Thornwell » Church News

Thanks First Presbyterian Church, Hartsville, GA…

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:57:42 +0000

for conducting a great week of Vacation Bible School for the children of Thornwell during the first week of August! This is the second year in a row that Youth Director Kelly Boone Sloan has brought her team to Thornwell’s campus to host VBS. The theme this year, Galactic Blast, took our cosmic adventurers on a journey through the creation story, and touched on several New Testament stories from the ministry of Christ.

Each day our cosmic adventurers boarded the starship Galactic Praise to see the great universe God has created. In addition, every galactic mission included a Bible story in the Good News Galaxy, along with science activities at the Orbital Observatory, music at Moons & Tunes, art projects at Cosmic Crafts, games at Rocket Rec., and a snack at the Cosmic Café.

The week ended with a delicious pizza party. Many thanks to Kelly, Jean, Amanda, Anna Grace and Sarah for all their hard work, and for providing a great week of fun and Christian nurture for Thornwell’s children. Thanks also to the young ladies of Brophy Cottage for volunteering to assist FPC Hartsville, GA with activities during VBS week.

Into the Wild: Middle School Youth Conference at PC

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:45:42 +0000

Twenty-three Thornwell youth had a wonderful time at the July 2010 Middle School Conference at Presbyterian College! The theme was Into the Wild, helping youth understand that no matter what wilderness we experience in life, we are never alone.

During the conference, the keynote and worship leader talked about the Creation story and God’s call on each of our lives (Is. 43:1-4). Through sharing experiences that seem like “wild places” in our lives, we learned that God is always with us, even when we feel abandoned.

We also learned that struggles can be a blessing. We heard about Jacob’s struggle with the angel and how he was blessed by the angel before daybreak. When we come through a struggle, we remember who we are, whose we are, and that we are not alone. (Gen. 32:22-32)

We were then reminded that when we think we have the answers and that we can help others; sometimes it turns out that they can help us more. It isn’t until we turn to GOD for help and listen and follow that we can learn to LIVE OUT LOUD—being true to who we really are and asking for help when we need it. (Luke 15:11-32)

Finally, our studies helped us realize that the only way out of the wild is through the wild. Our task is to follow the Way, Christ’s way, and let our light shine.

What a wonderful week of spiritual growth and fellowship!

In addition, the special mission project for the week called for each youth to bring a new or used pair of shoes to donate to Soles4Souls | A Shoe Charity Giving To Those In Need. Thornwell youth collected and donated 26 pairs of shoes!

We would like to offer a special thanks to all the adults who went with us each day and to those who prepared snacks for us in the evenings.

Thornwell Youth Attend the 2010 Montreat Youth Conference

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:00:21 +0000

Thornwell youth attended the 2010 Montreat Youth Conference the week of June 6 and as usual, everyone had a terrific time. The conference theme this year was, “In These Waters,” using the week’s activities to remind youth that “God is present in both the stillness and tempests of their days.”

Each evening, Thornwell youth enjoyed meeting with the youth from First Presbyterian Church, St. Marys, GA, during “back home group time” where group members were encouraged to reflect on and share any insights from the day’s lessons and/or activities.

On Wednesday evening, our Thornwell group was invited for a pizza dinner with the youth from Unity Presbyterian Church, Fort Mill, SC, courtesy of Thornwell Board of Visitors members, Bob and Ann Hudspeth. Many thanks to the Hudspeths, to FPC, St. Marys Pastor and Thornwell Trustee, Rick Douylliez, and to Mrs. Nancy Thomas for providing food and accommodations for our Thornwell group.

Montreat Conference Center is located in the beautiful hills of Montreat, NC approximately 20 minutes from Asheville. Each year, Thornwell youth look forward to attending the Montreat Youth Conference for a week of fun, fellowship and spiritual renewal.