JDub Newsletter - Sept 23rd
Immerse 2026 (Nov 20-22) Asbury Hills - Cost $200
Immerse is a weekend retreat for all JDub youth, hosted by the South Carolina UMC Conference. Youth from across South Carolina will gather for a weekend of worship, fun, friendship, and growing closer to Christ.
The weekend includes transportation, lodging, meals, registration, worship, a youth speaker, grade-level small groups, and time to enjoy Asbury Hills and the mountains.
Youth will stay in separate cabins by gender.
Scholarships are available! We do not want finances to keep any student from attending. If you need financial assistance, please contact David Boudolf.
Space is limited, so sign up early!
Help with Sunday Night Meals
We are asking families to sign up to provide a Sunday evening meal for the group. Families are welcome to partner with one or two others. The sign-up link is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA9A82CA64-65379789-jdub#/. Meals can be simple—pizza, salad, and Rice Krispies Treats, or nuggets, chips, and ice cream sandwiches. They do not need to be complicated. We ask that you stay to help serve the meal and clean up the kitchen afterward. Lemonade and tea can be made on site, so drinks do not need to be provided. Each meal saves the youth ministry about $130, and more importantly, it gives parents another meaningful way to be present in this ministry we share together.
Enhancing Our Middle School Acolyte Ministry
We are working hard to enhance the Acolyte Ministry at John Wesley. This is a great opportunity for any middle school-aged child to help serve in worship, and our goal is to get as many middle schoolers involved as possible. Here are the details and next steps:
1. Participant Database: We are building a database of participating youth. Please fill out Link to Form to let us know if your child plans to join. (Thank you to the Couturier, Moxley, Nixon, Ratcliffe, Stanley, Tamsberg, and Rhodes families for already submitting yours!) If this is not the right year for your child to participate, please let me know.
2. Scheduling: We will be using SignUpGenius through December. You can go ahead and claim your spots here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4CA9A82CA64-65499577-fall#/
3. Training Session: Training will take place this Sunday, Sept 27th, during Sunday School from 9:45 AM to 10:45 AM. If your child cannot attend, please let me know and I will gladly schedule an alternative time.
Every Sunday Night In October
Do you think your child can make every Sunday Night Youth in October? If your child attends every Sunday night in October I will schedule to get them the lunch of their choice at their school in November.
It is almost time for one of our favorite fall traditions at John Wesley—the Pumpkin Patch. The patch will run from September 27 through October 31, and it takes a lot of help from our youth families to make it happen.
The money raised through the Pumpkin Patch helps offset the cost of our summer mission trips, making it possible for more of our youth to participate in these opportunities.
Pumpkin Patch Hours
The patch will be open until 7:00 PM each day.
- Monday–Friday: 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM–7:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 PM–7:00 PM
Pumpkin Unloads
We have two pumpkin trucks scheduled to arrive:
Sunday, September 27 – approximately 12:30 PM
Sunday, October 11 – approximately 12:30 PM
Both unloads will take place after the 11:00 AM worship service. We will provide lunch for everyone who stays to help with the unload.
We will need plenty of help to get the pumpkins unloaded, spread out, and the patch cleaned up and ready for customers.
If you have any of the following that you can bring, they will be a big help:
- Work gloves
- Wheelbarrows
- Rakes
- Cordless leaf blowers
- Pallet jacks
Laban Chapel is also working on putting together a team to help gather sod pallets from Roots and Shoots on Wappoo Road. More information about that will be shared as plans are finalized.
Youth Family Sales Shifts
All youth families are asked to help with both pumpkin unloads and sign up for two sales shifts during the Pumpkin Patch. Sales shifts are two hours, and we will have a signup available so families can choose the dates and times that work best for them.
Thank you for helping make the Pumpkin Patch a success. This is a big fundraiser for our Youth Ministry, and the time you give directly helps our youth have opportunities to serve others through our summer mission trips.