Hi everyone!
I hope that those who went on the confirmation retreat enjoyed the experience--I know that I had a great time!
If you were unable to attend the retreat, you will still be able to be confirmed this spring if you continue your sessions with your mentor(s) and attend the spring retreat. More details on that later. For those who did attend the retreat, remember to finish your sessions with your mentor(s) before September 14th.
September 14th is the date of confirmation for the fall. You will be confirmed at the 11:00 service--remember, we go back to our fall schedule on this day! Please come to the rehearsal for confirmation at 11:00 on Sunday, September 7th, following the 10 a.m. service. Mentors will need to be at this rehearsal, also.
Good luck on finishing up, and I'll see you on the 7th!
--Pastor D.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
Retreat Weekend
The retreat is here!
We will be leaving the church today (August 8) at 5:30 p.m.
We will return on Sunday (August 10) at 11:15 p.m.
Parents--if you need to get in touch with us while we are away, call Pastor David's cell phone at: (330) 647-3198.
See you all there!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
We will be leaving the church today (August 8) at 5:30 p.m.
We will return on Sunday (August 10) at 11:15 p.m.
Parents--if you need to get in touch with us while we are away, call Pastor David's cell phone at: (330) 647-3198.
See you all there!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Retreat Details. . .
Dear Confirmands, Parents, and Mentors,
As you know by now, our Confirmation Retreat is fast approaching. The information in this post is also being mailed/given to you this week, but as it is so important, I wanted to post it here, too.
We will leave the church parking lot (upper portion, near the church office) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday August 8th. Please come having had dinner—we will have snacks, but no evening meal together on Friday. We will be staying the weekend at Dream Horse Guest House in Kinsman. My wife, Kelly, and I will be the adult chaperones for the weekend. You can find a list of what to bring—and what not to bring—in your confirmation booklets.
Mentors are asked (but not required) to come for the session at 2 p.m. on Saturday called “Planning for Confirmation Sunday.” If mentors wish, they may stay through the session entitled “Grace,” at 3:15, but we will ask them to head home after that.
Please note that we will be going to the Centenary United Methodist Church for our last field trip on Sunday morning. If mentors wish to join us for worship, you can meet us at Centenary at 9 a.m. on Sunday August 10th. Centenary UMC is located at 1413 Belmont Avenue in Youngstown.
We plan to arrive back at the church by about 11:00 or 11:15 on Sunday morning, so parents can plan to pick up their youth shortly after the end of the second service.
Important: We need to have your permission forms in before you can go! Please turn them in to the office ASAP! The deadline for this has been extended to noon on Thursday, which is the last time that anyone will be in the office to collect your forms. If you do not turn them in by that time, you may not attend the retreat.
Cost: Some have asked about the cost of the retreat. Our approximate cost per person for this event is about $90. We are asking that we split this cost three ways: $30 from the church, $30 from the mentors, and $30 from confirmands’ families. If for some reason you are not able to contribute this amount, any amount will be accepted towards this, and the church will cover the rest. Contributions can be brought with you to the retreat, or you may send them to the office marked “Confirmation Retreat.”
If you are unable to attend the retreat, there will be another confirmation retreat in the spring of 2009. You may attend at that time, and be confirmed with that class of confirmands. All work completed for this confirmation session will count toward the next course.
I look forward to seeing you all at the retreat this weekend. May God bless you as you continue on your journey toward membership in Niles First United Methodist Church!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor David
P.S.—Don’t forget to mark your calendars for September 14th. That is the date for Confirmation Sunday.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
As you know by now, our Confirmation Retreat is fast approaching. The information in this post is also being mailed/given to you this week, but as it is so important, I wanted to post it here, too.
We will leave the church parking lot (upper portion, near the church office) at 5:30 p.m. on Friday August 8th. Please come having had dinner—we will have snacks, but no evening meal together on Friday. We will be staying the weekend at Dream Horse Guest House in Kinsman. My wife, Kelly, and I will be the adult chaperones for the weekend. You can find a list of what to bring—and what not to bring—in your confirmation booklets.
