May 13, 2010

<<First Name>>,

The end of the school year is rapidly approaching, and summer events will gear up soon after! Next Sunday, May 23, is Baccalaureate Sunday. I would encourage all of you, teenagers and adults, to take time to sign the graduate posters in the hallway outside the fellowship hall. This is a great way to send our graduates off to college with a tangible reminder of our thoughts and prayers.

Also, the strategic plan will be presented to our deacons next Monday, and then to the church soon after that. Your input in the BRAINstorm sessions was invaluable to the process. In fact, your input helped directly in shaping a large part of the strategic plan. One of the recommendations is for us to develop a team of parents and youth that will help support and guide our youth ministry efforts. Since I had only one family confirmed for the Leading Families event out at Camp Canaan for this Saturday, we are going to postpone that event until we organize this team.

Check out the articles below, especially the details for Sunday's day at the lake! Hope to see you all there!

Peace,
David

Afternoon at the Lake -- This Sunday, May 16
This Sunday afternoon, we will meet at the church at 2:00pm to head out to Jimmy and Angie Perry's house on Lake Wylie. You can take a ride on the boat, ski and tube, fish, or just hang out on the shore. We'll have snacks and ice cream and a lakeside devotion, and return to the church in time for youth choir at 5:30pm. Bring swimsuits, towels, and a life-jacket.

PARENTS: We need several of you who have ice cream churns to make some homemade ice cream for us! Let me know if you can do this!


Empire State Concert with Woodland UMC -- Sunday, May 23
For our final Sunday Night Live! of the school year, we will join up with Woodland United Methodist for a concert here at Oakland. The two groups will meet for pizza and fellowship at 5:30pm with the concert, featuring Empire State, a Christian rap/hip-hop group, to follow. From their album notes: "Empire State is a state of mind that understands the sovereignty of a supreme being, a holy creator, a just, and majestic God that provided a way out of darkness. The light of Truth comes from within where the heart and mind meet." This concert will be an exciting way to celebrate the end of the school year!

Sign-ups for Unidiversity and Mission Trip
Don't forget to sign up online for Mission Trip (June 13-18) and Unidiversity (July 5-10). Cost for Mission Trip is $100 and Unidiversity is $260. We already have a number of folks signed up, but there is still room for you! A $50 deposit for Unidiversity is due as soon as possible!