Check out www.ledbyyouth.com for a calendar of events, periodic parent updates by Allison, pictures, permission forms, and more!

WF BEGINS!  Missing the old school year WF with games, snack, worship, devo, and small groups?  Come to church (meet in the gym) from 6:00 - 8:15 p.m. beginning September 12, then every Sunday during the school year!  Your student leadership and praise band teams have worked hard to make WF better than ever, so don't miss the big reveal!

BIBLE STUDIES:  High School students who want to dive a little deeper into God's word are invited to join girls' and guys' Bible studies Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 p.m.  Girls are on the Third Floor, and guys are in the Apartment.  You can jump in anytime!

THE ANNUAL WF FALL RETREAT has a new time and a new look!  This year's retreat will run from Friday, August 27, to Sunday, August 29, at Dickson Valley Camp & Retreat Center in Newark, IL, where we'll cover the exciting topic "Love and Relationships."  Get ready for swimming, a waterslide, a ski carousel, mini golf, archery, canoeing, paddle boats, challenge course, the rope bridge, rock climbing, milk jug lacrosse, and more!  The retreat will also include a special activity for Confirmands and their Sponsors.  The cost is $120 and registration is due by August 15.  Please contact Allison with any questions.

GENESIS BAKE SALE:  Don’t miss the Genesis bake sale on September 12 at the Connections Expo.  Proceeds go to scholarships and chaperone costs for retreats, BLAST outings, and our adopted daughter from Uganda.  Genesis bakers please bring baked goods to the Ministry Center on September 12, packaged and ready to sell for $1.

GENESIS FALL RETREAT:  Let’s “Jumpstart” our Genesis year at Timber-lee Christian Retreat Center, East Troy, Wisconsin, September 24-26, 2010!  Don’t miss a weekend of “getting to know you” through team building, worship with 38 Acres and Brad Hutchinson, horseback riding, tower climb, a hayride, a dodgeball tournament, boxball, and more.  This is a time we will together set goals, make commitments, pray together, and focus our year on God.  The cost is $90 (financial assistance is available upon request).  We check in on Friday, September 24, at 4:30 p.m. and leave on Friday at 5:00 p.m.  We will stop for dinner on the way.  We will leave Timber-lee by 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.  We should arrive back at church by 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 26.  If there are any problems or delays, we will notify parents.  We are also looking for chaperones.  Call Mrs. Kinsey 630-668-5147, x 20 with questions.  The emergency phone number at Timber-lee is 262-642-7345.

Reserve your space ASAP!  Return four forms - Genesis Retreat Cover Sheet, Timber-lee health form, Genesis Retreat Youth Permission Form, and Genesis Retreat Medical/Travel Release Form - to the church office by September 15 along with your check for $90 made out to First Presbyterian Church.   All four forms are online in Adobe Acrobat format and are also available in the church office.  Spaces are limited!  Be sure to Bring:

• $ for food Friday night on the way up. We drive for an hour before we stop, so you may want to eat a snack before you arrive at church.
• $ for leather craft shop ($2-$10 recommended), $ for Acorns: snacks and stuff (optional).
• sleeping bag and pillow.
• towel.
• clothing needs: dress for the weather: (rain gear, sweatshirts, jackets), jeans for hayride, tennis shoes for team course, long pants if horseback riding.
• Bible
• toiletries: shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrush.
• flashlight and bug spray.
• all four forms listed above and your signed Genesis Covenant Form, (if you haven’t turned them in already).  You may not go on the retreat without these forms.

PARENTS REGISTRATION MEETINGS:  There are two optional registration meeting dates - Tuesday, September 7, or Thursday, September 9, at either 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 7:00 p.m.  All registration forms are due September 10.

LOGOS LEADER MEETING:  The LOGOS leader meeting will be on Tuesday, September 28, at 7:00 p.m.

LOGOS begins on October 6.

LOGOS, our mid-week ministry for young people in Kindergarten through 8th grade, runs from October through March and meets on Wednesday evenings from 5:00-7:30 p.m.  Logos themes for October 2009 through March 2010 are online, and the themes for October 2010 through March 2011 will be posted as soon as they are available.

The goal of the ministry is to nurture a relationship with Jesus Christ and Christian relationships with peers and adult leaders.  This is accomplished through a four-part program that includes Bible Study, Worship Skills, Recreation, and a family-style dinner.  The program requires a commitment from each participating family to support the ministry financially and with their time and talents.

OUR CHILDREN'S MUSIC PROGRAM, Academy of Music and Art, is beginning on Thursdays on September 9, 2010. This program is designed to help children use their talents and use the performing arts to worship God.  The Glorious Cherubs (4 year old children through first graders) meet from 4:45–5:25 p.m., and the Mighty Angels (second through0 fifth graders) meet from 5:25–6:15 p.m.  We will be covering rhythm, chimes, bells, percussion, singing, drama, drums, movement, general music theory, improvisation, worship leading, and Bible study.  Both groups will be participating in worship once or twice a month.  Read more about this program, and register your children for this wonderful opportunity!