Mentors are asked (but not required) to come for the session at 2 p.m. on Saturday called “Planning for Confirmation Sunday.” If mentors wish, they may stay through the session entitled “Grace,” at 3:15, but we will ask them to head home after that.
Please note that we will be going to the Centenary United Methodist Church for our last field trip on Sunday morning. If mentors wish to join us for worship, you can meet us at Centenary at 9 a.m. on Sunday August 10th. Centenary UMC is located at 1413 Belmont Avenue in Youngstown.
We plan to arrive back at the church by about 11:00 or 11:15 on Sunday morning, so parents can plan to pick up their youth shortly after the end of the second service.
Important: We need to have your permission forms in before you can go! Please turn them in to the office ASAP! The deadline for this has been extended to noon on Thursday, which is the last time that anyone will be in the office to collect your forms. If you do not turn them in by that time, you may not attend the retreat.
Cost: Some have asked about the cost of the retreat. Our approximate cost per person for this event is about $90. We are asking that we split this cost three ways: $30 from the church, $30 from the mentors, and $30 from confirmands’ families. If for some reason you are not able to contribute this amount, any amount will be accepted towards this, and the church will cover the rest. Contributions can be brought with you to the retreat, or you may send them to the office marked “Confirmation Retreat.”
If you are unable to attend the retreat, there will be another confirmation retreat in the spring of 2009. You may attend at that time, and be confirmed with that class of confirmands. All work completed for this confirmation session will count toward the next course.
I look forward to seeing you all at the retreat this weekend. May God bless you as you continue on your journey toward membership in Niles First United Methodist Church!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor David
P.S.—Don’t forget to mark your calendars for September 14th. That is the date for Confirmation Sunday.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Field Trip and Picnic
Don't forget our field trip on July 20th! Meet at our church at 11:00 a.m., and we will travel downtown to Mt. Carmel Catholic Church for their 11:30 mass. Afterwards, we have been invited to a picnic at the home of Chuck and Nancy Phillipson--Chuck is Lolly Symcheck's brother. Lolly will be calling everyone's mentors with information about the picnic, so you will probably hear from your mentor soon.
I am looking forward to our retreat on August 8-10. Don't forget those permission forms! We need them into the church by the Monday before the retreat!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
I am looking forward to our retreat on August 8-10. Don't forget those permission forms! We need them into the church by the Monday before the retreat!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Retreat--We Have a Place to Stay!
Good news!
We have a place to stay for our retreat--it is local, very nice, and actually less expensive for us than Villa Maria would have been.
The place is called "Dream Horse Guest House" It is a bed and breakfast located in Kinsman. We will be occupying about three rooms, and one of them has a kitchen, so we'll be able to cook our breakfasts and lunches for ourselves.
Here's a link to their website: www.kinsmanbarncats.com
Don't forget to get those permission forms in to the church office!
And, don't forget our visit to Mt. Carmel Catholic Church on July 20 at 11:30 a.m.
C-U around,
Pastor D.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
We have a place to stay for our retreat--it is local, very nice, and actually less expensive for us than Villa Maria would have been.
The place is called "Dream Horse Guest House" It is a bed and breakfast located in Kinsman. We will be occupying about three rooms, and one of them has a kitchen, so we'll be able to cook our breakfasts and lunches for ourselves.
Here's a link to their website: www.kinsmanbarncats.com
Don't forget to get those permission forms in to the church office!
And, don't forget our visit to Mt. Carmel Catholic Church on July 20 at 11:30 a.m.
C-U around,
Pastor D.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Change of Plans. . .
Well, we are still going on a retreat August 8-10, but it will not be at Villa Maria. It's a really nice place, though, and I think it would be a good place for a future event. But, they have a big event the weekend we wanted to be there, and it turns out they won't have space for us, after all. Sooooo. . . I am working on an alternate site. Don't worry-- we will have a place for our retreat! Watch this space.
