Good Evening Parents & Teens!

We have a lot of important updates for you! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Hang out nights continuing tomorrow night as planned (mostly).
Sunday Morning Children's Volunteer Schedule!
The Post - New Bible class for teens on Sundays after church, starting SUNDAY 9/27.
ROAD WORK will NO LONGER interfere with Wednesday night pick up.
~~Family Fun Fest & Chili Cook-Off~~ CANCELLED
Fall Retreat Registration is Live!

Grace and Peace,

Fuzzy

Upcoming Events

9/26: MS Hang Out Night @ Church (6:00-8:30)
9/26: HS Hang Out Night @ Kraemer's (6:00-9:00)
9/27: "The Post" Bible Class Starts (12:00-1:00) [All Youth]
10/3: ~~Family Fun Fest & Chili Cook-Off~~
11/1: SQUAMISH (HS Only)
11/6 - 11/8: Fall Retreat @ Victory Valley (All Youth)
11/21: Rake, Bake & Shake (MS Only)
12/4 - 12/5: Christmas Walk-Thru
1/15 - 1/17: Winter Retreat

Hangout Nights for MS & HS on September 26, REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER!

Though we might not be able to do all that we planned to do (particularly the high school) we will continue with things as planned. It will be a great opportunity for the teens to build stronger bonds with the other students and leaders in the groups!

High School Hang Out Night @ The Kraemer’s

Who: All students in grades 9-12

When: Saturday Sept. 26th @ 6:00-9:00

Where: The Kraemer’s (726 Windsor Pl. Wallingford, PA)

Bring: A snack to share if you are able

Middle School Hangout Night @ Grace Church

Who: All students in grades 6-8

What: Games, Food, Music & Fun

When: Saturday Sept. 26th @ 6:00-8:30

Where: Grace Church (723 S. Providence Rd. Wallingford, PA)

Bring: A snack to share if you are able (main dinner food provided)

Note for parents with teens in both MS and HS: The Kraemer's are just a quick 5 minute drive down the road. It's fine if teens show up a few minutes late and the ending times are staggered to help you with pick up. I may be able to transfer some middle school students at the end of the night to the Kraemer's if that would help!

New Youth Bible Class

Are you interested in going deeper in your understanding of the Bible? Starting September 27th, we will be offering a new 1 hour Sunday Bible Study that meets every week at 12:00 noon.

This study will be different from many discussion-based groups. While application is important, our primary focus will be on learning what the Bible actually teaches, understanding its structure, its message, exploring its context, and growing in our knowledge of God's Word. Together, we'll study Scripture carefully and build a stronger foundation for our faith.

This is not intended to be a social gathering or hangout time. Instead, it is designed for students who are serious about studying the Bible and want to go beyond the surface to gain a deeper understanding of God's truth.

Whether you're new to Bible study or have been reading Scripture for years, you'll be challenged to think, learn, and grow.

When: Sundays at 12:00 PM (starting Sept. 27th)

Length: 1 hour

Where: Upstairs in Room 205

Focus: Understanding the Bible and its teachings in depth

If you're ready to dig deeper into Scripture, we'd love to have you join us!

What to do instead?

We are sad to announce that we are cancelling the Family Fun Festival , which has been one of our favorite events in the past. Quite a few factors impacted this decision, the greatest being our need for an additional 30-40 volunteers to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for the community. We thought we gave ourselves enough time to pivot from the original International Festival plans, but, in hindsight, that wasn't the right call.

The good news (aside from the fact that Jesus is alive and reconciling all things to Himself, praise the Lord!) is that most of the elements from the festival can still be experienced in some way during the month of October. Here is some alternate programming you can look forward to :

