Baptism at United Church of Chapel Hill

The United Church of Christ baptizes babies, children and adults. While we do not believe that people must be baptized in order to be saved, we do believe that baptism, as one of the two sacraments we practice, is a significant passage in one's journey of faith. The pastors welcome inquiries about the meaning of baptism and about discerning an appropriate Sunday to make baptismal promises to an infant or child.

A description of the UCC theology of baptism can be found at:

 http://www.ucc.org/worship/baptism

Faith and Family Sunday Morning Discussion Groups

The original Faith & Family Class meets in room 229.  The

The new Faith and Family Class B, for parents of teens and pre-teens,  meets in the Assembly Hall.
This winter the class discussed the book,  Parenting the Teenage Brain by Sheryl Feinstein. The group also discussed teenagers and internet use.  Resources include:

The Teenage Brain (view presentation)

For more background, read "What Makes Teens Tick" from Time and "Inside the Teen Brain" from US News & World Report.

Technology & Other Risks (view presentation)

Seasons of the Church Year

We are now in Lent. A description of this season can be found here.

2009 - 2010 Liturgical Year Calendar

Practicing the Promise: Guiding Children Through the Christian Year

TWEEN TIME: A Bridge Program for 5th & 6th Grade Students

We are happy to announce the formation of a new initiative for the 5th and 6th grade students of our church, the working title of which is "Tween Time."

Our hope is that Tween Time will help students transition more smoothly from elementary school to middle school, and from being active in Children's Ministries to participating in youth group.

We also hope that by sharing in a few experiences throughout the year, the kids will develop closer connections with one another. As these children progress through our program at church, they will increasingly do things together, from worship to retreats and mission trips. Stronger relationships among the members of the group can only make those experiences more meaningful.

We have planned our first event for Sunday, November 1, when we will travel together to Raven Rock, near Sanford, one of the most scenic state parks in the Triangle. We will leave right after Church School, at 11 am. Weather permitting, we'll have a picnic lunch there, and then take the short hike to the park's centerpiece, Raven Rock. We'll return to the church by 4:45 pm.  More information about this outing will follow, but if you know now that your child would like to participate, let Jenny Shultz or Susan Steinberg know. We will need three drivers besides Jenny and Susan, and would welcome any parents or guardians who would like to join us.

Other plans for the year include a group trip to buy gifts for the recipients of our annual Giving Tree Christmas outreach effort, a shoe collection for people in need (through a program called Soles for Souls), a trip to the Carnivore Preservation Trust and going out for lunch after church at a local restaurant.

Advent Adventure: Dec. 6th- Gift buying for Giving Tree Families

     Students & parents will gather in the youth lounge, following the 11 o'clock service, and enjoy a brown bag lunch together.  (please pack your own lunch) After lunch the group will proceed to Target where they will purchase gifts for the families & children represented by our Giving Tree at UCCH.  This is a family affair so parents are expected to accompany their 5th/6th grader(s).  For more information, please see Jenny Shultz or Susan Steinberg.     

TWEEN TIME CALENDAR

• Sunday, November 1st – Trip to Raven Rock State Park
• Sunday, December 6th- Giving Tree Christmas Gift Buying
• January - Lenten Season- Soles for Souls Collection
• Sunday, April 18, Lunch at the LOOP!
• Sunday, May 2nd, Trip to Carnivore Preservation Trust

*Scholarship assistance is available for all programs.

8th Grade Sexuality Retreat: April 16-17th

At United Church we believe in providing wholistic educational experiences for our youth including sexuality education.  In the past we have offered classes on the Our Whole Lives (O.W.L.) Sexuality Education curriculum and are looking at continuing this study in the future.  Each year during the Spring we offer a Sexuality Retreat for 8th graders offering a safe space for students to continue growing as adolescents in their understandings of who they are as whole beings.  This year the retreat will be Friday April 16th & Saturday April 17th.  If you are interested in your son or daughter participating in this retreat, please email Jenny Shultz or Jill Edens.  This is not an overnight experience; the group meets Friday evening and returns on Saturday morning for a full day of time together.  Feel free to call or email Jenny for more information.   

