LYF (Lutheran Youth Fellowship) a ministry for and with 9th-12th graders. This active group participates in monthly spiritual and social events and activities. Skiing Trips, Servant Activities, Lock-ins, Retreats, National Gatherings and much more describes youth ministry.

ORKS (Our Redeemer Kids) Monthly activities, both social and spiritual, describe this group of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. This group participates in three annual retreats.

Reflection 2008

The youth group has had a lot of fun since the last report about the Live Nativity in December. From staying up all night a few times to skating and skiing, we've covered it all - and as always we have had lots of fun and made memories in the process. Here's what we've been up to lately.

January

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day the church went to Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort in Galena, Illinois. Although the day was a bit cold, it was filled with fun, food, and snow.

The LYF had a wonderful weekend over the 25-27. We had a winter retreat with the theme of Every Relationship (ER). We stayed the weekend at the parsonage (Thank goodness there were showers!!!) and spent a small amount of time at church. We, of course, played sardines - and some other games. We had bible studies and group discussions. We also split off into boys and girls for deeper conversations. We all learned a lot and had tons of fun. Kaja and our gap leader Jamie along with their fiancees Aaron and Justin were our leaders, and we all got to know each other a little better. Saturday night, Jamie and Justin made terrific spaghetti for dinner. Sunday morning we went to Parkview Church for worship. It was a very different service then most of us were used to - there was a lot of music and the sermon was also very different than what we were used to hearing - however, it was a fun experience. The weekend was amazing and we all had a wonderful time.

February

Super bowl Sunday, February 3, we had a party hosted by the Eckman's. However, due to road and weather conditions, there was only about seven of us. Nonetheless, it was a fun night (with more than enough food!) and a good game.

The last weekend in February, when the ORKS had their lock-in, we also made cinnamon rolls. Some LYF came in Friday night to help make dough. Saturday morning, the ORKS and a few LYF rolled the dough out. The project was finished on Sunday morning. It was a good fundraiser and lots of fun.

March

March 8 was our annual pancake day. Many youth volunteered to help serve and bus tables. It was a long day, and very busy, but as always, it was very fun!

On March 9 we had our annual Wellman roller skating night. It was a good turnout and tons of fun. The music was great and as always, a Coblentz won the limbo contest!

The weekend of March 14-15 was our first ever lock-out. This was also an event in which the LYF invited the eighth graders to attend. We started at 9:00 on Friday night and played some name games and then sardines (as always!!!). We then went to Hy-Vee and split up into groups to buy food for the Iowa City Crisis Center. Each group had about 64 dollars to spend on their grocery list. Added together, we made a very long receipt! Next, we went to Marcus Theaters in Sycamore mall and watched Vantage Point - a midnight movie! The movie was action packed and kept us all awake! We then spent about two hours at a gym in a local church. We played games such as dragon tails and elbow tag and also had plenty of free time, with a few competitive rounds of knockout. Around 4:00 we went to Wal-Mart and had a scavenger hunt. The hunt turned out to be slightly harder than expected, but the ice cream at the end made it all worth it. Most of us were very tired at 6:30 when we left for breakfast at Village Inn. However hungry we may have been, not all of us made it through breakfast without putting our heads down for a few minutes. At 8:00 Saturday morning, when we went back to church, we were all more than ready to go home and crash - but it was a fun filled weekend!!!

On Easter, March 23, the LYF served over 100 people at our annual Easter breakfast. Set-up started on Saturday morning, where we set out tables and decorations and prepared eggs and hash browns to be cooked. Early Sunday morning we started cooking and served after the 8:00 service. We served eggs, hash browns, sausages, little smokies, fruit and muffins. Of course afterwards, we all got to help clean up! It was a day (or two days) fun, friends, and food!

Emily Bowman