Here is a link to the Powerpoint slides (in PDF format) for the presentations at the Higher Things “God’s Fingerprints” retreat in Cincinnati, Ohio.

April 15, 22 and 29, 2012

Services at 8:15 AM, 9:45 AM, 11:00 AM

We will be holding Divine Service in our Fellowship Hall the last three Sundays in April.  This is due to the installation work on our sanctuary’s new air conditioning and heating system.  We will have THREE SERVICES instead of the usual two.  Adult bible classes will be taught during the 9:45 worship service.  The class that usually meets in the Fellowship Hall  will meet in the gym.  Sunday school will take place as usual from9:45 AM to 10:45 AM.  High School Sunday School class will not be held these three Sundays.  Teens are encouraged to attend the adult bible class of their choice.

This year our Easter Breakfast fundraiser will double as the Commitment Celebration for our capital campaign, “A Memorial For the People.”  The breakfast – pancakes, sausage, and homemade breakfast casseroles – will take place in the gym this year, and food will be served from 9:45 to 10:45.   A special presentation about the capital campaign will be made around 10:10 AM.  Every member of the congregation should be receiving a phone call inviting them to confirm their attendance at this special event!

This is a major fundraiser for our youth, 11 of whom are traveling to North Carolina for the Higher Things gathering this summer.  Parents of youth, and other congregational members, are invited to signup below to bring in casseroles for the event.  If you would like a recipe, click the “send me a recipe” button at the bottom of the form:

All children are invited! Pitman Park is located on the NW corner of Evergreen Street and Newcastle Ave, just inside the 610 West Loop at the Evergreen St. exit.  In preparation, please leave donations of treat filled plastic eggs in the blue box located in the Commons by April 1st. Before the hunt, remind your children how Easter eggs remind us of the new life Jesus won for us on the cross! Youth Group and Jr. Youth Group members: We need your help! Please meet at 9:00am at Pitman Park to hide eggs and help with the hunt.  If you have questions or if the weather looks ominous Saturday morning, please call to confirm: Rachel 713.851.7329 or David 713.927.6341

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Memorial’s annual youth-led Easter Breakfast will also be the Commitment Celebration for our Capital Campaign, “A Memorial for the People.” Breakfast will be served from 9:45 to 10:45 in the School Gymnasium, with special capital campaign presentations to be offered at 10:10 AM. A free will offering to support our senior youth group trip to Higher Things in North Carolina will also be taken up.

MLC now has a monthly newsletter for its youth! It will be mailed out near the end of each month to all youth listed as members of the congregation in our database. If you would like to receive the newsletter, please contact the office. You can download and read the February edition of the newsletter. Thanks to Diane Lamberson, our newsletter editor!

Our annual St. Valentine’s fellowship dinner will take place on Saturday, February 11th from 5 PM to 7 PM. Memorial’s own Kris Becker will be our special musical guest for the evening. A suggested donation of $10 per person will be taken at the door, with proceeds to benefit Memorial’s youth traveling to North Carolina for the Higher Things youth event. Babysitting will also be provided with donations accepted.

The youth and parents who met with Pastor St-Onge on Sunday, December 4, 2011, decided to travel to the June 26-29, 2012 Higher Things event at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.  All teens who will be entering or just graduated from high school in September, 2012 are invited to come.  At this point we have a little more than a dozen teens interested.

To reserve a place, please download the HT-individual-registration, complete it, and bring it back to the church with a $50 deposit by Sunday, December 11th.

The senior youth will have a Christmas “Lock-In” from 7 PM to 7 AM, December 16th through 17th.  If you don’t want to stay all night, you may leave at 11 PM.  After that, you’re “LOCKED IN!”  There will be food.  There will be games.  There will be a lack of sleep.  But most of all, there will be time spent with your brothers and sisters in Christ.  To RSVP so we can have food and drinks for you, fill out the form below.

The senior youth of Memorial (9th to 12th grades) have a whole range of opportunities for study, service, and fellowship in 2011-2012.  To stay informed and to RSVP for special activities, be sure to join our Facebook page, MLC Youth.

Starting August 21st, Pastor St-Onge will be teaching “Romans: Being a Christian in a Crazy World”  Sunday mornings from 9:45-10:45.  The class will meet in the youth room in August through September, then in the fellowship hall in October and November.

Our Monthly Gatherings this year will different from anything we’ve tried before.  We will meet most 1st Sundays and 3rd Saturdays from 6 to 8 PM.  Sundays we’ll play silly sports like Dodgeball as well as Wii and pool in the youth room; Saturdays we’ll play more “serious” sports, starting with volleyball in the fall.  We will be inviting (“challenging!”) other area youth groups to join us on Saturdays!  After an hour of play we’ll move to the youth room for pizza,  and a short bible study and fellowship time.  Here’s a calendar of get togethers:

• Saturday, Sept 17: Volleyball
• Sunday, Oct 2: Silly Sports / Activities
• Saturday, Oct 15: Volleyball
• Sunday, Nov 6: Silly Sports / Activities
• Saturday, Nov 19: Volleyball
• Sunday, Dec 4: Silly Sports/ Activities
• Saturday, Dec 17: Christmas Party

Youth Food Drive

The Mini Youth Retreat will be held at the Faskes’ lake house in Conroe, Texas on Friday, September 23rd to Saturday, September 24th.  We’ll leave Memorial around 5 PM on Friday, stopping for dinner on the way up.  We’ll come back Saturday late afternoon or early evening.  You can RSVP here.

The Fall Food Drive for West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) will take place Saturday, October 1st from 9-11 AM (hanging doorhanger announcements), with collection taking place October 8th from 9-11 AM.  Donations of non-perishable food items will also be accepted from the congregation on Sunday, October 9th from 9:00 to 11:00 AM under the covered drop off on the west side of the sanctuary.  This activity is for junior youth, senior youth, and MLC young adults.

The St. Valentine’s Dinner Fun-Raiser will be Saturday, February 11 from 5 to 7 PM.  Youth help with decorating before the dinner, clean up afterwards, and babysitting anbd serving food during the dinner.  Proceeds will go to the youth who participate to offset costs for attending a Higher Things youth event or the Nicaragua mission trip in the summer of 2012.

The Easter Breakfest Fun-Raiser will be Easter morning, Saturday, April 8 from 9 AM to 11 AM.  Youth and parents are asked to prepare a breakfast casserole to bring in Easter morning, and to help with either set up or clean up before or after breakfast (depending on which worship service you attend), and serving during the breakfast.  Proceeds will go to the youth who participate to offset costs for attending a Higher Things youth event or the Nicaragua mission trip in the summer of 2012.

This year we have four Higher Things Lutheran Youth Event locations to choose from: Missouri, North Carolina, California, or Ontario, Canada.  We will cut short our bible study on Sunday, December 4 at 10:30 AM in the youth room for a special meeting of parents and youth to choose which event we will attend and to get a commitment from parents and kids. Early registration deadline is December 31, 2011.