During the Summer (May 30 - September 5, 2010) . . .

CHILDCARE INFORMATION:  During the summer childcare is available during both the 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. worship services.   The easiest entrances to use for visitors with preschoolers are the Rotunda doors at the northwest corner of the parking lot.  Childcare for infants through age 2 is in Room LL103 and for 3-4 year olds is in Room LL101.  Greeters will direct you to these rooms down the staircase from the Rotunda or by using our elevator there.   Our childcare staff is composed of adults and teens who are church members who love children.

WORSHIP FOR CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 2 - Because we all "learn by doing" and we believe that worship is so important, we want our children to be in worship with their families.  Just prior to the sermon during both the 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. worship services children in kindergarten through grade 2 are invited to leave, usually with Mrs. Shelley Iliff, our Children's Ministry Coordinator, for a special children's worship service, "Proclaiming God's Word," that is age appropriate and held in the Choir Room.  This program includes Bible stories and stories to help the children learn about following the teachings of Jesus.  Sometimes the focus is on our worship together in the Sanctuary.  We pray together and sometimes sing together.  The children return to the Sanctuary after the sermon.

INFANTS' ROOM - An infants' room is available for parents with infants and small children during worship in Sanctuary Hall (under the sanctuary).  A TV monitor will display the worship service so you can care for your child and still participate in worship. This room is open for all 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. services that are held in the Sanctuary.  The nursery is also available for childcare during all 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. worship services.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN PRESHOOL:  The preschool staff is excited to be back in the classrooms welcoming five new classes of students this school year.  It takes a lot of work to set up our preschool rooms and playground each summer.  The preschool staff would like to extend our thanks to the Genesis Youth for helping us prepare our Terrific Twos classroom for school.  We would also like to extend our thanks to Miguel, Scott, and Randy Foster for a beautiful cleaning and freshening up of our classrooms plus the addition of a new playhouse for our playground.

Last spring, we celebrated twenty years of teaching by Rachel Abbott as she retired from the preschool.  This fall Judi Nychay will replace Rachel in the four year old morning class.  Judi will now teach full-time in the fours with Kathy Kyrilis.  We are very excited to announce the addition of a new teacher in our three year old program.  Lisa Larson joins our staff this school year and will be co-teaching with Heidi Gagnon in the two-day three year old class.  Lisa taught kindergarten in the public school system for seven years before staying home to raise her children.  She is the daughter of church members Carol and Ron Brushwyler.  Carol Rooney and Melanee Burns continue to co-teach the three-day three year old class.  Heidi Gagnon and Lisa Shine continue to co-teach the Terrific Twos program, now in its third year
of teaching.

Welcome parents and students! We are so happy you are here!  First Presbyterian Preschool has been serving the community since 1967.  Preschool is often a child's first school experience and sets the stage for future years of formal education.  First Presbyterian Preschool provides a safe, caring, Christian environment that stimulates the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children.  For more information please ontact Chandra Gravit, Director, at 630-668-5147 ext. 27.

SUNDAY SCHOOL for children age 2 through eighth grade begins on Sunday, September 12, 2010, and continues through mid May 2011.  Classes are during the education hour from 9:55 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

GENESIS EDUCATION HOUR:  On September 12 we start with an amazing donut smorgasbord and then continue with an amazing time of Bible study.  6th graders start with “The Bible - The Story of God’s Faithfulness:  A survey of the Old Testament,” 7th graders “With All boldness and Freedom:  A survey of the New Testament,” and 8th graders “I know My Bible,” an intense review of the entire Bible getting ready for Confirmation starting in February.

HIGH SCHOOL - THE EDGE:  Sunday, September 12, is the fall launch of The Edge.  All high school students are invited at 9:55 a.m. to the third floor of the Parish House for the “all new 2010” program.  Bring your friends, and come see what is new.

FALL CONFIRMATION CLASSES:  Hey, Incoming Freshmen!  Confirmation classes for the fall will be held during the education hour on September 19 & 26 and October 24.  Ninth graders who started Confirmation in eighth grade have just three Confirmation classes left!  Please attend to learn about Christian discipleship skills and to prepare to meet your fall requirements.  The Confirmation Retreat is October 29-30, and you'll be confirmed on November 14!  Please call Allison Tirone with any questions regarding Confirmation dates and schedule. 630-668-5147, x16.

On September 12 please join your fellow high schoolers during the education hour for the kick-off of The Edge on the Third Floor.  See you soon!