Lost Creek Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
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YOUTH

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:14, 16)

Just as children are special to Jesus, children are special at Lost Creek Presbyterian Church. When a child is baptized the congregation makes a commitment to raise the child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and we take that commitment seriously.

We have a Sunday School class for children that includes preschool through 6th graders, and a class for Youth that includes 7th through 12th graders. We use material published by David C. Cook that teaches the basics of the Christian faith through learning Bible Stories and helping children discover how these stories can guide their daily lives.

Our worship of God is a central focus of the ministry of Lost Creek Presbyterian Church. And we believe worship is an important part of a child's growth as a Christian. Children learn best by doing, so they are encouraged to sit with their parents or friends throughout the service. As they hear the prayers and hymns repeated each week they begin to learn them too. They also hear the scriptures read and the pastor has a special time with the children when he shares the message of his sermon in a way that is easier for children to understand. Children are also invited to participate in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Though they may not understand the meaning of the Sacrament at first, they quickly learn that it is sign of God's blessing, and as they continue to participate they grow into a fuller understanding of the sacrament and its place in their lives

Beyond Sunday School and Worship we have joined with Trinity Lutheran Church in their children's ministry called The Good News Bearers and their youth ministry called TALC.

You can learn more about our joint ministries with Trinity by visiting Trinity's website.

YOUTH MINISTRY

The Teens from Trinity and Lost Creek have joined together to form a group they call TALC (pronounced talk).  Although the letters came from the names of our churches, TALC stands for Teens Acting Like Christ.  The group is for any teenager in 7th to 12th grade. TALC is led by Sonya Delancey, the Director of Youth Ministries who is supported by both congregations. If you have questions about TALC, you can send Sonya an e-mail at talcmail@yahoo.com.

The group's name reflects its purpose.  The group meets together to learn about God and to encourage each other to be more like Christ in their daily lives.

They meet together on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.  Most meetings begin with a devotion and then the youth go for a fun activity like miniature golfing, bowling, or just getting ice cream at The Creme Stop.

They also do a number of service projects throughout the year, including visiting shut-ins at home and the Nursing Home, helping clean a stretch of Highway that runs through town, serving special meals at the churches, and even helping customers of Schlegel's take groceries to their cars.
Girls in Poodle SkirtsThey also participate in the Christmas Angel program. This is a program administered by Trinity Lutheran that invites churches and individuals to buy Christmas presents for children in the county. The youth adopt several of the teens in the program and go shopping one afternoon to buy clothes and other presents for the teens. One year to raise money for the shopping trip the youth hosted a 50's Style Drive-In Restaurant in the Trinity Lutheran parking lot. As customers parked their cars their orders were taken by youth dressed in 50's fashions wearing roller skates (or more often roller blades). The menu included a BBQ Sandwich or Hot Dog, potato chips, home made chocolate chip cookies, and a root beer float. While customers ate their meals they enjoyed music from the 50's played on our own home made Juke Box (grin). Through this event they raised $584.25.
In the Fall of 2002 TALC went on a trip to the Corn Maze at Little Buffalo State Park near Newport.

The staff at Little Buffalo State Park made a maze in a corn field. This year stations were set up in the maze. Each station had a flyer about the history of one of the many covered bridges in Perry County. Visitors to the maze were divided up into teams of 4 or 5. Each team received a card to punch when they arrived at a station. They also had questions they had to answer by reading the flyers. Each team was also timed to see how long it took them to complete the maze. Minutes were added to their time for missed stations or wrong answers. It took Pastor Fowler and his family almost 2 hours to complete the maze. After the trip through the maze the youth went out for Ice Cream.

Here, Youth Director Clarice Pellman leads a team of guys through the maze. See more pictures of the visit to the corn maze.

The youth have several fund raising activities to help with the costs of special trips.  At Easter they have a Flower and Bake Sale at the McAlisterville branch of the Juniata Valley Bank. In the Fall they have decorated yards with pumpkins and flowers. They also enjoy The Great Pumpkin Caper in which they try to sneak a pumpkin on a church member's porch. If they are caught, they have to do an hour of community service. But if not, they earn $10.00 for the group. And there are rumors that this year they will bring the Flamingos out of storage.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY


The Good News Bearers is for children preschool through 6th grades. The leader is Jean Barnard. They usually meet twice a month during the school year. One meeting is for fun, like a Halloween party, bowling, or skating. The other meeting is for learning Bible stories. In April they play a giant game of Bible Trivia Pursuit to see what they've learned throughout the year.
Meghan lets looseOn February 23, 2003 the Good News Bearers went bowling at Ney's Bowling in Mifflintown. The manager put bumpers in the lanes so every bowler had a chance to knock the pins down, even the adults. Everyone had a great time!

Dressed in ArmorIn April the Good News Bearers play a game of Bible Trivia Pursuit on a life sized board. The kids are divided up into teams, and each team has a youth from TALC join them. Colored carpet squares make up the board. They roll a giant die to determine how many spaces to move. And one member of each team actually moves on the board to the different locations. The goal is to be the first team to collect all 6 pieces of the Armor of God found in Ephesians 6:13-17: the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. The winning team has their names engraved on a plaque on a special cross that is displayed in the church.

Click Here to see more pictures of the 2003 Bible Trivia Pursuit game.