Sr. High "30 Hour Famine" Fundraiser for HAITI: April 16-17th

This April the youth of Chapel Hill will join the efforts of hundreds of thousands of young people all over the nation who will set aside the usual “stuff” that fills their daily lives. Instead, they will do World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine “ON AN EMPTY STOMACH” – the theme for this year. By going without food, they get a taste of what the world’s poorest children and families, those people suffering in Haiti today, face on a daily basis. Prior to the event weekend, students raise funds with the knowledge that every $30 they raise can help feed and care for 1 child for a month.  Our UCCH youth will perform a hands-on service project, volunteering at the IFC, during the weekend in order to make a difference in our own community.  Please join the Facebook Page "Chapel Hill-Durahm Area 30 Hour Famine" for more information. 

Youth Summer Mission Trips: June 18-26, 2010

Each summer, rising 9th graders through graduated seniors engage in mission outside of the local community. Our trips in the past few years have included repair and maintenance on a camp in New Hampshire, home repair in the mountains on Virginia, and serving in homeless ministries in New York City as well as Washington, D.C. We have also done educational and farm work at the Heifer International farm in Rutland, MA and we served at various non-profit groups serving the poor and homeless people of Nashville, Tennessee. We took an international trip to Costa Rica, taking a fabulous group of 32 people.

The plan for the summer of 2010 is an incredible week of serving at the Heifer International farm in Rutland, MA, with a short stop in Boston to see Blue Man Group and explore the pier. Don’t miss these wonderful opportunities to live out your faith while serving others in far away places.

Click HERE for the Mission Trip Registration Form. 

Montreat Youth Conference: July 25-31, 2010

...is for all rising 9th graders through graduating seniors. Montreat is an outstanding week of music, small group discussions, dances, large group recreation, new friends and creative worship.

Approximately 1,000 Sr. High youth will be there from all over the United States. Our group will be staying at a mountain cottage that is within easy walking distance of all conference events, including the Huckleberry ice cream shop! We will be eating simple but delicious home-cooked meals and living together in community for this week. We also have a free afternoon in the beautiful mountain town of Asheville, NC. Please join us!

The dates for 2010 are July 25-31. So mark your calendars now!  The cost of the trip is $425 or $350 for a second youth in the same family.  A $200 deposit is due to Jenny no later than Sunday, January 24, 2010.  Registration packets can be found outside of Jenny's door in the wall pockets. 

Thanks!

Click HERE for Montreat Registration Form.

Click HERE for the UCCH Medical Release Form.

Youth Groups in May:

Sunday, May 2: Carnivore Preservation Trust & College Night w/Steve Farmer

MS Youth & TWEENS, 11:00am- Orientation & Lunch outing. 1:00pm- Carnivore Preservation Trust Tour (Pittsoboro).  Parents, pick-up youth by 4pm.   

Sr. H Youth- 6:00pm-Dinner, 6:30pm: College Expectations with UNC Associate Provost and Undergraduate Director of Admissions, Steve Farmer. 

Sunday, May 9: Confirmation Sunday

No Youth Groups this evening

Sunday, May 16: End of the Year Cookout

Wilson Park, 5:00pm-7:00pm (All Youth & Youth Familise, Volunteers, Board Members) 

Wilson Park is located off of North Greensboro St., just past the Estes Dr. intersection, on Williams St, on the right.  See you there!!

Parents, please Click HERE to sign-up for something to Bring!

UCCH Youth Ministry...where everyone is welcome. 

At United Church we understand that students are our future; therefore, we embrace the opportunity to provide sacred space for imaginative ideas to take root, forums for open discussions and conversations to take place and the opportunity to get involved in making a difference …in the local community and in our world at large. At United Church we want students both to identify and take hold of their voice as it possesses the strength and the uniqueness that through God’s love can and will be the “difference” for somebody else.

Sunday evening youth meetings allow students time to form community as a group through social interaction, cultural engagement, reflective-intensive time, and various other activities. Both the youth and adult volunteers are responsibly engaged in covenantal relationship as it relates to the group working to provide mutual respect and openness to all involved, as well as intentional inclusiveness for visitors, guest speakers or those we encounter in other communities.

Friends and visitors are always welcome!

