Since 1999, Christ Memorial has been bringing youth and their adult leaders to the GenOn Youth Summit (originally called the LOGOS Conference). Eighteen years of lives deeply impacted by a week of Christian community for worship, Bible study, mission, and fellowship. We’ve stayed at a variety of locations and this will be our fourth year at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV. Over those eighteen years, the people of CMPC have been extremely generous in helping us to get there! Each family pays a portion (about half) of the registration fee in order to keep the experience affordable for all to attend. Adult leaders do not pay to go—they pay with their time (vacation days from work for many) and their gifts of leadership and servanthood. Throw in the need for endurance too for the 15+ hour days! Just like in our own LOGOS program, the adults who attend teach Bible, lead activity groups, support worship and build relationships with all the kids—not just “our” kids. Long term friendships (and even some marriages!) have emerged from this week. But most importantly, strengthened relationships with God through Jesus Christ.
Fundraising is critical to make this week happen each year. This cause has never been a tough sell! You are generous people and cheerfully support all that we do. Our fundraising goal this year is $4,500 plus another $1,000 to assist another church. Please watch for the Envelopes of Support board that is displayed in the upstairs hallway. You choose the envelope with the amount that you would like to donate ($1-$100). Take multiple envelopes! Take an envelope that honors your age or the number of years you’ve been a member of CMPC or the number of friends you have! We ask that these donations be made (instructions are in each envelope) by June 18. Our goal is to raise $1,700 this way.
Our second fundraiser is our Musical Treats & Sweets evening (Sunday, June 11 from 6:00-8:00 pm). CMPC’s community shares their talents for a fun evening of musical performances and laughter. The fundraising happens around the auction tables. There’s a suggested $5 donation at the door and then everyone bids on a variety of treats, dinners in church members’ homes, sporting events, vacation destinations, and always a surprise or two! This year we will also have gift baskets to raffle and an intriguing “grab bag” table with yummy treats and a drawing for additional prizes. If you are unable to attend that evening, we will display some of the auction and raffle items the Sunday before, at Committee Night dinner, and Sunday morning of the event. For the first time, we will be able to accept credit cards as payment in addition to cash and checks. Our goal is to raise $2,800 this evening.
And then perhaps most importantly, we raise money for others. Concordia Lutheran Church of Worcester, MA has also been attending the GenOn Youth Summit for nearly as long as we have. Their community doesn’t enjoy the economic base that ours does and so they struggle to raise the funds that come relatively easy for our church. Many of their families are immigrant families with unbelievable stories of what it took for them to get out of war-torn and impoverished countries to arrive in the US. Concordia Lutheran has embraced this mixture of countries represented and has thrived through their weekly (twice weekly!) LOGOS program. Our youth and adults have formed deep friendships with their youth and adults and have been blessed many times over by their deep faith and joy. Attendance at the GenOn Summit is an incentive for their high schoolers to stay in school—they can’t attend if they aren’t decent students. They have seen their graduation rates rise and have sent some to college. And so for many years, CMPC has quietly helped them fund their cost to attend as well. Please consider making a donation through the Sunday offering (check made out to “CMPC” with “MA church for GenOn” on the note line). Our goal is to raise $1,000 for them.