New Year's Eve!

Hey Village Family,

It's that time again- time for the 3rd Annual Village New Year's EveOvernight! Join us this year for another amazing New Year's Eve Party!The cost is $8, and the deadline for registration is Sunday, December28th. Please note that the Parish Office is closed Wed Dec 25 throughSat Dec 27th. You can mail in your registration forms! :)

Our New Year's Eve party will feature great food, huge games of FreezeTag, Capture the Flag, Dodgeball, and more. We will have all theVillage-ness that you have come to love; we will be praying NightPrayer and Morning Prayer, and celebrating the last Mass of thecalendar year. All high school students are welcome- bring yourfriends! Please remember to bring a snack to share!

Do you have something fun that we could play with on our Village NewYear's Eve Overnight? Let us know here at the Village Blog!

God bless, and have a very **Merry Christmas**!

Adoration + Christmas Party!

"The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." What an incredible God we serve- who came to dwell among us, amidst all the brokenness of humanity. It sure is incredible that He came down from heaven to be with us, and that He remains with us always- in all of our anxieties and through every trial. What a special time Advent is to prepare our hearts for Christmas, to wonder at Jesus- God with us, Emmanuel!!

Advent sure is a busy season, and I am really looking forward to taking some time for stillness before the Lord in Adoration this Sunday at Village. Join us this Sunday for our monthly Adoration Night and our Village Family Christmas Party! It's time to break out the seasonal sweater vests and hoaky Santa hats!

This will be our last Village until January, join us for our New Year's Eve Overnight 12/31!! All high school students are welcome!

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The Third Annual Village New Year's Eve Overnight
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008 9pm– Thursday, Jan 1, 2009 9am

Join the Village for an amazing New Year's Eve Party! Our New Year's Eve party will feature great food, huge games of Freeze Tag, Capture the Flag, Dodgeball, and more.

We will have all the Village-ness that you have come to love; we will be praying Night Prayer and Morning Prayer, and celebrating the last Mass of the calendar year. All high school students are welcome!

To register for the Village New Year's Eve Overnight return permission slip with $8 to help offset costs to St Thomas. Please bring a snack to share! Final registration deadline is December 28th, 2008.

Show and Tell!

Hey Villagers,

At Village this Sunday we will be talking about Mother Mary- her role in the Church, and her role as our Mother. In gratitude to all of our Mothers, who listen to our silly stories- we will be having Show and Tell! Even pets are allowed if accompanied by an adult. Prizes will be given for: Most Surprising, Largest, Most Furry, and Most Ridiculous. Start planning now, friends!

Also- the Village is considering the idea of hosting a study hour Monday or Wednesday afternoon from 3-6pm here at the Church. It would be a time for Villagers and their friends to stop by, do some homework, watch some TV, listen to music, chat, and have a snack. Would you be interested? Would you come? Head to www.findthevillage.blogspot.com to vote. :)

God Bless!


The Village News December 3rd, 2008


Village 12/7 -Show and Tell
Sunday December 7th, we will be talking about Mother Mary! In gratitude to all of our Mothers, who listen to our silly stories- we will be having Show and Tell! You are allowed to bring anything except dead animals and items that are sexually explicit or related to drugs/alcohol. :) Pets are allowed if accompanied by an adult.

Your Vote Counts!
The Village is considering the idea of hosting a study hour Monday or Wednesday afternoon from 3-6pm here at the Church. It would be a time for Villagers and their friends to stop by, do some homework, watch some TV, listen to music, chat, and have a snack. Would you be interested? Would you come?

Communication
Check us out online at www.findthevillage.com! Youth Minister Beth Montgomery can be reached at St Thomas at 761-8606. For emergencies or other things of an immediate nature you can reach her on her cell, 545 0827. If she misses it, leave a message- she checks them regularly!

Questions of the Week
-If everything depends on free will, what good does prayer do, especially on important things (like the Election)?
-Catholics are supposed to practice chastity, but do most people actually do that? What is the percent that do/don't, and why is it so important?

Coming Soon: Show + Tell!

Hey Villagers,

There will be no Village this Sunday 11/30- have a Happy Thanksgiving!

At our next Village we will be talking about Mother Mary- her role in the Church, and her role as our Mother. In gratitude to all of our Mothers, who listen to our silly stories- we will be having Show and Tell! Even pets are allowed if accompanied by an adult. Prizes will be given for: Most Surprising, Largest, Most Furry, and Most Ridiculous. Start planning now, friends!

Also- the Village is considering the idea of hosting a study hour Monday or Wednesday afternoon from 3-6pm here at the Church. It would be a time for Villagers and their friends to stop by, do some homework, watch some TV, listen to music, chat, and have a snack. Would you be interested? Would you come? Head to www.findthevillage.blogspot.com to vote. :)
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The Village News

No Village This Sunday 11/30- Happy Thanksgiving!

Next Village 12/7 -Show and Tell
Sunday December 7th, we will be talking about Mother Mary! In gratitude to all of our Mothers, who listen to our silly stories- we will be having Show and Tell! You are allowed to bring anything except dead animals and items that are sexually explicit or related to drugs/alcohol. :) Pets are allowed if accompanied by an adult.

Your Vote Counts!
The Village is considering the idea of hosting a study hour Monday or Wednesday afternoon from 3-6pm here at the Church. It would be a time for Villagers and their friends to stop by, do some homework, watch some TV, listen to music, chat, and have a snack. Would you be interested? Would you come?

Communication
Check us out online at www.findthevillage.com!

Questions of the Week
-If everything depends on free will, what good does prayer do, especially on important things (like the Election)?

-Catholics are supposed to practice chastity, but do most people actually do that? What is the percent that do/don't, and why is it so important?

