Therefore, since
we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay
aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run
with perseverance the race that is set before us. Heb.12:1
Current
Events, Happenings and Praise to Our Lord
FUMCi
Youth
Sean Cawthon, Director of Youth and Evangelism
FUMC, Irving, TX
972-253-3531, ext 30
214.538.8443, cell
SEAN’S SCOOP . . .
The Mystery Trip was a huge success! On Monday, we started off
heading to Austin, TX to eat at the Green Mesquite BBQ as seen on
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (Food Network). It was awesome. Then we
drove a little way back up the road to tour Inner Space Caverns just
outside of Round Rock. We had to wait TWO hours, but it was well
worth it. We spent the night at FUMC Round Rock in their youth room.
On Tuesday…the next morning we drove around the corner to grab some
of the world famous Round Rock Donuts, mmm, mmm, good… I picked up
some orange juice and milk at a local Wag n Bag (kind of like a 7
eleven) and we drove back to Austin to tour the Capitol of Texas. As
we pulled up, one of the kids hurled donuts and juice on the seat,
floor, bag, clothes, other kids, and the seat back one row up as we
stopped for the Capitol. I have to say that I single handedly earned
my entire salary for the next year on that one clean up… I felt
sorry for the student, but we all rallied together and worked it
out. After we toured the Capitol, we drove toward the West in search
of LBJ Ranch, the home of President LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson until
Mrs. Johnson passed away in 2007. It was quite a neat tour to see
the boyhood home, the school house and the Texas White House of the
former president and his family. Our final stop on Tuesday was
Bulverde, TX, where we stayed at Bulverde UMC, the home of Bethany
Graham, a former Youth Director here at FUMC Irving. She was a
delightful hostess and several of the kids enjoyed seeing her after
a few years. On Wednesday, we set off for San Antonio. Our first
stop was the site of the icon of the 1968 Worlds Fair, the Tower of
the Americas. It is 750 ft. to the very tip top of the radio tower
extending off the peak of the monolith. We had a fun time on the
observation deck, both outside and in. You can see for 800 miles at
various points. If you happen to remember, ask someone about our
trek up the sidewalk getting to the Tower. Our next stop was the
Buckhorn Museum and The Texas Ranger Museum in downtown SA. There is
some incredibly interesting taxidermy work in there and the
atmosphere was straight out of the Wild West. Our next visit was
going to be the Alamo, but the line wrapped around the building and
the local news was there to take a few shots because they had never
seen that many people trying to get into the Alamo. Our time limited
us from waiting, so we opted for sno-cones and headed to the river
walk. We visited the mall that attaches to the river now for about
30 minutes and then trekked our way to our pick up location for our
personal tour of the river. The riverboat tour lasted about an hour
and the guide was a plethora of information of history and
unbelievable stories. Our last night was spent back at Bulverde UMC
where we ate dinner with the church in support of a fund raiser for
a three year old boy who has leukemia. Our final day was Thursday
and we spent the morning packing up and getting gas and then driving
to Austin for lunch. One of our awesome church members donated some
Chick-Fil-A coupons to the whole group and so we stopped in Austin
to eat lunch – FOR FREE!!! On the way north, we stopped in Waco for
a visit to the Dr. Pepper Museum, which turned out to be quite neat.
Finally, after four days and 20 youth later, we had our final stop
at another Diners, Drive-ins and Dives location in Dallas, the
Twisted Root Burger. A few wonderful parents joined us for dinner
and a great time of food and hanging out was had by all. We reached
Irving after four days and 800 miles of travel. I am very pleased
that we were kept safe and everyone made it back in one piece. Whew…
Now, if you are still reading… we also had some very meaningful
devotion times looking at the Lord’s Prayer. The first devotion was
analyzing the first phrase “Our Father, Who art in heaven”. The word
“our” and “Father” were looked at independently as we wrestled with
their meaning and then we rejoined the words to gain a greater
understanding of “Our Father”. We talked about where God lives, why
he lives there, and who lives there with Him now. The second
devotion took a hard look at the phrase, “hallowed be Thy name”. It
is hard to use the name of God correctly and with reverence these
days for the youth. One of the most used sayings that flows out of
the mouths of babes these days is, “Oh my G@#” We looked at how we
speak and why we would never want to be so disrespectful of our
Father in heaven. Finally, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven”. These statements help us to remember that
we are not alone in our our daily walk on this earth. We can call on
God to guide and fulfill us in all times of our existence. In doing
so, we become a steady beacon of hope for the lost, as well as
satisfying our own journey toward heaven and our relationship with
the Father. I am a blessed man to work with these wonderful youth.
Thank you!
Refuge – Every
Wednesday Night
@ 7:07 - 8:30 PM in the Youth Room. Invite your friends! There’s
something spectacular going on here, and the more we have, the
better it will be!
Sunday Evenings - Come and worship
with our youth at 6:30 with uplifting and powerful songs and message.
Come and see how our youth praise God in all of his glory.
Remember you can always bring a friend or
two !!!!!!!!!
News
Worship on Wednesdays! Every Wednesday Night @
7:07 - 8:30 PM in the Youth Room. Invite your friends!
There’s something spectacular going on here, and the more we
have, the better it will be!
YOUTH CHOIR NEEDS YOU!! You don’t want to miss
choir because we have already begun working on some super
cool music for the Spring Season. Come join us Sunday at 5 pm.
Room 207W
FUMCi Youth Low Fat Calendar
April Easter and another visit to help feed the
homeless at Austin Street shelter in Dallas
A Prayer
Father God, we thank you for the children and youth who step
into the halls and classrooms of this church. We ask that
You would woo them by Your Spirit and renew their hearts,
and minds. Amen.
Calling All Parents
We need your help! Your children are learning about
the Lord and having fun at the same time. Please consider
how you can be a part of your children’s lives and the lives
of other great kids. For information on how you can
participate call or email Sean for more info.
Youthful Notes
The Youth Choir has moved to 5:00 on Sunday afternoon
in 207W. Come and serve your church by
participating in the Youth Choir.
To help you keep up to date on what the
youth will be doing, check out the new board in the narthex. The
youth, as well as sponsors, can sign up for all of the activities coming
up each week. Also check out the calendar at www.irvingrefuge.com .
Refuge Youth Worship on Wednesday
nights has a new format. We are still actively worshipping together
and praying as a group. In addition, we are utilizing different media
formats, new music and chill time.