Night of a Gazillion Plastic Eggs

Tonight at youth group we filled the entire North American supply of plastic eggs with candy for the egg hunt Saturday morning. Because nothing says "Jesus is risen!" like grade schoolers giddy with high fructose corn syrup. Good news is there was enough extra candy that everyone who cared to could stuff their pockets. Bad news may be insulin shock later tonight.

Not a horribly disfiguring accident...

Here's a cameraphone image from youth group Sunday night. Before you text Bobby with sympathy about his ruined face, it's just a piece of ham from dinner - and rest assured, he ate it right after I snapped the pic - no wasted food.

Hamface MAY be back this next Sunday. What'll definitely roll on is our study of John Wesley's 3 Simple Rules for Living AKA the General Rules. This Sunday: Rule #2: Do all the good you can to everyone you can at every possible opportunity. Join us from 6:30-8:30 in the youth room.

Peace,
Pastor Michael

8 Dollar Hot Dog and Chacocente

Here are two videos on YouTube that we've watched at youth group the last couple of weeks. They both feature my Baylor classmate Chris Seay. The first, produced by The Work Of The People, highlights the effect thoughtless living by American Christians has on our sisters and brothers around the world, especially in the global South. The second is of Chacocente, Nicaragua, where Chris' church in Houston provided a well so kids there wouldn't have to die because they lacked clean water. Sunday night in youth group, we collected $19 toward and UMCOR project to get wells for Nicaragua. $104 left to go, so bring deny yourself a ringtone or a soda this week and bring your cash to youth group Sunday night.

Pictures from the Snow Trip

No Youth Group This Sunday, Snow Day Deadline Extended

Because of The Big Game, we won't have youth group this Sunday February 3rd. Also, the deadline to get your $40 in for the Snow Trip is extended to 7PM, Tuesday February 5th. By no coincidence, that's the ending time of AUMC's annual Shrove/Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras Pancake Supper. So come from 5:30 to 7PM on Tuesday and for a donation of your choosing, slurp all the pancakes and sausage you like. If you want to earn some SSL hours, or just help your fellow humans, you can wait tables.

Questions - give me a call or email me at youth AT ashtonchurch DOT org.

Peace,
Pastor Michael (who cares not at all who wins Sunday night...)

The Church Has Left The Building...

Some cameraphone photos of AUMC students at the MLK Day Celebration of Service at the Montgomery County Convention Center in Bethesda.

9 students, three adults and two prepping-for-youth-group people had a great time Monday at the MLK Day Celebration of Service. After lunch at Wendy's, which we escaped without our hair turning into a red yarn wig (but that would be momentarily cool, maybe, huh?) we joined approximately 3 trillion other people in the Marriott ballroom and worked on a variety of projects, including making buttons, placemats, necklaces and puzzles for hospitalized children and preparing lunches for homeless neighbors. Giant thanks to Ann and Eric Johnson for Green Machine transport and student wrangling, and to Sue Mabie for student wrangling <- this is my new name for chaperoning/sponsoring outings. Like horse wranglers, except with adolescents. Yeah, I like that.

Snow Overnight at Ski Liberty February 17th and 18th

A webcam of the main slope

We’ll celebrate President’s Day by heading up to Ski Liberty in Gettysburg for an overnight Snow Trip. For those of you with a snow allergy, there are also outlet malls, so you can do your bit to keep the economy strong.

Here’s the scoop:
Deadline for payment: Sunday February 3rd at the end of youth group. You are not signed up to go unless Pastor Michael has a check made out to AUMC for the base cost by February 3rd.

Base Cost: $40 (includes transportation, lodging, dinner Sunday night and breakfast Monday morning)

Other costs: Lunch and dinner Monday, whatever snow stuff you want to do (see below), whatever shopping you do.

Snow Costs:
Skiing/boarding:
Class for beginners $77.00 (lesson, lift and rental)
Rental and lift ticket: $35.00 rental and flex ticket (open to close) $59.00 total $94.00
Just lift ticket $54.00 (8 hours- flex)
$48.00 (4 hours-flex)
tax on rentals only is 6%

Tubing:
One hour - $15.00
Two hours -$20.00
This includes use of tube and lift

Schedule:
Sunday February 17th
2:30PM Depart AUMC
4:00PM Arrive Gettysburg, check into hotel
5:00PM Pizza dinner together
6:30PM Snow Tubing (see above) or chill at the hotel

Monday February 18th
7:30AM Breakfast at hotel
8:15AM Skiers/boarders head to Ski Liberty
9:00AM Slopes open
late morning/early afternoon shoppers head to outlet malls
5:00PM Head back to Ashton, stopping for dinner on the way
7:00PM Arrive back at Ashton

Where we’ll stay: the Hampton Inn, which has an indoor pool.

If you have any questions, email Pastor Michael at youth AT ashtonchurch DOT org or call the church office 301.774.7100.

MLK Day On, Not A Day Off This Monday

This Monday, January 21st, when you're done sleeping in, come to the youth room. We'll hang out and watch cartoons, then grab a fast food lunch on our way to join hundreds of other volunteers in the ballroom at the Marriott on Rockville Pike for the "A Day ON, Not a Day OFF!" Celebration. Choose from making lunches for area shelters, making cards for soldiers overseas and here at Walter Reed, making ribbons for Autism Awareness and many other activities. We'll be back at the church around 3:30PM for your parents to pick you up. This activity earns 2 SSL hours, and Pastor Michael will have forms prepared for you to take home with you. Don't forget to bring money for lunch.

AUMC at ROCK

Barbershop ROCK

ROCK 2008 - Jesus Christ: More Than A Rockstar

23 students and 7 adults from AUMC joined 5500 other students and adults from the Baltimore-Washington Conference at ROCK 2008 in Ocean City this weekend. We were challenged from the Scriptures by Rev. Grace Imathiu to decide for ourselves who Jesus is, understand who we are, and bring others to Christ. Salvador led incredible worship. Bishop Schol led a wonderful communion service Sunday morning. We spent time as a church group ice skating, visiting the Boardwalk and singing and praying together. Oh yeah, and the guys in his room shaved Shawn Brogan’s head! (With his permission.) 4 AUMC students stood during the closing worship service, indicating they were making a fresh commitment to follow Christ. I deeply appreciate Shawn and Julie Brogan, Terry and Cherie Conrad, Craig Johnson and Eric Johnson for giving their time and energy and sacrificing sleep - and in Shawn’s case, hair - to help students grow in their faith. On January 27th, students who attended ROCK will lead both morning services, giving testimony to God’s work in their lives.