Lutheran Youth Fellowship Group



LYF Sponsored "Trunk 'r Treat"

October 1, 2024 - The LYF SPONSORED TRUNK OR TREAT will be FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm with activities inside the church and then at 7:30pm Trunk or Treat outdoors will take place (please have cars in place by 7:20pm). We need a dozen or so volunteers to help run the games. It's easy and fun! To help out, contact Bryan, Emma or Shelley. We also welcome candy donations to be used for prizes for the games.


LYF Roadside Cleanup Event

September 20, 2024 - LYF SPONSORED ROADSIDE CLEANUP is planned for Sunday, October 6 (weather permitting!) following the Worship Service. Help is needed in our commitment for roadside cleanup. Please let Bryan Bell or Emma Hoyer know if you will be able to help the LYF group.


LYF 2024 - Rally Day

September 1, 2024 - Youth group begins meeting again on Rally Sunday, September 8th. We will be in the meeting room upstairs. We hope all of our youth grades 7-12 will join us!


Easter Egg Hunt Planned

February 25, 2024 - Easter will be here before we know it! We are planning the children’s Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 23rd at 10:00 a.m. Youth meet at 8:30 to set up. The youth are also seeking candy donations by Sunday, March 17th. Candy should fit into standard plastic Easter eggs. Thank you for any help offered to make this a joyous adventure for the kids!


LYF Lock-in

January 1, 2024 -  The Lock-in will Begin Friday, January 5, 7:00 p.m., and ending Saturday, January 6, 7:00 a.m. The evening will include a ton of fun! Games, scavenger hunt, taking down Christmas decorations, taco/nacho bar, movie and more games! An email with details will be sent to youth parents. If you do not receive the email, contact Pastor or Shelley. Hope to see all of our youth there!
 

LYF Fall Roadside Cleanup a SUCCESS!

November 1, 2023 - The Fall LYF SPONSORED ROADSIDE CLEANUP was held on Sunday, November 5th following the Worship Service. We thank all the adults for the help help that was needed in our commitment for roadside cleanup.


Trunk or Treat was a SUCCESS!

November 1, 2013 - Thanks once again to all the volunteers that made the indoor activities fun for both the kiddos and the adults! All of the costumes were a BIG success! And another big thanks for all the people that braved the cold temperatures to decorate their cars & trucks & trailers. It was a fun time for all!


LYF Roadside Cleanup

April 1, 2023 - The LYF SPONSORED ROADSIDE CLEANUP was held on May 7, FOLLOWING WORSHIP SERVICE. We thank the congregation for their support on the Roadside Cleanup. Please help out and support our LYF in the future too!


LYF Easter Egg Hunt

March 1, 2023 - This Easter Egg Hunt will be on Saturday, April 1, 2023 beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Youth group meets at 9:00 am) The LYF will accept candy donations—-they have plenty of plastic Easter eggs—-just need individually wrapped candy to fill them by Sunday, March 26th. Thank you all for your support!


LYF Lock-in - Save the Date!

December 22, 2022 - LYF will be hosting its “New Year’s Eve” lock-in on Friday, January 6th starting at 7pm and going till 7am on Saturday, January 7th. Youth are encouraged/allowed to bring up to two friends. Please let Bryan, Erin or Shelly know if you plan to attend the event and if you plan on being any friends.


LYF Pie Sale

November 1, 2022 - The LYF will again be making and selling Thanksgiving pies this year. Pies may be ordered with the sign-up sheet found in the narthex at church or by contacting Shelley Toesning. The pies will be ready for pickup at the church on Sunday, November 20th.

Those who are interested in the support of our youth can choose from the following pies at $10.00 each: Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan, and/or Cherry.

The youth would also be grateful for any donations of pecans, dark corn syrup, sugar, cherry pie filling, Crisco, evaporated milk, eggs, or butter to be placed in the kitchen by Saturday, November 19, baking day. Plus, all those who would like to help are invited on the morning of November 19th to assist in this fun activity!


