Powerhouse or Fading Glory?
We participated in our 4th Dodgeball Tournament this past Sunday, which was hosted at Camp Hill UMC. A team of 23 teens, 2 adults (myself and Jerry Bigelow) set out in a field of 13 other Youth Group teams from central PA, with the support of a number of awesome teen and adult supporters. We played on two courts: the upper court was a FULL SIZE (at least twice the size of our "gym") gymnasium court, while the other was this cramped fellowship hall, which is slightly longer and wider than our youth room. First a recap of our previous tournaments...

Spring '08: 2nd Place In our very first tournament, hosted at Messiah College, we lost in an intense championship game that came down to 5 on 5 before we lost our momentum, and the game...
Fall '08: 1st Place Hosted at Camp Hill UMC, our team was untouchable as we coasted through the tournament without a single loss to become the champions.
Spring '09: 3rd Place With a couple hiccups earlier in the day, we needed to beat the top seed in the final game of the regular tournament to make the 4 team playoffs...And we did with great ease! Sadly, our game used the full 15 minute limit, and on a day that had already been short on time, the decision was made to cut the playoff and go straight into the championship game. It was widely accepted that we would have won the title if playoffs had been held.

We were without a doubt one of the favorites to win it, so the question is...Would we be a Powerhouse of Power and win our second championship, or had our time at the top begun to fade?


Christmas Candy Sales:
Money seems to get shorter and shorter these days and we never want the cost of events to keep any teen from participating. This Christmas, the youth group is making and selling Christmas candy, and the majority of the proceeds will go directly back to you!! A fund will be set up in your child's name that can be drawn from just like a debit account to be used for ANY youth group event, retreat, or program. But we can't sell if we don't make, and we can't make a whole lot if we don't sell...So it's time to start cracking!

Candy Making Dates: Mon-Tue Nov 23 & 24 (after school til 5:15) Sunday Nov 29 (12:30-5:30) and Mon-Tue Nov 30 & Dec 1st (after school til 5:15). Order forms can be found in the Parent Email or at the Youth Bulletin board.

December Preview: The Dream Team volunteer staff worked on our December calendar and it will be out soon. Highlights: Guy Girl Night (Dec 6), Christmas Caroling Outreach (Dec 13), our annual Christmas Party (Dec 20th), service project (TBD), and our always popular New Years Lock In on Friday January 1st.

One Worship (This Sunday, 6-8pm)
Join other area youth groups for a time of community, prayer, and worship as we come together as a family of believers to praise God and seek His purpose in our lives.

Guy-Girl Night (Sunday November 15th, 6:30-8:30pm)
The guys will meet up in the gym for a time of competitive game before breaking into small groups in order to focus on what it means to be a man of God. Girls will meet in the youth room for activity, discussion and small group time to seek God's call for them as young women of God.

Fall Retreat: November 20-22nd
Our theme of the weekend is "Disciple" as we seek to understand what it means to live for Christ. The weekend is an incredible opportunity for your teen to take a break from their busy lives and care for their souls as we have great worship, community, rest, reflection, and fun. The weekend is an awesome chance to evaluate where the heart is and how to move towards Jesus.

The cost for the retreat is $95.

Jr High All Night Bowling: November 27th, 11:45pm-6am
That's right, all night bowling with middle schoolers! We're meeting at Garden Spot Bowling in Strasburg for a night of snacks, bowling, games and great Christian music. Cost is $16 and includes unlimited bowling, snacks, and billiards!