller and support our city in even more ways. This summer, our youth will:

  • Continue in our partnership with Wesley House,
  • complete a house-roofing project, and
  • work with Beacon of Hope to help them prepare for a new school year.

Our students will be rotating between the three work sites during the days. In the afternoons & evenings, we will join together back at Church Street for fellowship, dinner, and worship before pick-up.

One new addition to the week is supporting Wesley House’s Walk-a-thon fundraiser to help with their capital campaign! Wesley House is currently working through the rigorous process of becoming licensed with the Department of Human Services. This will allow them to better serve the East Knoxville community in a wide variety of ways. The pandemic has shifted the way Wesley House operates and serves, like becoming a Food Pantry in addition to all of their other work.

Becoming licensed will open so many doors for this incredible group, but getting there requires substantial updates to their building. The Walk-a-thon fundraiser will help with getting their building up to code — a huge priority to help this ministry continue serving the community!

Our youth group will be doing a walk through Downtown Knoxville on Sunday, July 11 as part of our kick-off to MAD in the City.

Our goal in this Walk-a-thon is to raise $2500 for WHCC. Make a gift here.

Our week looks a little different than is has in the past, but it is also SO exciting to think about how much we can accomplish during this time! Our youth are generous with their time and energy each summer so that we can commit to serving the Knoxville community well. One of the verses we return to over and over again is James 1:22, which reminds us to be doers of the word, not just hearers. When our faith changes our hearts, it calls us to action. And this summer, we are answering that call by serving our city with joy!
Contact Jenny Cross at jcross@churchstreetumc.org with any questions.
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