February 2, 2004
The Youth of First United Methodist Church, Greenwood have been very busy since the beginning of 2004. We started the year with Overflow, a Youth retreat at Camp Lake Stephens near Oxford, MS. Newby Cook, Pam Holmes, and Eddie Amelung accompanied eight of our Youth on this unique worship and praise experience to ring in the New Year. In mid-January, our Youth once again volunteered for the Greenwood Little Theatre, serving as ushers and assistants for
The Lion in Winter. They have done such a good job there since last May that they have been asked to assist with the remaining productions for the rest of the season. On January 25, Bro. Glenn presided over a
Communion/ dedication service for the Youth Worship Room on the third floor. This has been an ongoing project for some time and there is still some artwork left to be done on the walls, but we are now ready to use this room as a place of meditation, prayer, candlelight and "Love Feast" ceremony, and an occasional Communion service.
On February 1, our Youth participated in the annual
"Souper Bowl of Caring", a nationwide effort of Youth helping others in need. Holding large soup pots and tureens at all Sanctuary exits, our Youth collected more than $700.00 for
Sta-Home Hospice, a local non-profit agency that cares for sick and dying patients, regardless of their ability to pay. In the evening, the Youth met for a Super Bowl party on the third floor, with lots of food and fellowship. We called in our total offering to the
"Souper Bowl of Caring" national headquarters, where collections of over TWO MILLION dollars were reported from over 15,000 churches and other organizations. With God in the driver's seat, Youth certainly can make a difference!
The big event coming up is our sixth annual "Youth Dinner Theatre
Fundraiser" on Friday, February 20, 2004, at 6:30pm. The theme for
this year's fundraiser is Regards to Broadway. The fellowship hall will
be transformed into a fashionable "restaurant" in New York
City, complete with smaller tables and candlelight, where guests will be
treated to a delicious meal before the big "premier"
entertainment event. Pam Holmes will be the "master decorator"
for this event, assisted of course by the Youth. Pam and her crew of
parents and other volunteers will also be in charge of the meal, which
will include appetizers, soup, chicken with mushroom sauce, wild rice,
English peas with pearl onions, rolls, and Brandy Alexander pie. Eddie
Amelung has lined up some fabulous entertainment for this event,
including the vocal talents of native favorite Connie Black and
Indianola resident Bret Reynolds, Anne Roberts on piano, the singing
trio of our own Beverly Smith, Amy Hooper and Pam Holmes with pianist
Flolane Walker, and vocalist Helen Sanders, also of our congregation.
Several of our Youth are also scheduled to sing or dance for this
"revue" of Broadway hits from yesterday and today. Other Youth
will be hosts, hostesses, waiters, waitresses, and assistants for this
event. They will all be dressed in "Broadway Premier" attire
or as characters from a Broadway musical. We encourage guests to dress
for a "night on the town" as well, although this is not
required. Reservations, which are necessary, can be made though the
Church office or by contacting Pam Holmes or Eddie Amelung. The deadline
for reservations
is Wednesday, February 18. The Youth will be visiting Sunday school
classes and speaking during the morning worship to promote this dinner
show, which is our biggest fundraising event of the year. As is our
custom, there will be no set charge for the dinner and show. Donations
will be accepted at the end of the show, and we hope the service, food, and entertainment will inspire our guests to donate generously to the Youth Fund!
We will use the proceeds from our fundraising efforts for our upcoming Spring Break Mission trip to Seashore United Methodist Assembly in Biloxi, MS. We leave on Sunday, March 14 and will be staying at Seashore Assembly on the MS gulf coast and
working on some repair and upkeep projects for them while we are there.
In addition, we will do some volunteer work at Moore Community House,
also a United Methodist facility that assists low income families with
children. We will be working at both of these facilities Monday through
Thursday. On Friday we will drive to New Orleans for some sightseeing
and recreational time, and we will return to Greenwood on Sunday, March
21.
Looking ahead, we are beginning to plan for the Lake Junaluska Youth
Jubilee Weekend retreat in the summer, a highlight event of the year for
our Youth. Plans for this trip will be announced soon.
New Youth Officers for 2004 are: Matthew Chambliss, President Anna
Chambliss, Vice-President Samantha Jones, Secretary Matthew Moore, Treasurer
We congratulate our new Youth Officers and commend all our Youth for their dedication to UMYF and First United Methodist Church.
Eddie Amelung, Youth Coordinator