Eating the Big Bang

This week @ Village we'll be talking about Adam, Eve, and Evolution! What does the Catholic Church teach about evolution? Can creationism and evolution coexist? What was God's role in the process, if any? Can a Catholic believe in evolution? We'll be discussing all of these questions and more!

Also, don't forget that this Sunday (11/23) at Village is the food collection for "Feed Our Villagers!" We will be collecting all sorts of snacks for our Villagers to eat throughout the upcoming months. If everyone brings one or two snacks each we will be able to continue using our budgeted snack money for Pizza once a month on Adoration nights!

Finally, thank you to all of our great volunteers for leading men's and women's time yesterday. We had some great discussion of body image issues. In Genesis it says that "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” God has called our very bodies *good*, no matter what our own insecurities about them may be. He loves each of us unconditionally! You are all in my prayers. God bless you!

---- l The Village News l ----

Feed Our Villagers!

At our regular Village Meeting next Sunday 11/23, we will be collecting non-perishable snacks for our Villagers to eat throughout upcoming months. If everyone brings one or two snacks each we will be able to continue using our snack money for Pizza on Adoration nights!

This Week's Village- Adam, Eve, and Evolution

Next Sunday we will be talking about Evolution and Creationism. Is it wrong to believe in Evolution? Did Adam and Eve come from Apes? How long were the 6 days of Creation in Genesis? Come to discuss the Church's teaching on Evolution- and how it relates to your AP Bio class!

The Village Fall Retreat, "Come and See"

We have extra Retreat shirts!! Retreat Tshirts can be purchased for $5 from Beth, available in Size Small, Medium, and Large.

Question of the Week
Click on "comments" to read the Question of the Week, "What does the Church teach on Global Warming?"

Feed Our Villagers

Dear Village Family,

One of my favorite memories growing up was sitting around the dinnertable telling stories about the day. Holidays were special because we would make all sorts of special treats -like popcorn balls or special bread shaped like bunnies.Food brought us together regularly, and preparing it together made us closer.

In so many ways, family life centered around food. The Village is like a family. We get hungry, and we are generally happier when we are fed! Aside from sleep, food is the easiest way to make a person happy.

There are two ways you can help to feed our Villagers! First, our Village Volunteers are with us here at St Thomas from 4pm until nearly 10pm each Sunday. It seemed sad not to have some food for them to eat, and Parents started volunteering to bring a simple dinner for them each week. We have a budget for youth programs, but we just don't have enough to cover this weekly dinner. Parents, please sign up to bring a dinner for our Volunteers! Teens, please ask your parents if they can help!

The second way you can help feed our Villagers is by bringing a non-perishable snack to Village on Sunday November 23rd. We will be collecting all sorts of snacks that night for our Villagers to eat throughout the upcoming months. If everyone brings one or two snacks each we will be able to continue using our budgeted snack money for Pizza on Adoration nights!

What's your favorite snack? Let us know!
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Village News

The Village Fall Retreat, "Come and See"
56 pictures from Fall Retreat are now online!!! Visit us at http://www.findthevillage.com/, click on Meeting Pics on the left, then click on More Pics, then on Fall Retreat 08. Or just go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/findthevillage/collections/72157607096833965/!

Next Week's Village- Peer Pressure and Alcohol
Next Sunday we'll be discussing peer pressure in all its forms, along with the Church's teaching on drinking alcohol. Both of these are issues that will play a stronger role in our lives throughout high school and into the college years. Join us as we discuss the impact of peer pressure in our lives and the Church's teachings on these relevant issues!

Feed Our Villagers

----Please sign up with Youth Minister Beth Montgomery to bring a dinner for the Village Volunteers. There is a budget for Youth Programs, but it does not cover our weekly Volunteer Dinner after Village. Our Volunteers are with us from 4pm until after Generation Christ at 9pm. Available dates include: 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 12/07, 12/14, and 12/21. Be expecting a phone call from Beth Montgomery this week!

----At our regular Village Meeting on Sunday November 23rd, we will be collecting non-perishable snacks for our Villagers to eat throughout the upcoming months. If everyone brings one or two snacks each we will be able to continue using our snack money for Pizza on Adoration nights!

Grown Up Soda Social this Friday
Our next GUS meeting is a social night at Whirly Ball Ann Arbor this Friday, November 7th! This GUS social is free for GUS Volunteers if you RSVP to Beth by this Wednesday. Permission slips are required. We will meet at Whirly Ball (750 Phoenix Drive Ann Arbor, MI 48108) at 6:30pm, and pickup will be there as well, at 9pm. When you volunteer with GUS you become a Christian Role Model to young Catholics!

Come and See

Dear Villagers,

Thank you to all who helped to make our Retreat this past weekend such a great success! We had an amazing time on our Fall Retreat 2008: Come and See. The highlights of our Retreat were Mass, Reconciliation, and Eucharistic Adoration Saturday night. We meditated on Pope John Paul II's World Youth Day Message from 1996.

Hear Pope John Paul's words spoken to your heart! "Dear young people, like the first disciples, follow Jesus! Do not be afraid to draw near to Him, to cross the threshold of his dwelling, to speak with Him, face to face, as you talk with a friend (Exodus 33:11). Do not be afraid of the «new life» He is offering. He Himself makes it possible for you to receive that life and practise it, with the help of his grace and the gift of his Spirit."

We also had fun doing a physical challenge course, racing go carts, and eating Taco Bell late at night! To see some pictures of Fall Retreat 2008, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/findthevillage/collections/72157607096833965/ and click on Fall Retreat 08. More pictures are still to come!!!

I know all the Volunteers and I look forward to seeing everyone this Sunday, especially those who weren't able to join us this past weekend. It will be great to all be together again for our Adoration night this Sunday. And hey- we'll have pizza, too!

Share your favorite Retreat experience!