February 2006

Hi All,

The following is from the annual report for 2005. It is about where we have been and where we are headed for 2006. Let's see where we have been since January 2005.

1) Sunday Evening Meals Program. On the first Sunday of every other month you can find members of Hus Church Youth Group at the First Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids helping to serve dinner to the hungry in our community. Volunteers from our congregation, other churches, youth groups, and civic organizations also help with the Sunday Evening Meals Program. Beginning at 4 PM and going until 6 PM, about 8 to 10 volunteers help setup, serve, and then clean up. This has been a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and to help those that are in need.
2) Painted the Youth room - 01.29.2005
3) Items purchased and donated for the Youth room. There are now two sofas, two chairs, two lamps, a love seat, and a futon. A microwave, mini-refrigerator, stereo, TV, and DVD/VHS player.
4) Bake sale at the Pancake Breakfast - 03.12.2005.
5) Served Easter breakfast - 03.27.2005.
6) We took the youth to several Christian concerts in 2005. Welcome to Diversity concert - 05.04.2005. Relient K concert - 11.10.2005. Casting Crowns concert - 12.03.2005. Onefest - 12.28-29.2005 (A 24 hour Christian concert featuring local and national Christian artists.)
7) Terry attended "The Core" training at the Ankeny Presbyterian Church - 04.23.2005. What is "The Core?" "The Core" is a half-day training for youth pastors and volunteers developed and facilitated by Youth Specialties. There were three sessions in the 2005 version: (1) Rethinking the American Teenager (2) Responding to the Unique Needs of Girls and Guys (3) Reclaiming the American Teenager
8) Terry gets hired full-time on 08.15.2005.
9) Youth helped paint in preparation for Rotational Sunday school on 09.03.2005. 10) The second and third Wednesdays of each month have been given specific designations. Mission night is the 2nd Wednesday and movie night is the 3rd Wednesday. 1
11) Doug Page started Parent's Night Out with the first one on 10.07.2005. Parent's Night Out was held on the first and third Fridays of each month through the end of the year. We are currently evaluating the program and will be reintroducing it in 2006.
12) On October 4th Terry got plugged in to the Youth Pastor Roundtable and the Youth Ministry Fellowship. The Fellowship is a time to network with others involved in youth ministry as well as community organizations that work with youth. It is a time of sharing of ideas, programs, lessons, etc. Fellowship meets on the first Tuesday of each month over lunch at New Covenant Bible Church. The Roundtable is smaller than Fellowship and is designed as a prayer group whose members focus on youth ministry as a whole in Cedar Rapids. It is a time of training, prayer, and planning for the crave. The crave is a quarterly community youth worship service. The first one is planned for February 15th at the Salvation Army gymnasium (this will replace youth group and confirmation on these nights). The Roundtable meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at the Salvation Army beginning at 8 AM. Training has included: Going through the 2005 "The Core" training materials. A day long seminar on 12.03.2005. Pastor Ron Connerly of New Beginnings Church led the training called "The Vision of the Leader" by Bruce Wilkinson (Best-selling Author of "The Prayer of Jabez.")
13) Marion High School Bible Study with 23 youth began on 10.28.2005. They are going through a 10 week LifeGuide® Bible Study on Friendship
14) Bible study for High School youth began at Panera Bread. We are currently on our third study, which is a 12 week LifeGuide® Bible Study called "Job, Wrestling with God." Two prior studies were done. Both are from "Discipleship Journal" which is a publication of "The Navigators." The first one was "Invitation to Oneness. The Trinity provides a model for unity." The second was "Everyday Life in the Body."
15) Leaf raking - 10.29.2005 and 11.05.2005
16) First B.O.O.M. Service - 10.30.2005
17) Other fundraising done in 2005: "God's Creation" calendar sales (we still have a few left) and bottle & can redemption.
18) Planning for the 2006 Youth Summer Mission trip began. We will be going through Group Workcamps (a division of Group Publishing which published the Faithweaver Sunday School curriculum that we have used in previous years.) to Kingston, TN and participating in their "Week of Hope."
19) Hus Die-cast racing is coming to Hus Church on 02.11.2005. Planning began in the fall and continued through the end of the year. Some of us have grown up racing the die-cast cars on the old orange track of yesteryear, and now, we carry on that tradition on the new orange and black tracks, bringing our children and the community's children into the fold. What better way to spend a Saturday than with new friends and family sending these wonderful cars we've all enjoyed through the years speeding down a track, yelling for them to go a little bit faster and pull ahead of the competition.
20) Planning for the 30 Hour Famine with other churches for tentative April dates. A planning letter is being sent out in January 2006.

What does this mean for 2006? It means that there is a lot to do and we cannot and will not grow without help from the congregation. I know that you are already busy with work, family, and other activities. So, what can you do? As much or as little as you feel called to do. How much time is this going to take? As much or as little as you feel called to spend. We would rather have 20 people helping when they are able for short periods of time than to have 4 people doing it all and getting burnt out. Here are some of the things that we are going to need help with in 2006:
 Hus Racing League – Die-cast racing on 2nd Saturday of every month from February to November. This does not require a commitment for every race day, just when you are able.
 Lunch devotional leader, race officials, help in the kitchen (preparing/serving snacks and lunch-proceeds are for the Youth fund), check-in table, prize table, merchandise table, etc.
 World Vision 30 Hour Famine – this will be a lock-in on a Friday evening and all day Saturday.
 Chaperones, activity leaders, help in the Prayer room, etc.
 Summer Mission Trip Chaperones – this will be one of the few events that will require a commitment to a week of service as we are going out of state.
 Concert chaperones.
 Fundraising coordinators – Depending on what the fundraiser is, this could require one or more people.
 Middle school youth group leader(s) – this will require at least a year of commitment and if the kids like you it will be longer.
Please check the Hus Church Ministry Guide for more opportunities with the Youth and Family Team as well as the other ministry teams. Whether young or old, we are all called by God to ministry. Noah was 600 years old when the ark was completed and the floods came. Abram was 75 years old when:
1The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)
Joseph was but a young man, not more than 17, when he was sold into slavery and God began to use him in Egypt. Jesus started his ministry at 30. I was 37 when God called me to minister to the youth of Hus Church. Age is not relevant, as God will have you serve in whatever way he needs whether it is a few hours every now and then or a long-term commitment to a particular activity. To God be the glory!

Because of Him,


Terry Van Wyk
Youth and Family Life Minister

Let’s begin our journey to communicate to the emerging generations by listening—listening to generations that need to hear, understand, and respond to some Good News. It’s a generation Jesus invites to “come.” It’s a generation to which Jesus commands us to “go.”
- Walt Mueller, President of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding