Good-bye 2011

Well 2011 is coming to a close today. It has been a year with highs and lows, but overall we have been blessed by God. My top 3 memories from 2011:

-Family memory - taking our family down to Minneapolis for a vacation and going to Mall of America, the science museum, the children's museum and many other fun places.

-Personal memory - our amateur soccer team, "The Bridge," took first place in the Duluth Amateur Soccer League this summer with an overall record of 11-2-1.

-Youth group memory- our 2011 retreat, "Clean Slate." There were so many amazing memories from this retreat, and overall we could feel and see God moving in our students. It was a great weekend.

I hope you all had a great 2011 and look forward to seeing what God has in store for 2012. If you want to share a memory from 2011 or a goal/resolution for 2012 - please do so in the comments.

Have a happy new year!

-PT

No AMP or JR HIGH youth group tonight

Just wanted to remind everyone that there will NOT be AMP or JR HIGH youth group tonight. There is no family night. There is no dinner.

We will meet again with the normal family night, dinner, and AMP and JR HIGH youth group next Wednesday, January 4.

Have a great winter vacation!

-PT

No senior high youth group tonight

Just wanted to remind everyone that we will NOT have youth group tonight.

But we wish you a Merry Christmas!!!

-PT

Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas! I hope that everyone in our youth group has a great Christmas. Remember the reason that we celebrate Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. Be bold for him this season!

And remember we will not be having Senior High youth group on Sunday, December 25th - because it's Christmas day! Enjoy the day with your families!

Merry Christmas!

-PT

JR HIGH and AMP Christmas party

Just wanted to remind everyone that this Wednesday night is our JR HIGH and AMP Christmas Party. Come on out for a fun night of games and treats.

Also, if you are in senior high you are invited to come and watch a special Christmas DVD - "The Star of Bethlehem." It is a video giving proof for how Christmas was an astronomical event that proves God and the Bible's truths through scientific research. The video will show in the sanctuary and is for all adults and students 9th grade and up.

Hope to see any of you on Wednesday. And don't forget to come at 6pm for dinner!

-PT

Hail to the Chiefs!

Well after a long, long many weeks - we are finally changing the colors of the blog. Our promise was to keep it Packers colors until the Packers lost - which happened this afternoon.

It was a hard fought game but in the end the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Green Bay Packers - so here's to the Chiefs!

Don't worry Packer fans - you're still the Super Bowl favorites!

-PT

Senior High Christmas Party & Gift Exchange

Sunday night at 6:30pm is our Senior High Youth Group Christmas Party. We will have treats and games.

If you plan on coming please bring a wrapped "white elephant" gift to exchange. A "white elephant" gift is anything from your house that you don't really use that someone else might be able to use. It can really be anything you want. If you absolutely can't bring a gift, still come because we should have extra gifts. We want you to be there. And it will be lots of fun.

Hope to see you Sunday night. 6:30pm-8:00pm.

-PT

FAMILY FEUD!

Here are some pictures from family feud last week:







-PT

Senior High Youth Group

Tonight we have senior high youth group on Sunday nights at 6:30pm until 8:00pm. It's going to be a fun night. We have a special game to play - The Family Feud! And we will be talking about the cost of not wasting your life. The Packers game will be ending as we begin, so we'll have that on as well.

Plus, there is a possibility of a visit from Tom the Potato. You got to be there to know what I'm talking about.

Hope to see you tonight.

-PT

Bayside Youth Retreat is in exactly 3 months!

That's right. Our 2012 Bayside youth retreat is exactly 3 months from today. It will be March 9th-11th. At Storybook Lodge in Gilbert, MN. The theme will be "Hide and Seek." Cost is $60. You must have a 2012 permission slip on file to attend. And your friends are welcome. You will be able to start registering and signing up after the new year.

As we get closer to the retreat, I will be posting great moments and memories from retreat past. Make a comment and share if you have any, or email me and maybe your memory can be profiled on the blog!

The above logo was from our 2007 winter retreat. The theme was "Where Are You?" and it was held March 9-11, 2007. It was an excellent retreat as we had 36 students attend and our speakers were Michelle Tunell, Scott Paulson, and me. We still had ASAPH leading us in worship and there were some very powerful moments during our sessions. My greatest memory is the senior class that was attending their last retreat. It included Justin Tunell and Shane McCotter playing in the worship band. Grant Leach and Justin Stetzer hiding in trees during the night games. Adam Johnson dominating in dodge ball. Allyse Tunell must have been there too. Dani Love, were you even there?????? Either way the class of 2007 left a lasting impression on our youth group and was an awesome group of seniors. Thanks for the memories!

So if you were at this retreat, what do you remember?

-PT

Tom the Potato

Jon Lindberg won the quiz for the second week in a row

Last night was great. If you weren't at senior high youth group you really missed out. We had a lot of fun, there were some crazy moments, and we had great conversations revolving around the message of the night. Here are some highlights:

-We watched the tail end of the Packers game that came down to the last play. The Packers won by kicking a field goal with no time remaining. Thus, the blog colors remain green and gold.

-We had a quiz on female actresses. Jon Lindberg won for the second week in a row! Can he make it three in a row next week? He will certainly have some tough competition because the subject is Alpacas - my guess if Falyn McCotter is going to be in contention!

-The message was "Making a Difference in Your World." We followed that up with some great discussion during our small group times.

-We played a variation of capture the flag - we had several winners and several that were relegated to the "Vestibule of Shame."

-We were visited by Tom the Potato. If you missed it, I hear he will be back next Sunday night. So don't miss it!

See you then!

-PT

Vote for your favorite event of the year

We have a new poll on the blog. As you can see on the left side of the blog we have a poll question. What was your favorite youth group event from this past year? You have 5 options to choose from:

-Bayside Bowl V
-For the love of...dodgeball
-Clean Slate Retreat
-Valleyfair
-Campus Missionary Retreat

So take a moment and vote for your favorite youth group event of 2011. We want to know what you liked best!

-PT