Were you or your kids looking forward to the activities like the bounce house? We are excited to "plus up" our centennial celebration on Sunday, October 18thwith more activities for kids and the whole family to enjoy. Some of those festival favorites will be set up for everyone to experience after the church service.
Bummed that you can't show off your chili recipe? We'd love to have you make chili for our Centennial on Sunday, October 18th. We think your homemade chili would help make the perfect autumn meal for our 100th celebration. Maybe we can even still let people vote for their favorite chili and make it a true cook-off... More details and sign-ups to follow.
Still wanting to attend a community event on October 3rd? CADES (a non-profit in Swarthmore that provides services and education for people with special needs) is hosting a community day for their 75th anniversary. The event takes place from 3:00-6:00, full of fun activities like a petting zoo, and is followed by a movie night. Though it is free to attend, they would like everyone to sign up beforehand and ask for a $10 donation in order to enjoy the food. (If it would be a blessing to your family, reach out to Fuzzy and we will happily cover the cost of your food ticket!) Get the flyer HERE or find more info HERE.
Disappointed that Grace Church is missing an opportunity to be a more present blessing to the community? Talk to Pastor Aaron about the unique opportunity we have each year to make an impact in our neighborhood on Halloween. We can now invest more funds into that evening which has historically garnered more foot traffic from neighbors than events like the Fun Fest. We were also planning to do a special event for our NA friends and their families who use the church on Friday nights, and will now have more resources to put towards that.
Oh, and we highly recommend heading out to Victory Valley Camp on October 24th from 4:00-7:00 for their free "Bunk or Treat" family event. They'll have free hayrides, zip line pumpkin chunkin (how amazing is that!?), s'mores, crafts and other activities. It's about an hour away, but they make the trip worth it! Plus, it's a great opportunity for your family to check out this incredible camp that our BFC denomination has the great privilege of owning. Get the flyer HERE.

We hope that you would prayerfully consider what God might have you do in place of the time you may have planned to dedicate to the fun fest, be it attending a different community event, serving in a different capacity, or simply taking that time to stop and rest (yes, obediently slowing down and resting is glorifying to God too!)

Youth Group (Grades 6-12)

Students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 meet every Wednesday night from 6:30-8:00 to build community and dive deep into God's word, growing in Christ together. Grades 6-8 in the fireplace room (room 103-104) and Grades 9-12 in room 201. Make sure that all attending have filled out THIS FORM.

Road Work Moved to Daytime Hours

And just like that, they changed the roadwork back to daytime hours. So this map is relevant if you're ever trying to get to the church on weekdays between 9-2. Wednesday nights should be clear now!

Fall Retreat (All Youth)

Nov 6-8

What will we be doing? We will have an ACTION PACKED weekend at Victory Valley Camp in Zionsville, PA. The weekend will be centered on Christ and community with times for singing, digging into God's Word, and a wide variety of activities including field games, indoor basketball, a game room and Goliath (ropes course).

Who is the speaker? This year Elizabeth Piasecki will be our Keynote speaker. Elizabeth has been part of Grace Church since birth and is now planning to go into full time overseas missions. We are excited to have her minister to our own youth one last time before heading off to wherever God leads her.

Can my teen go up late on Friday night? YES! We will do our best to make sure there is a late van for any teens who can't come up on time. Though it is best for teens to attend the entire retreat, we will make sure that they do not miss any essential information in the first session that would prevent them from following along for Saturday's sessions. (Also, note that we are not going to actually head out until 5:45, but the only way to eat dinner is to get to church before 5:30.)

How much does the FULL weekend cost? The cost of the retreat is $125 per teen and includes a t-shirt. A $50 deposit will be due on Wednesday, October 21st and the remaining $75 is due on the day of the retreat. (Register early to guarantee your preferred shirt size.) You are welcome to pay the entire amount upfront. If a scholarship would be a blessing, just ask! We don't want any teens to stay home because of funds.

Is there dinner on Friday night? YES! We are including dinner on Friday night. Just show up to the church @ 5:00 and we will eat before we leave. You must arrive by 5:30 if you want to eat dinner before we leave.

Daily Teen Devotionals

How to Join: You can click on this link for the YouVersion Bible App download the app and create an account if you/your teen don’t already have one. Once you do that, you can just become my friend by clicking HERE and I will ask you to join the latest plan. I made my name "Fuzzy Phillips" in the app, so it should be very easy to know if you have the correct person!

Is your teen involved in sports, a musical, or something else that students & leaders might want to attend? Let us know and we will add that information to this section!

Our mailing address is:

723 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, PA 19086 United States

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MS & HS Hangout Nights Tomorrow, Sunday Class & More