Pray for a great location for our retreat, and for my sanity as I work out the details.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor D.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Pray for a great location for our retreat, and for my sanity as I work out the details.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor D.
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Field Trip Update and Retreat Details
Hi Everyone!
It seems like a long time since we visited Congregation Rodef Sholom together!
I hope you are all progressing in your sessions together. Remember, you need to have all five sessions done before Confirmation Sunday, on September 14th!
Our next field trip will be to visit Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on July 20th--this is a Sunday, but the service at Mount Carmel starts at 11:30, which means that we will have just enough time for me to get out of our service and get over there. Meet at our church at 11:00 (immediately following worship), and we will go over together. We will also be having a meal together following--details to come later.
Retreat is fast approaching! We are scheduled (tentatively) with the Sisters of Humility at their Conference Center in Villa Maria, PA. I am taking a trip to the Center this afternoon to look over the facilities. After that, I will post details up on this blog page. Look in your confirmation books (appendix 7) for information on what to bring, and for your permission forms. We already have one form in-- way to go, Josephine! Get yours in by Monday August 4, or you will not be able to go.
Plan on leaving the church on August 8 in the early evening (5 or 6 p.m.), and arriving home on Sunday August 10 at 1:30 or 2 p.m. As part of our retreat, we will be attending a worship service at Centenary United Methodist Church in Youngstown. Please plan on bringing a nice outfit to wear to church.
Keep on meeting, and as always, Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
In Christ,
Pastor D.
It seems like a long time since we visited Congregation Rodef Sholom together!
I hope you are all progressing in your sessions together. Remember, you need to have all five sessions done before Confirmation Sunday, on September 14th!
Our next field trip will be to visit Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church on July 20th--this is a Sunday, but the service at Mount Carmel starts at 11:30, which means that we will have just enough time for me to get out of our service and get over there. Meet at our church at 11:00 (immediately following worship), and we will go over together. We will also be having a meal together following--details to come later.
Retreat is fast approaching! We are scheduled (tentatively) with the Sisters of Humility at their Conference Center in Villa Maria, PA. I am taking a trip to the Center this afternoon to look over the facilities. After that, I will post details up on this blog page. Look in your confirmation books (appendix 7) for information on what to bring, and for your permission forms. We already have one form in-- way to go, Josephine! Get yours in by Monday August 4, or you will not be able to go.
Plan on leaving the church on August 8 in the early evening (5 or 6 p.m.), and arriving home on Sunday August 10 at 1:30 or 2 p.m. As part of our retreat, we will be attending a worship service at Centenary United Methodist Church in Youngstown. Please plan on bringing a nice outfit to wear to church.
Keep on meeting, and as always, Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
In Christ,
Pastor D.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Synagogue Wrap-Up
I hope everyone enjoyed the trip to the synagogue! If you have any questions that come up about it in your meetings in the next several weeks, let me know (through the blog if possible, so we can all look at them together!)
One person asked me about the story of the man who went into the Red Sea up to his nose, causing the sea to part. Didn't Moses part the sea? this person asked. Well, according to the Bible, yes (although it was really God who did the thing anyway!) The story the Rabbi told was from a collection of ancient writings called the "Mishnah." Mishnah tells stories about what isn't in the Bible. Like, with the story of the Red Sea, the Bible tells us that the waters parted, but now how they parted. The story in the Mishnah is that no one had faith enough to trust that God would part the waters and let them walk through on dry ground. It wasn't until one man walked into the sea up to his nose--trusting that God would protect him--that God knew the people had enough faith to trust him. It may or may not have happened that way (most scholars agree probably not), but it makes for a good story about faith! The Jewish people have a different approach to the Bible than we Christians do--for them, the Bible is a starting point for great stories about faith. Sometimes we Christians take the Bible too much at its word, and we're afraid to imagine "What if?" What if we were standing at the Red Sea, and God told us to walk into the water? What would you do?
