Camp Wanake is the place where I met one of my very best friends EVER. When I was 11 & 1/2… at my Confirmation Retreat. When I found out that Tina Berardi and I would be going on the Confirmation retreat with our Confirmands, I was actually kind of excited. I thought that it would be a pretty cool thing to go with them and sit in on their sessions and also get to know them a little better. It is always easier to get to know people when you are thrown together during a whole weekend, sharing the same room in a sleeping bag.

When I learned that we were going to go to Camp Wanake, the same place that I went on MY Confirmation Retreat, it made me start to think about A LOT of stuff about that weekend. When I was there the “new” retreat house wasn’t even built yet so we were in a cabin. The retreat house that is there NOW has a great bathroom with showers and heat and comfy rooms…(ok not COMPLETELY comfy, but better than the cabin with no heat lol)

There were only a few of us girls who went on my Confirmation Retreat – the rest were boys… so I ended up talking to a girl from another church… we hung out the whole weekend… we played kick the can…capture the flag…went on a night hike, sung goofy crazy songs around the campfire, and passed notes after lights out…

Because we didn’t have email “back then” blah blah blah years ago, we exchanged addresses and phone numbers. Becca was from Bedford, and 480 didn’t even CONNECT with any freeway by us back then and so it took like an hour to drive out there. We didn’t get to see each other as often as we would have liked, but we spent HOURS on the phone together and to this day we still do. I never realized that I would make a life-long friend when I went to camp that weekend. I also didn’t realize what a great weekend it would be for my spiritual life either. At 11 & 1/2 I already loved my faith, my God, and my Rockport Church… (and by that I really mean the family of people that have always made up Rockport) but that weekend truly WAS a Confirmation for me. I learned a lot more about the Methodist Faith and it showed me that I was making the right choice by being Confirmed… to me, even at that age, it was one of the most important things I had ever (or would ever) do.

Sitting at Camp Wanake blah blah blah years later with Tina and the kids, I listened with interest to the lectures/sessions and things that were happening, and came up with this:

Confirmation Retreats with the kids are really an awesome way to reaffirm what you already knew you loved...

because in listening to some of the History of the United Methodist Church, info that I already knew, as well as other discussions we were having, it made me really remember why I am a United Methodist. Actually, not just a United Methodist – a Christian.

I am grateful that I got to go…

I have to mention, too, that it was AGAIN another CRAZY Blizzard…that last weekend of February… I am beginning to think that outings with our UMYF group can ONLY happen in a Blizzard! LOL

The kids had a nice time, we had a nice time, I got to bug Tina A LOT, but so far, she is still speaking to me so that’s a relief… the kids got to make a snow fort, and I THINK they learned a little ;)

Camp Wanake still operates the same – the kids take turns being “hoppers” and serving/cleaning up after meals… they still sing grace before meals… they still have night hikes… and, oh yeah…thanks to the magic of cell phone texting, I even got to “pass notes” to my friend Becca after lights out, JUST like we did together blah blah blah years ago. Good times!

January DOWN... February queuing up!

When I was younger my friends and I spent all of 5th grade WAITING to get thru the next two years so that we would be old enough to be in UMYF. We all used to watch the older kids at their car washes, Spaghetti Dinners, sitting in their room gathered together hanging out, or taking part as a group in a special part of a Worship service...we would discuss this at great length, in awe of this cool group that we were DYING to be a part of.

Imagine the JOY and excitement that we got when, after only waiting ONE year instead of two, Rocky River City Schools moved the 6th grade up to the Junior High, making us not only the first 6th grade class there, but also changing our name to "the middle school" and causing the Church to announce that they were including us in the Junior High UMYF!

I was BESIDE myself with excitement. Now, in reading this, perhaps you have already guessed what a big Dork I am… I would like to argue with you and tell you that I am SO not, but I really can’t do that. Just ask my husband and he will tell you that I am the biggest Dork he knows. But Dork or not, I was ready to start UMYF! (and by-the-way, I am proud of being a Dork...just so you know lol)

Finally being included into UMYF I would get SO excited about the upcoming events. We had those car washes, and Spaghetti Dinners, and Super bowl Sub Sandwich sales, Bible Studies, UMYF Retreats, and Haunted Houses, and raking leaves for the Rockport Seniors… and it was AWESOME! Youth Group meant a great deal to me and I always brought friends into the fold who all ended up thinking our Church was the BEST, which I was proud of… and while I knew that there was some degree of work that went into these things, we kind of had magical Youth Leaders…John & Margie Lind Mills, and Scott and Julia Welsh, who weren’t even MARRIED yet in the beginning! And the glue that held us together, our Director of Christian Ed, Rev. Barbara Davis...(or Mrs. D, as she was to us then) They worked hard for us, and while we, in the back of our minds, kind-of knew this, and definitely appreciated them and enjoyed their leadership, we didn’t TRULY or completely grasp the immediate amount of work that went into this…

