FLY Updates: January 2025

We are so excited to get back together! Each year students are required to fill out a Medical Release and Registration form - this is needed in order to participate in our trips. Please fill this out as soon as possible! Here's the link to the form: Youth Ministry Registration, Medical Release, and Yearly Permission Form.

Important Dates!

We have A LOT in store for the year ahead! Attached is a list of important dates throughout the year, including our mission trip dates. Students will get a physical copy of this list when we begin meeting in September. Here's the list of dates: FLY Important Dates.

Jan. 8 - FLY Nights Resume - Religious Cults

We're back starting January 8!

Jan. 12 - FLY Forum - Religious Cults pt. 2

We'll be continuing our conversation from Wednesday.

Jan. 15 - FLY Nights - Game Night

Join us as we play games together!

Jan. 17-19 - Winter Retreat 2024 Information

If you're going on the Winter Retreat, here's everything you need to know before you go!

Winter Retreat Departure - Friday, Jan. 17

Confirmation and FLY will be leaving for the Winter Retreat on Friday, Jan. 17 at 6 pm. Please try to arrive at Faith at 5:50pm so that we can load the bus and leave for the retreat as close to 6 pm as possible. Students need to eat dinner BEFORE they arrive at Faith on Friday, Jan. 13th. Our first meal together will be Saturday breakfast and we ask that students please don’t eat on the bus. There will be plenty of time for snacking on Friday night when we arrive at Camp Wonderland.

What to bring to the Winter Retreat

Students need to bring the following items to the Winter Retreat:

· $ for lunch on Sunday

· A drink to share with everyone (bottled water is a great option – many kids don’t

· A NUT FREE snack for everyone to share (individually packaged snacks are best – the more the merrier!)

· Bible, journal, & pen

· Cards / Games to play during free time (optional)

· Water bottle

· Toiletries (Shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, comb)

· Warm, comfortable clothes for Saturday / Sunday

· Pajamas

· Closed-toed shoes

· Slippers (You won't be able to wear shoes / boots indoors and the floors get really wet!)

· Warm winter clothes (Coat, Gloves, Scarf, Hat, Snowpants, Boots). Note: We WILL be outside - regardless of the temperature!

· Flashlight

· Helmet (Optional but required if students want to play Broomball during free time)

Students do NOT need to bring any of the following to the Winter Retreat:

· Phones – we have a no phone policy on this trip to help us focus on our community over the weekend

· Bedding (Pillow, sheets, blanket, towel and washcloth will be provided and we will NOT have room on the bus for these items).

· Electronics: including but not limited to iPads, laptops (We want students to be focused on their community, not worried about what's going on at home. Plus, we don't want these items to get lost. If students bring any of these items, an adult leader will be happy to hold onto them until we return to Faith on Sunday.)

· Jewelry: We'll be doing lots of activities and we'd hate for jewelry to get lost.

Students' gear needs to fit into a medium sized (or smaller!) duffel bag. (Please try not to bring a hard suitcase or rollerboards! They're too difficult to fit on the bus!)

Returning to Faith on Sunday, Jan. 19

We'll return to Faith on Sunday, Jan. 19 after closing worship at Wonderland Camp. We'll stop for lunch on the way home (students need to bring money) before returning to Faith around 2 pm.

How to Contact Us During the Retreat

We will be using Remind to communicate during the Winter Retreat. To join our remind chat, send @wr25cf to 81010. We will send pictures and let you all know when we arrive through the chat.

In case of an emergency, please contact Kayla or Pastor Julie. Deacon Kayla’s number is 231-233-8178. Pastor Julie’s number is 630-776-2597

Jan. 19 - NO FLY FORUM

Jan. 22 - NO FLY - Take some time to recover from the Winter Retreat!

Looking Ahead: Youth Sunday - Feb. 9

Youth Sunday is a tradition at Faith where our FLY students plan out and lead both worship services on a Sunday. Youth Sunday is happening on February 9! Throughout January and February, FLY will be meeting together to help plan the service, take on leadership roles, practice, and design t-shirts. For those who are interested in participating, we highly recommend that everyone comes to all of the planning and practice sessions. Depending on your student's role, they may need to meet at times outside of this (ex: Seniors giving sermons, musicians).

Theme: During the Winter Retreat, we took some time to look at the passages for Youth Sunday and pull out a theme. This theme will be incorporated throughout our service!

Below are the dates for planning and practices - it is important that all students attend as many of these as possible to help contribute and prepare:

Sunday, January 26 - Youth Sunday Planning during Forum - t-shirt designs due and we're dividing up roles! If you do not attend, you will be assigned a role.

Wednesday, January 29 - Youth Sunday Planning during FLY Night

Sunday, February 2 - Youth Sunday Practice during Forum

Wednesday, February 5 - Youth Sunday Practice during Forum

Sunday, February 9 - Youth Sunday - Students need to be at Faith by 8am and will be done after the second service (around 12pm); it's important that students attend both services

T-Shirts: One aspect of Youth Sunday is that all participants get a t-shirt that is designed by the students that meet the theme of the Sunday. If you are interested in helping create a design for the t-shirt, please use Custom Ink and email me the link. The t-shirts are provided by Faith. Please fill out the following form to submit your student's t-shirt size.

Breakfast Potluck: In between services, during the Education Hour, FLY hosts a breakfast potluck. Parents and students are expected to bring items to share - please make sure that the items are nut-free! Food must be in the FLY Room by 9:45am. We are also looking for parents to help set up the FLY Room and clean up afterwards. If you are able to bring something, please fill out this form to let us know what you are bringing.

Seniors - Sermon Information: Seniors giving sermons - please just your emails and text messages for important dates and information for your sermon writing process coming to you after Winter Break!

Youth Sunday is an important tradition for this congregation! The people of this church love to hear from our students. If you have any questions about this, please let me know!