Trunk or Treat Event

October 1, 2022 - This event will be held on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28th from 6:30p to 8:00p. Games & Activities will begin inside the Church at 6:30p. All TRUNK OR TREAT vehicles, in preparation for "Trunk or Treat" portion, should be in place by 7:15p. At that point, the outdoor "Trunk or Treat" walk-about will commence at 7:30p. Please join us for this fun event!


LYF Roadside Cleanup Event

October 1, 2022 - LYF SPONSORED ROADSIDE CLEAN UP SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16th (weather permitting DURING BIBLE CLASS HOUR. Your help is needed and would be appreciated for this roadside cleanup. Please let Bryan Bell or Pastor Toensing know if you will be able to assist.


LYF Valentine's Dinner

January 16, 2022 - The LYF Valentine's Dinner will be held on Sunday, February 13, 2022 following Sunday School and Bible Class. The Dinner this year will include a salad, entree, dessert, and a drink. Entree choices are either chicken or lasagna. The cost per dinner is $12.50. The last day to sing up will be Sunday, February 6th. Please consider joining us for a delicious dinner, or offering support toward this event!


LYF Thanksgiving Pies

October 31, 2021 - Our Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) group will again be making/providing Thanksgiving pies this year. Pumpkin, apple, cherry and pecan are the choices for $10.00 each and be available for pickup on Sunday, November 21st at church.

Please sign-up for the pies using the sheet in the narthex. The youth would also be grateful for donations of pecans, dark corn syrup, cherry pie filling, sugar, crisco, evaporated milk, eggs and butter. Donations can be placed in the kitchen any time. If you wish to assist the youth with the making of the pies on November 20th, your help will be welcomed.

Thank you for supporting our youth with this fundraiser!


2021 Fall Roadside Cleanup

October 1, 2021 - The Youth Group will meet, alongside any adult volunteers following the Sunday morning Worship Service on October 10th. Adult volunteers are asked to contact Pastor Toensing if they plan to help the youth with this task. We hope to see you there!


Youth Group Begins New Year

September 1, 2021 - Youth Group will meet during Bible Class time starting Sunday, September 12. We will meet in the youth room in the basement. All youth in grades 7-12 are part of the youth group. Come and meet new leaders, new youth members, have some fun and start planning for our year! Questions? – contact Shelley Toesning. It's been a long time since we've met. Hope to see everyone there!


2020 Fall Roadside Cleanup

October 1, 2020 - THANK YOU to the LYF Group for Roadside Cleanup on Sunday September 27. Also a HUGE thanks goes out to Adam and Lashalle Hughes-hardt and several other adult volunteers! And, from the way I heard it, thanks to Pastor Toensing and Shelley as they watched Natalie and got the lunch ready for the hungry workers! A great team effort for this project.


2019 Fall Roadside Cleanup

September 15, 2019 - The Fall LYF Roadside Cleanup event was held on Sunday, September 15th following the Sunday worship service. LYF leaders and adult volunteers helped to supervise another successful roadside cleanup event, in spite of the taller than normal grass.


2019 Spring Roadside Cleanup

May 5, 2019 - The Spring 2019 Roadside Clean-up event was held after church this morning, May 5th. We thank all the youth who provided time and energy to this bi-annual LYF project. The kids enjoyed each other, beautiful weather and another worthwhile community support experience.


Easter Egg Hunt

April 1, 2019 - The LYF sponsored Easter Egg Hunt will be held Saturday, April 13 at 10:00 am at St John Church, with a Cookie Social to follow. We have moved the Easter Egg Hunt up a week to avoid conflicts with other local Easter Hunts. We are looking for candy donations from the congregation, as in the past years, with no loose candy like M&Ms and jelly beans. The LYF members will have to be at the church at 8:00 am Saturday, April 13, in order to hide eggs and get ready for the hunt.


Easter Breakfast

April 1, 2019 - The LYF will also sponsor the Easter Breakfast after the Sun Rise Service on Easter Sunday. LYF members and helpers will need to be at church at 5:30 am to prepare for this. This is a busy time for us, but ALWAYS worth the work! Thanks for your support!


LYF Valentine Dinner

February 24, 2019 - After a recent winter storm postponement, the LYF will host their annual Valentine's Dinner on Sunday, March 3rd at 11:30 a.m. following Bible Class and Sunday School. The main dishes are lasagna with garlic bread or a chicken dinner with steamed vegetables and backed potato. A salad and desert is provided with both meals. The LYF wishes to thank all who signed up or contributed to this "lovely" event!