Sunday Evening Schedule

4:30 pm ReMix Youth Choir
5:30 pm Middle School Youth Group                                                                                               6:30 pm Dinner for All Youth
7:00 pm Sr. High Youth Group

The Middle and High School students meet separately on Sunday evenings to allow each group to form its own identity, share and engage in topical conversations that are age and content appropriate to their intellectual as well as social development. The senior high students will experience struggles and controversies in their lives that middle schoolers are not yet facing, and middle schoolers alike will have needs that high schoolers are unaware of. However, we do provide time for our entire group to gather and share experiences, laughter, prayers and fellowship during our shared meal time at 6 pm and after dinner for our opening gathering at 6:20.

REMIX is a musically driven venue for middle and high school students interested in the arts, including: vocal and instrumental music, as well as dramatic interpretation. ReMix will perform in about six worship services per year, in both the local community as well as on tour, and will stage a spring musical. If interested, please contact Jenny Anderson or Jenny Shultz at unitedyouthgroup@gmail.com or just simply show up Sunday evenings at 5 pm.

Planned Events and Activities for 2009-2010 year
 

Fall Retreat in the mountains

Ropes course

Mountain biking

Canoe trips

Service opportunities

Hiking

Art classes and projects

Music outings and concerts

Holiday parties

UNC/Duke basketball games

Summer camp experience to Montreat

Confirmation retreat

Variety show

Ski trip

Beach retreat

Storytelling and drama

Youth choir & musical

….and much more.

Click here for our calendar

Church School, 10:00 – 10:50

Grades 6 & 7, Downstairs (Youth Lounge, Room 156)

Confirmation – 8th Grade & older, Downstairs (Room 161); more information

Grades 9 – 12, Downstairs (Room 163)

Curriculum

The Middle School church school class is using Seasons of the Spirit. Seasons vision is for an authentic Christianity lived in our culturally diverse and religiously pluralistic world; to be signs of God’s liberating, compassionate, and inclusive love, and to grow in our relationship with God.

The Senior High class will base its lessons on current world events and culturally relevant topics and will provide space for open as well as challenging discussions appropriate to students’ needs and interests.

8th Grade & older
(Room 161, downstairs)
Teachers – Jill Edens & Jane Day

Confirmation is the second step in the covenanting process, following baptism, for young people at United Church. Eighth graders and older are invited to discover what it means to commit to Christian faith. We use the Affirming Faith curriculum of the United Church of Christ.

Call or email Jill Edens for more information
jedens@unitedchurch.org, 942-3540, ext . 59

Here is the class schedule:

January 31 -- finish statement of faith "I believe God . . . "

bring book to class with Session 11 "Jesus Christ, Human and Divine" completed

February 7 -- Session 12 "Jesus Christ, Crucified and Resurrected"

February 14 -- Session 13 "Jesus Christ Risen Savior" turn in your books completed through Session 13

February 21 -- Write Statement of faith "I Believe Jesus . . ."

February 28 --  Session 14 "Guided by the Spirit"

March 7 -- Session15 "Bound by the Spirit" view Peter and Paul

March 14 -- finish viewing Peter and Paul

March 21 -- Write statement of faith "I Believe the Holy Spirit"

March 28 -- Session 16 "The Body of Christ"

April 4 -- Easter NO CLASS

April 11 -- Easter break TBA

April 18 -- Session 19 "The Sacraments" Write Statement of Faith "I believe the church . . ."

April 25 -- Finish Statement of Faith

May 2 -- Session 2 "Worship"  Last session to work on worship service for May 9th

May 8 -- 5:00pm full rehearsal for confirmation day -- dinner provided by parents

May 9 -- Confirmation Day at both 8:45 and 11:00 services

Looking Ahead:

Confirmation Day -- May 9 Confirmation Day 

Youth Ministry Survey 2010

The UCCH Board of Youth and Young Adult Ministries is evaluating our current Youth Ministry program. It is our hope that we are providing our youth with a breadth of opportunities to participate in the life of the church. Please take a few minutes to help us in this process. We would also greatly appreciate any suggestions for new ways to engage our youth in our Church. 

Click HERE to take the Survey

The Youth Ministry at United Church of Chapel Hill is a collaborative effort by many dedicated people to provide diverse and well balanced programs in worship, education, music, drama, service, and fellowship.

The primary intentions of the youth ministry program are:

• To call young people to be disciples of Christ.
• To respond to the needs and the interests of young people.
• To work together, youth and adults, in partnership.
• To be connected to the whole church, community, and the world.
• To include all young people, reaching out and inviting them to belong to the community of faith.