Discuss.
--Pastor D.
p.s.--Keep your eyes on this space for details about our next field trip!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
One person asked me about the story of the man who went into the Red Sea up to his nose, causing the sea to part. Didn't Moses part the sea? this person asked. Well, according to the Bible, yes (although it was really God who did the thing anyway!) The story the Rabbi told was from a collection of ancient writings called the "Mishnah." Mishnah tells stories about what isn't in the Bible. Like, with the story of the Red Sea, the Bible tells us that the waters parted, but now how they parted. The story in the Mishnah is that no one had faith enough to trust that God would part the waters and let them walk through on dry ground. It wasn't until one man walked into the sea up to his nose--trusting that God would protect him--that God knew the people had enough faith to trust him. It may or may not have happened that way (most scholars agree probably not), but it makes for a good story about faith! The Jewish people have a different approach to the Bible than we Christians do--for them, the Bible is a starting point for great stories about faith. Sometimes we Christians take the Bible too much at its word, and we're afraid to imagine "What if?" What if we were standing at the Red Sea, and God told us to walk into the water? What would you do?
Discuss.
--Pastor D.
p.s.--Keep your eyes on this space for details about our next field trip!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Don't Forget!
I am eagerly anticipating our first field trip!
If you have not already met with your confirmand/mentor, please plan to do so before this trip.
Remember, we will be meeting at the church on May 17th at 9:45 a.m., leaving at 10:00 a.m., and plan on having lunch following the service at Congregation Rodef Sholom.
It's good to be home after General Conference!
--Pastor D
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
If you have not already met with your confirmand/mentor, please plan to do so before this trip.
Remember, we will be meeting at the church on May 17th at 9:45 a.m., leaving at 10:00 a.m., and plan on having lunch following the service at Congregation Rodef Sholom.
It's good to be home after General Conference!
--Pastor D
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Updates
Definite date for the field trip to Congregation Rodef Sholom: May 17th. Meet at the church at 9:45. The service starts at 10:30 a.m. Bring a little money with you for lunch afterwards. It is important that all confirmands attend this field trip! Mentors are also strongly encouraged to attend--you will get something out of this, too.
Also, if you know of someone who is supposed to be in confirmation, but who wasn't at the kick-off on Saturday, please let them know that they need to see me, ASAP! The process of joining the church is part of your journey into adulthood, so everyone needs to take responsibility to be a part of this process. A significant amount of missed events or meetings will result in no confirmation for that individual in September.
I'm looking forward to working with all of you in the next several months. Let me know if you have any questions--make sure you meet with your confirmand/mentor before the first field trip, if at all possible.
Confirmand/Mentor Matchups so far:
Jessica: Kelly MacDonald
Sam: Pastor David
Amber: Colleen Aliberti
Shawn: Becky and Richard Hanks
Josephine: Lolly Symcheck
Stephanie: Rhonda Harris
God Bless,
Pastor David
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Also, if you know of someone who is supposed to be in confirmation, but who wasn't at the kick-off on Saturday, please let them know that they need to see me, ASAP! The process of joining the church is part of your journey into adulthood, so everyone needs to take responsibility to be a part of this process. A significant amount of missed events or meetings will result in no confirmation for that individual in September.
I'm looking forward to working with all of you in the next several months. Let me know if you have any questions--make sure you meet with your confirmand/mentor before the first field trip, if at all possible.
Confirmand/Mentor Matchups so far:
Jessica: Kelly MacDonald
Sam: Pastor David
Amber: Colleen Aliberti
Shawn: Becky and Richard Hanks
Josephine: Lolly Symcheck
Stephanie: Rhonda Harris
God Bless,
Pastor David
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Correction-- Field Trip
The original date for our first field trip (to the Jewish Synagogue) did not work out well for Rabbi Muller, so we are going to have to move that field trip to May, probably the 17th at 10:30 a.m. We will meet at the church at 9:45, leave for the synagogue at 10:00, and then go out for lunch afterwards. Please make plans to attend this event!
