Youth Group

Youth Ministry

Greetings, 6th-12th graders!

Greetings to my new Aldersgate family!

As many of you know, I am your new Youth Director!

First I would like to give you a tiny peek inside of ME! My full name is Meghan Noelle Bondor. I have many nicknames: Meg, Megs, Meggie-B, Mego, Spegs, Hippi, Deuce, Bondor, Bondie and one my favs Captian Bondo! I am currently in my roarin’ 20’s and I live over in Sammamish which is a fairly new city smack dab

between Redmond and Issaquah! It also happens to be where I grew up for most of my life! I have a mom, Carol, a dad, George and a younger sister Rachel who lives down in Portland! I graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Recreation Therapy (Susie and I went though the same program together, which is where we met!) and since then I have experienced a variety of adventures from working with older adults, selling plants at a nursery, to spending nearly a year in Germany as an AuPair a.k.a. nanny! You can come ask me about it anytime because I have stories galore from my experiences abroad!

A little bit about what I like to do in my moments of free time . . . well . . . I have many obsessions- my favorite is gardening. I absolutely love plants! In fact I am a plant-a-holic! I can’t go into a plant nursery without leaving with some tiny treasure. This also leads me into the fact that I love and I mean love being in the outdoors in God’s fabulous creation! There is nothing better than fresh air, blue sky and a mountain or beach to explore! If I am stuck indoors for too long a time I start getting antsy! I go hiking, biking, and camping as often as I can! Some of my other simple pleasures that I partake in is singing, football (Go Hawks!), curling up with a good book and just simply relaxing in front of the T.V. (I am a big Grey’s Anatomy & Gilmore Girls fan!)

On a more serious note, God has given me a great passion for people! I love using the tool of recreation to bring people together and change their lives! God has given me this gift and I am so excited to share it with all of you at Aldersgate! Youth Ministry has been a desire of my heart ever since I was a youth myself and I have been volunteering with youth ever since! I can’t wait to see how God will use me in the youth program here at Aldersgate! I am super excited to be here and I invite you all to stop by my office to say ‘hello’ and introduce yourself!

Please contact me with any questions or to request further information. I hope to see you at Youth Group!

In God's Firm Grip,
Meghan Bondor

Youth Director

Office Phone: 1-425-746-9800

E-mail: youth_aumc@msn.com

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
~1st Timothy 4:12

YOUTH EVENTS

FLAME - Youth Group Schedule
6-7:30pm Junior High and Senior High meet in the Youth Room

* "JR High" youth are defined as 6th-9th graders, and "SR High" youth are definited as 9th-12th graders. (9th graders have the option of joining either JR High or SR High for that transitional school year).

Special Events
In addition to Sunday evenings, special monthly events may involve outdoor excursions, Starlight Sound dances, overnight “lock-ins,” all-church activities, ecumenical worship services, volunteer opportunities, and various district and conference retreats!

YAL Team
This is a very exciting time to be a young person at AUMC, because our youth are being empowered to lead much of their own program! Our YAL (Youth of Aldersgate Leadership) Team, comprised of JR-SR High representatives and adult assistants, meets regularly to plan events, assess the progress of our youth ministry, and participate in leadership development activities. Each week, YAL Team members prepare and lead games, devotions, and grace at Youth Group. Our youth join the youth director in being the primary faces of leadership in youth ministry!

Summer Mission Trips
Each year, our SR High youth participate in a local, national, or international mission trip, based on a three-year rotation.

In 2005, we went to Glide Memorial United Methodist Church, in San Francisco, to serve meals to the hungry and homeless. Glide is the largest social service organization in the city, serving over one million meals a year! Check it out at http://www.glide.org.

In 2006, Aldersgate joined members from Prosser UMC and Seattle's Grace UMC on a mission trip to Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. We partnered with Camp Symonette, a United Methodist Church camp on Eleuthera, to assist with reconstruction projects on hurricane-damaged homes. We also implemented Vacation Bible School programs at a nearby school and participated in a fellowship and sports ministry evening to connect with the local people. More information on Elethera Island and Camp Symonette can be found at: http://www.methodisthabitat.org.

This past Summer/Fall 2007, the youth have taken part in helping serve meals at Operation Nightwatch in Seattle as a way to serve locally in our community.

Adult Volunteers

Parents, guardians, and other adults: We’d love to have you involved in our youth ministry, as well! Please consider offering your gifts and services on a periodic or regular basis. Areas of need include: supervision/participation in youth activities, driving, preparing food, etc. Youth ministry is only possible with the assistance of dedicated volunteers!