Good Luck!

Good luck to everyone taking exams this week !  

Would you like to take a leadership role in St Mark's EYC ?  We are taking applications for Youth Council, our Youth "vestry" that helps guide St Mark's EYC.  At our monthly Youth Council meetings (7-8 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month), we discuss EYC events, ideas for the future, and we pray for the youth group. The application is attached to this week's e-mail, so prayerfully consider whether Youth Council might be for you.   

Our first pictures are from Sunday's 7th Grade Pool Party!  Get excited, people :

 
Here is the 2012 EYC Slideshow, for those who missed it on the last blog:

What a fabulous year :)!

Random Holiday : Thursday (5/25) is International Tiara Day (click here for more info)!

On Sunday, June 3rd, the Mission Trippers will be "commissioned" for ministry at the 10:00 a.m. service !  Come to church in your St Mark's Tie-dyed T shirt!

Have you signed up to work Vacation Bible School ?  This year's VBS is Operation Overboard, and it will be July 9-13 in our new Commons building! Check out all the fun in this preview video:  

Don't miss out on a great week of volunteering at St Mark's!

Sunday, July 8th (the day before VBS starts) is our annual Youth Breakfast , when the youth group cooks breakfast for the St Mark's congregation.  The breakfast will begin at 9 a.m.--sign up today to help!

The second group of Pool Party pics show some fun and games:

Summer Sundays are back ! On Sunday, July 15th, July 22nd, July 29th, and August 5th, the youth group will go out to lunch together after the 10:00 St Mark's church service.  Bring enough money for your meal--we'll announce the restaurants in the summer flyer!

This week, pray for everyone who is sad or stressed out.

Quote of the Week : “Summertime is always the best of what might be.” --Charles Bowden

Our last group of photos show several groups during the party.  Remember that God loves you, and so do I !

Happy May!

St Mark's is taking a survey of all members, about the future of the church, and YOU get to give your ideas/opinions !  Where do you see St Mark's in 5-10 years?  If you didn't fill the survey out at EYC on Sunday, click here and do it today (According to Fr Jon, it only takes 6 minutes and 48 seconds)!

The Senior High Mission Trip Lock-In is this weekend (May 11th-12th) in the Youth Center !  Come ready to get to know our Mission group better, and to learn more about Toronto.  The Lock-In starts at 7 p.m. Friday night, and ends at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

Thanks to everyone who participated in Youth Sunday!  You all did an amazing job of ushering, reading, greeting, singing, and oblationing (I know that's not a word, but go with it!). Here are the first pictures:

 Have you signed up to work Vacation Bible School ?  This year's VBS is Operation Overboard, and it will be July 9-13 in our new Commons building! Check out all the fun in this preview video:  

We need Spanish speakers in particular--Don't miss out on a great week of volunteering at St Mark's!

Random Holiday : Saturday (5/12) is Hug Your Cat Day!  Click here for ideas on how to celebrate!

We are having a rising 7th Grade Pool Party on Sunday, May 20th to welcome the new class of 7th graders into EYC !  The party will be 3-5 p.m. at the Upchurch's house.  Please let me know if you would like to come and meet the new class!

Check out more pictures from Youth Sunday, along with our official 2012 Youth Slideshow!

Would you like to take a leadership role in St Mark's EYC ?  We are taking applications for Youth Council, our Youth "vestry" that helps guide St Mark's EYC.  At our monthly Youth Council meetings (7-8 p.m. on Tuesdays), we discuss EYC events, ideas for the future, and we pray for the youth group. The application is attached to this week's e-mail, so prayerfully consider whether Youth Council might be for you.   

The Ortega Bridge is open--Woohoo ! Come and celebrate with the Ortega/Avondale community at the Bridging the Gap Celebration on Saturday (5/12) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Here's a flyer:

This week, let's pray for tests (specifically AP exams) and stress.

Quote of the Week : “To say, ‘I am your servant’ without any conditions is to be a disciple. This is hard.  It might hurt…but are you ready to be a disciple?” –Steve Case

Our last pictures are from our last EYC of the year, including this year's Fr Bob Award recipients, and a pic of St Mark's graduating Seniors! Remember that God loves you, and so do I !

Final EYC!

Sunday is our FINAL EYC of the school year ! Come for a fun night of faith, games, and worship.  Stay for the most awesome youth group slideshow ever!  We're back to our regular schedule for EYC, so Juniors will be from 5-7 p.m. (7th-8th graders), and Seniors (9th-12th graders) will be from 6-8 p.m. in the Youth Center.

In case you missed it at EYC on Sunday, here is our EYC tribute to the Class of 2012. We'll miss our graduating Seniors!

Youth Sunday is THIS Sunday (May 6th), and we need a few more volunteers !  We have open spots for the Youth Band (both services), Ushers at 8:45, and one Reader at 8:45. Sign up today!

Our first group of pictures are from Sunday's water balloon fight (thanks to Ashley for pics):

The May Youth Council Meeting is Monday, May 7th, from 7-8 p.m. in the church library . Don't miss it!
 
Have you signed up to work Vacation Bible School ?  This year's theme is Operation Overboard (click here to preview the songs), and it will be July 9-13 in our new Commons building!  Don't miss out on a fun week of volunteering at St Mark's! 

Random Holiday : Today (5/1) is Batman Day! Get ready for The Dark Knight Rises...  

The second group of pictures show sisters and funny faces:

The 2012 Mission Trip Lock-Ins are the next two weekends  (May 4th-5th for the Juniors, and May 11th-12th for the Seniors)! Each Lock-In begins at 7:00 p.m. Friday night, and ends at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Come ready to learn, have fun, and bond with your Mission group!    

This week, let us pray for the Class of 2012.

Quote of the Week : "Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life." --Oswald Chambers

The last group of pictures show the EYC love :).  Remember that God loves you, and so do I !