Uphill idealist

2015 Detroit Youth Gathering PSA Baskets-full of Empowerment for local youth July 15 to 19, 2015 marks the whirlwind week for the triannual Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s National Youth Gathering in Detroit, MI. The almost week-long trip will engage youth in grades 9 to 12 in service projects, education and opportunity to worship with over 30,000 Lutheran youth from across the United States. For the last three years a local Lutheran team, (Emily Magnuson, Kirsten Magnuson, Emily Whitney, Lydia Gozdalski, Caylee Shelters, Darcy Whitney and Vicar Tara Eastman) have been raising funds and making preparations for this summer’s mission and education trip to Detroit. A major fundraiser and team building project will take place on Friday June 12th at 7pm in the parlors of First Lutheran Church. This fundraiser will include a basket raffle (basket donations are welcome) and a screening of the documentary film, “The Empowerment Project”. The Film The Empowerment Pr...

Two weeks ago, First Lutheran Church hosted a "Spaghetti and Meatball lunch" collaborative fundraiser for the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering . The team of over twenty people helped to cook and serve five gallons of sauce, five-hundred meatballs, thirty pounds of pasta, and six cases of sliced Italian bread with the addition of raffling off 40 donated baskets to raise $1350.00 for the effort. The volunteers and donations came from people from St. Timothy's Lutheran, Bethel Lutheran, Holy Trinity Lutheran, Immanuel Lutheran and First Lutheran Churches. In July 2012, twelve youth and five adults will be traveling to New Orleans for worship and mission and fundraisers like this will be our main resource in achieving the goal of making this trip. Until November 10th, our team will also be selling coupon books for the Bon-Ton "Community Days" for $5.00 each. These coupon books are worth up to $200.00 in the Bon-Ton during their holiday kick off sale on November 11th a...

Please join us at First Lutheran Church on Sunday March 21st for our second annual "Soup on - hunger is GONE!" Luncheon to benefit Joint Neighborhood Project of Jamestown NY! Come sample some soup and see who will be crowned as "Best Soup Creator" for 2010. Soup will be served in the parlors from 12:30 to 2pm.

This Saturday the youth that are attending the ELCA Youth Gathering will be hosting a Car Dry and tire polish to help raise more funds for our trip to New Orleans July 21-27. We will be drying car washed cars and polishing tires for tips from 10am-2pm at ROBO wash directly off of Foote Ave. in Jamestown NY on Marion Street. Help ups reach our goal so that we don't have to find out what it means to miss New Orleans! If you would like to help sponsor our group of 10 to attend the ELCA Gathering , contact me at eastman_tara@yahoo.com or visit First Lutheran Church's website for more information.

All eight students that are going to New Orleans for the ELCA Youth Gathering in July. Libby and I served lots of smiles today. Hannah was our greeter and money collector. Phil, Libby and Heather were happy to serve. Really. Nate and Scott are fearful that tossed salad will take over the world. Devious vegetables. Lexi wants to go on the trip to New Orleans. We start them out fundraiser young in this youth group. Heather and her coffee cart. Becca helping to clean up - she still is smiling! More food? It was a long day. But we had fun... and we chipped away at the cost for the trip with our efforts.:) Thanks for your help and support Jamestown - F.L.Y Youth loves you!

Cartoon from Toothpaste for Dinner. No complaints here. I'm pressing onto the reality that I had had some serious help today in preparing for the fundraiser breakfast and luncheon for Sunday. I keep looking around and on my to do list and I see that most everything I was worrying about is done, assigned, or good to go. One, two, three, four, five, six of the eight student that the fundraiser is for came to help and one, two, three, four who are not attending the trip came to chip in just because. Tables are set, eggs are cracked, and the rigatoni is ready to bake. Thanks to the two moms who assisted as well. Usually the night before such events I full of nervous energy, tonight I'm relaxed. In fact the most relaxed I've felt in a long while. This fact is one I'd like to happen more often in my reality. If you think of us on Sunday - stop by and have some good eats. If you can't make it here - say a prayer that it all goes well. Breakfast is 9am-10:30am with scramble...

First Lutheran Youth (FLY) is holding a rigatoni dinner on Sunday, May 3rd from noon to 1:30 pm. Pat Post, nationally known pianist, will provide musical entertainment during the luncheon. Take outs are available, too. Tickets are $5.00 for Adults, $3.00 for children 10 and under, or $15.00 per family. All proceeds will benefit the youth's trip to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans this summer. Come out and have a good time and support a good cause! First Lutheran Church is located at 120 Chandler St. in Jamestown.