Looking forward to seeing you all at our kick-off dinner on April 5th!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Looking forward to seeing you all at our kick-off dinner on April 5th!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Kick Off Dinner and First Field Trip
April 5th will be our kick-off dinner for confirmation 2008! Parents, Mentors and Confirmands will all join together for a night of fellowship, information sharing, and worship. Mentors are invited to bring enough food to share for themselves, their confirmands, and parents. After dinner, we will attend Contemporary Worship at 6 p.m. in the Chapel.
Our first field trip is tentatively scheduled for April 11. We will travel to Congregation Rodef Sholom in Youngstown to observe a Jewish Shabbat (Sabbath) service. The service starts at 8 p.m., but we will meet at the church at 5:30, so we can go to dinner beforehand. At that time, we will discuss the Jewish heritage of the Christian faith.
I look forward to working with all of you this spring and summer! God bless you as you prepare for the important step of becoming members of this congregation and The United Methodist Church!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor David
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
P.S.-- When I get back from vacation, we should have the mentor/confirmand lists finalized, so I will be publishing who is mentoring who in my next post!
Our first field trip is tentatively scheduled for April 11. We will travel to Congregation Rodef Sholom in Youngstown to observe a Jewish Shabbat (Sabbath) service. The service starts at 8 p.m., but we will meet at the church at 5:30, so we can go to dinner beforehand. At that time, we will discuss the Jewish heritage of the Christian faith.
I look forward to working with all of you this spring and summer! God bless you as you prepare for the important step of becoming members of this congregation and The United Methodist Church!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor David
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
P.S.-- When I get back from vacation, we should have the mentor/confirmand lists finalized, so I will be publishing who is mentoring who in my next post!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Welcome!
We are just beginning to get some information about who's who in our confirmation group!
So far, we have eleven youth and five mentors signed up. I'm going to be signing up some more mentors in the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, be prepared for our Kick-Off Dinner, April 5 @ 5:00 p.m. at the Church, followed by Contemporary Worship at 6 p.m. Please plan to stay for worship, as we will be having a "commissioning prayer" for the confirmands and their mentors at that time.
Here's how the process will work:
After April 5, confirmands and mentors will meet for five sessions (you plan these individually).
The sessions cover: Getting to Know You, Prayer, Presence, Gifts and Service.
We will also meet about once a month (April, May, and June or July) for a field trip to a Jewish Synagogue, Roman Catholic Church, and African-American Church. These field trips will include a meal and an opportunity for some large-group discussion.
The process will end with a retreat (August 8-10), during which we will cover some more topics relating to becoming members of the Church.
I'm really looking forward to this process! I know that all the confirmands we have will make great members of this congregation!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
--Pastor D.
So far, we have eleven youth and five mentors signed up. I'm going to be signing up some more mentors in the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, be prepared for our Kick-Off Dinner, April 5 @ 5:00 p.m. at the Church, followed by Contemporary Worship at 6 p.m. Please plan to stay for worship, as we will be having a "commissioning prayer" for the confirmands and their mentors at that time.
Here's how the process will work:
After April 5, confirmands and mentors will meet for five sessions (you plan these individually).
The sessions cover: Getting to Know You, Prayer, Presence, Gifts and Service.
We will also meet about once a month (April, May, and June or July) for a field trip to a Jewish Synagogue, Roman Catholic Church, and African-American Church. These field trips will include a meal and an opportunity for some large-group discussion.
The process will end with a retreat (August 8-10), during which we will cover some more topics relating to becoming members of the Church.
I'm really looking forward to this process! I know that all the confirmands we have will make great members of this congregation!
Call the office at (330) 652-1439, or e-mail me at: davidmacdonald@mtsoalum.org if you have any questions.
--Pastor D.
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