Turkey Bowl and Chicken Cup

Our third annual Turkey Bowl resulted in a victory over the youth for the adults. The final score was 91-84 (yes, that's a football score). But many adults are still paying days later for that victory...with various sore muscles, aches, and pains... The ladies took a little more laid back approach to the Chicken Cup. No score was officially reported, but it was reported they had a good time competing and kicking the soccer ball around together.

It seems to be a tradition in Turkey Bowl flag football that for every quarterback there should be at least 10 receivers. Here Deshon Davis drops back hoping to find an open man.

The youth and adults pose with The Turkey Man trophy after the game.

Some of the ladies pose for a post-game shot.



Hannah Sauer won "The Good Egg Award" for her outstanding attitude, skill, and effort in the Chicken Cup.

Mitch Sauer strikes the Heisman pose after winning "The Heinzman Trophy" for his outstanding attitude, skill, and effort in the Turkey Bowl.

Pie Auction Action

The youth conducted their annual fundraiser: auctioning home-made pies on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The congregation responded with another display of astounding generosity, with individuals buying pies for up to $130 a piece. As a result the youth raised over $2900 in about 45 minutes! The money will be used to defray the expenses of the Youth Ski Trip (Jan 09), and as scholarship money for the high school retreat/camp at Montreat, NC (July 09).

A dazzling array of delicious pies made by our youth (with a little help from mom and/or dad, usually).

Our auctioneer, Dick Mills, interviews Chris Burgess about his pie. Dick has an uncanny ability to weave humor, enthusiasm, love, and a little guilt into his auctioneering. His lively performance helped make the Pie Auction enjoyable and successful.

Austin Hartz and Jacob Smutz enjoying the Pie Auction festivities.

Kathy Parker lovingly shoves a pie into the face of her husband as their son, Gabe, gleefully looks on.



Brad Parker was the lucky winner of the "Pie in the Face" contest. His wife (Kathy) and daughter (Allison) are there to help him celebrate his victory.

Middle School Fall Retreat

We headed to Camp Tecumseh on Nov 15-16 for a 24-hour retreat. The theme for the weekend was "Dare to Believe." We talked about "risk-taking faith" and looked at stories from the book of Daniel to illustrate the fact that faith in God is a risk, but God is reliable. We also spent a great deal of time just hanging out as a group--doing a low-ropes course, shooting rifles, eating together, playing games, chasing a bat out of the girls' room, playing "ga-ga" (Israeli dodgeball), and generally having a great time together.

The group poses at the "Spider Web" of the low-ropes course. This was a team-building activity that taught us about the need for cooperation, listening, and leadership.

Hannah Sauer and Anna Alspaugh attack the climbing wall.


David Beardmore won the "Saturday Archery Contest" with his stellar archery skills. He scored a 37 and beat all other youth archers at the camp on that day.

D'Angelo King and Greyson Eller celebrated birthdays on Sunday (Nov 16) of our retreat. DA turned 13. Greys turned 12.

Posing for a group shot in the girls' cabin. Back (top) row: Darron Davis, David Beardmore, Greyson Eller, Brandon Davis, D'Angelo King, Hannah Sauer, Anna Alspaugh, Harley Perkins, Ross Mitchell, Andrew Meeks. Front (bottom) row: Wes Tillett, Rita Tillett, Kelsey Perkins, Hannah Schweikher, Allison Parker, Kathy Parker, Jonathan Hartz, Allen Bol.