Donna @ Y'07

This month was a pretty easy choice for picking out a youth leader highlight. I’d like to introduce you to Donna Daly. Many of you may already know Donna who is a member of the Genesis Sunday School class or her Husband Ben & son Sean. Donna also is a part of the finance committee for our church congregation. Many know Donna as the “Money Lady” for our Pumpkin Patch the last two years. Donna does this and a lot more for us as a youth ministry.

Donna isn’t involved by physical presence in our weekly hanging outs with the youth ministry (as the Teal’s are who we highlighted last month), but she is involved each week as our coordinator for the youth Snack Suppers. She helps to make sure that each week our ’starving’ teenagers have something to munch on between NWG Choir & Drive Groups working with our many many parents. She’s been doing this for over three years now. Donna also extends herself into the ministry by going on some of our larger group retreats. She’s been on Warmth in Winter and was one of our key adults in taking our group & setting up the “Worship Feast Prayer Room” to/for Youth 2007, a global gathering of United Methodist Youth. One of my personal blessings was Donna taking on the task of our Finance Coordinator for our Pumpkin Patch. This is our main fundraiser which generates a decent amount of cash which Donna will daily drop off & pick up the cash boxes, count & log sales for that day, then prep & deposit money every day for the month of October. Its a taxing undertaking to do for a whole month when you have all the other responsibilities of work and house, Donna does it gracefully and gladly. For these many things I am very thankful for Donna. She has been an invaluable resource for our youth ministry from the participation point, but most significantly for our infrastructure to make sure our youth ministries can go.

If you see Donna walking around or doing some of the many things she does for our church, be sure to thank her for her ministry with our youth as well as our own church congregation. Love Ya Donna!

shalom
-gavin

Bruce the Caddie

I’d like to take this moment in Youth Ministry News to Highlight some of our Fabulous Youth Leaders here at HFUMC.

Bruce & Robin Teal have been helping in all aspects of the youth ministry at HFUMC forever (and I mean, ever). Bruce & Robin have been such a part of the youth community that their young son Alex has been deemed the “mascot” for a number of years. Next year he will actually become a member of the group, “finally” he will say. Robin & Bruce have given of their time to be on many retreats from camping trips to Warmth in Winter. They are faithful Sunday night mentors to our newly formed “Drive Group” small groups. Bruce & Robin have also taught Sunday School & CoffeeHouse on Sunday mornings for years.

Robin teaching CoffeeHouse

The Teal’s have a care for our youth community that runs so deep they have committed & claimed as their ministry the youth of Hendersonville. They have continued to be a consistent rock through a few youth director changes and countless changes to our church. They know many of our youth & young adults in deep relationships that will sustain over a lifetime. This is a huge gift they give to our youth on behalf of our church congregation.

So, if you see the Teal’s on a Sunday morning (or a church committee meeting) give them thanks for responding to their call to ministry with our youth & young people.

shalom,
-gavin