Update from the Director of Education Ministries -- Amy Grella - 412-801-3723
Upcoming Youth Events
Sunday, Feb. 27 - 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Ice skating with Senior High Youth. We’ll meet after church and head to South Park to ice skate. Cost is $9 total ($6 admission and $3 skate rental). I need to purchase tickets in advance, so be on the lookout for an RSVP.
Sunday, Mar. 13 - 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Meal Prep for The Table at Hot Metal Bridge. Meet in the kitchen to prepare and serve the meal for Bower Hill’s turn at The Table at Hot Metal Bridge. I will order us pizza for dinner that night. See article below for additional details.
Tuesday, Mar. 15 - 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Serve meals at Hot Metal Bridge. We need 2-4 youth and/or adults to help serve a meal at the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community on the Southside.
Youth Group mission work at The Table at Hot Metal Bridge
Continuing our year-long focus on hunger, the youth group will host Bower Hill’s meal at The Table at the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community on the Southside in March. We will meet in the evening on Sunday, March 13, to cook the meal, including dessert. We will cook pasta, marinara and meat sauce, fresh roasted veggies, and sheet-pan brownies. We need one or two adults to assist in our kitchen to prepare the meal that night. If you are interested, please let Amy know.
Tuesday, March 15, we will go the Hot Metal Bridge Church on the Southside to help serve the meal. The meals are served on-site from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Due to COVID, meals are served in to-go containers and delivered to customers waiting outside. Check your email for additional details on how to participate in this service opportunity.
Tackle Hunger Challenge Results
Thank you to all who donated in support of the youth Tackle Hunger Project. Many youth reached out for donations from neighbors, helped walk fliers around to the homes near the church, and even donated their own money. Collectively, we raised $650 in cash for SHIM and collected 495 non-perishable food items! Special thanks to Ruth Robbins for picking up items left by church neighbors and to Gordon and Anne Mitchell for delivering the food items to SHIM.
Last Call for Spring Retreats for Youth
We are hard at work planning Spring retreat options for our youth groups. Before you decide if this opportunity is right for your child, please prayerfully consider why we retreat.
WHY is it vitally important for kids to retreat? Retreats allow kids to grow by taking them out of their norm and giving them a break from their day-to-day. Kids unplug, breaking their dependence on technology. They get to play outside and tune in with the natural world, instilling a deeper appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation. Kids are given opportunities to make choices independent of parents and teachers, thus instilling important leadership skills for the future. Kids are encouraged to try new things, even if they are a little nervous about them, and once they see their accomplishment, their self-esteem soars. Sharing new experiences together as a group allows them to get to know each other better and in new and different ways, which makes lasting group memories. Youth retreats are all about empowering young people to experience God together and helping them grow.
But can we retreat safely right now with COVID? We strongly believe that we can. The planning team has thought long and hard about how to do these retreats safely in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Requiring students to mask, given the duration of the retreat, the number of meals that will be shared, and the very nature of sleeping quarters is not feasible. Therefore, we are asking everyone to complete a home rapid COVID-19 test before leaving (and by everyone, we mean everyone). While rapid tests are not perfect, they will help us minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission during the retreat. All attendees will provide proof of a rapid test from the day of departure BEFORE we depart. Registration ends on February 28.
March 5-6 - Tweener Retreat at Camp Crestfield
We are thrilled to get back on campus at Crestfield for a fun-filled overnight, specifically designed for students in grades 3 - 6. The Next Generation Team of the Pittsburgh Presbytery is running this shortened retreat, with Crestfield hosting youth from churches across the region. We will leave early on Saturday morning and return by lunchtime on Sunday. Right now, we have seven youth registered for this event… don’t miss out!
March 18-20 - Spring Retreat at Camp Ligonier
Don’t miss out this time… we will return to Camp Ligonier for a weekend retreat open to all middle school and high school students in grades 6 -12. We will partner again with area youth from the six 319 / North Hills churches. We will help with an on-site work/service project on Saturday morning in exchange for (free) use of their adventure equipment in the afternoon.