LYF Thanksgiving Pies

November 18, 2018 - The LYF again engaged in the preparation and baking of pies for Thanksgiving this year. The LYF Teen's thank you for your support!


LYF Trunk or Treat

October 14, 2018 - We will sponsor "Trunk or Treat" again this year. It will be held on Friday, October 26th at 6:30 p.m. with the LYF Party & Lock-in to follow. We are looking for volunteers to help with the lock-in as well.

In order to ensure success of the "Trunk or Treat" event, we as a congregation need to help and actively involved in the event! Come with your decorated car-trunk or pickup bed, bring some candy for the kiddos and there you'll have it, a ready-made Trunk or Treat! Please arrive and fully set up by 6:30 p.m. on that 26th. Spread the word! The more, the merrier. There will be games and snacks in the basement afterwards also. Fun times ahead for October!


2018 Fall Roadside Cleanup Event

October 21, 2018 - The Fall Roadside Clean-up event was held after church this Sunday, October 21, 2018. We thank all the youth who provided time and energy to this bi-annual LYF project. The kids enjoyed each other, tolerable weather and a worthwhile community support experience.


Roca Berry Farm Trip

October 14, 2018 - The LYF took a day trip to Roca Berry Farm on October 13, 2018. A great time was had by all.


2018 Roadside Spring Cleanup Event

June 24, 2018 - The early Summer Roadside clean up event was held after church this Sunday, June 24th. We thank all the youth who provided time and energy to this bi-annual LYF project. The kids enjoyed each other, good weather, pleasant conversation, and oh yeah,...Pizza!


LYF Easter Egg Hunt at St. John

March 31, 2018 - The LYF sponsored Easter Egg Hunt was held this morning, Saturday, March 31, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. The LYF put much work into planning, preparing and conducting both the 'hunt' and the cookie social that followed. We want to thank everyone for their donations of candy for the eggs. Cool, windy weather aside, a great time was had by all! Happy Easter!


LYF Sponsored “All Hallows—Trunk or Treat” Family Event

November 5, 2017 - The LYF hosted their annual “Trunk or Treat” event for families and kids of all ages. The event was held on Friday evening, October 27th. The congregation was invited to take part by lending a helping hand in decorating their vehicle trunks or pickup beds for the kids. The kids traversed their way through a candy collecting extravaganza playing games and collecting treats along the way!

An equally fun time was held soon after with the LYF "Lock-in". Much fun, fellowship and food was shared throughout the evening into the night. The LYF from both St. John and Bethlehem took part. Several friends of our youth were also included. (See Photo Album...)


2017 Roadside Cleanup Event

October 1, 2017 - With the arrival of late summer comes the inauguration of a new school year. We also begin to see the reformation process beginning for our LYF group here at St. John. It is with immediate observation, by our newest LYF leadership volunteers, to have found energy and helpful exuberance fully represented in this group of LYF members. The experience and helpful attitude shared by several seasoned LYF members are an encouragement to the adult sponsors, and a wonderful example for the younger LYF members moving forward.

All members of St. John should heartily enjoy and appreciate the active participation our youth find in their congregational engagement. For some, there may be seen but brief moments of visual acknowledgment. However, behind the scenes there are plans being made, preparations accomplished, work performed, follow-up conversations held, and throughout – sprinklings of group hesitation on a variation of expected success.

The LYF sponsors ask all members to be mindful of our youth and their activities. Provide them feedback. Get to know them. If you don’t know their name, ask them. Keep them in your prayers and with God’s help, encourage them to succeed with your ongoing support in all ways pleasing to Him. In short, be there for them. And, if they belong to you, bring them to church on Sunday so they can be there for the rest of us.

Below is a list of forthcoming LYF activities currently in the works for October. The LYF would like to remind everyone to drive safely home from church always, but especially on Sunday, October 8th as the LYF will begin combing the roadside near St. John with their bi-annual, roadside-cleanup event. In your wave of encouragement, pray for God’s constant protection when driving by.