-- UNTIL --

It was time for ME, a new-on-the-scene UMYF Leader, along with my Husband Scott, to stay out ALL NIGHT on Feb. 5^th in the CRAZY weather that was Friday Night. It SNOWED from the beginning of our event at 4PM Friday until well after we were home Saturday morning- and we arrived home around 7:30AM. It was during this event, Homeless on Hilliard, at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Rocky River, dripping wet from the snowfall and standing around the trash can where the BEAUTIFUL fire was burning, that I began to think about my own UMYF group, and to mentally fill out some thank you cards to John, Margie, Scott, Julia, & Mrs. D... MAN did they go above and beyond for us kids… Enough so to make me want to try to give other kids the wonderful and fulfilling experience that I had… Dunno if I will be able to do that, but I am certainly trying!

Our kids were troopers and they stood in the snow alongside the West Shore UUC kids and the Rocky River Presbyterian kids and took donations for the Homeless and they made shelters out of tarps and cardboard boxes and sat out there until the REALLY wee hours of the next morning! All of us adults kept talking and discussing how great all of our kids were and how wonderful it was that they were caring and compassionate and willing to give up their Friday night to “the cause” and how we were miserable out there and it was SO horrible in the wind and snow and how some people were surprised that they would want to stay outside… and all of this is true, but I also found myself thinking that if we had done this “back in the day” I know a bunch of people who would have signed up too! To be honest, it wasn’t my dream to go and stand outside in the wind & snow, but when I was 15/16 I would have totally thought it was cool… and I was at that moment grateful that I was able to remember this and suddenly there wasn’t any reason to be crabby about being wet & cold any longer… although I was pretty good-natured about going and spending the time with the kids for a good cause, I also dreaded being outside miserable all night... but THIS was an event I heard some of the kids discussing for a week or two, before they even knew if we were able to participate, and they were discussing it with excitement… so how do you not encourage THAT?

Scott and I arrived home Saturday morning, after having stayed up all night, and went pretty much straight to bed – we are old now, lol, so staying up all night is a BIT on the whacky side, and we were BEAT!

And THEN on Sunday the 7^th we had to be at Church by 8AM to prepare SUBS! Our tradition at Rockport… This started before I was even in UMYF – does anyone know what year? I would LOVE to know how long for sure we have done this! Totally the BEST tradition!

We had a large group of Youth in our Church kitchen, preparing Subs – and Scott & I think they did an AWESOME job!

I would also like to thank our friend, Andy Magda, owner of Jimmy’s Pizza, who helped me organize the supplies WELL above the call of friendship – I have never had to figure out how to buy for large quantities of Subs before (I had only MADE them every year, lol) So, after being armed with some great notes from Julia Welsh (See? After all these years, somehow she is STILL helping me out!) and Andy helping me with the suppliers and connections in the food industry that he has had for the past 25 years from being in the business, I figured out my organization strategy and Scott and I were good to go! Everything went so smoothly and the UMYF kids worked REALLY hard to make your sandwiches!

UMYF: We are very proud of you guys! You all worked very hard to make a successful weekend! THANK YOU!!!!

So, with the whirlwind that has been January, thru this first weekend of February, I close and assure you that I am going to go for ANOTHER nap right now – it has occurred to me that I need to keep up with these guys! I may be tired – but I am truly happy!

THANKS!!!

Kira (& Scott, too!)

p.s.

is anyone else’s coat still drying out after Friday?

UMYF & the New Year

My name is Kira Cimino Holchin, and I have been at Rockport UMC since I was six years old. (All I will add to that is that it was the late ‘70’s lol.)

My very first Sunday school teacher was Mrs. Lamb and it was because of her that I loved coming back every week for Sunday School! I LOVED my class and I LOVED Mrs. Lamb and it was the best! Rev. McFadden was our Pastor, and Rev. Amy Shaw…who really threw herself into the Youth, from the little kids on up. We always had a wonderful time at camp!

I had a lot of great Sunday School teachers in between 1^st grade and high school, ending with last, but NEVER least, Mickey Griggs. My experiences in Sunday School, Church, and UMYF were ones that not only shaped my life, but made it wonderful growing up here at Rockport. I wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything…They are why I wanted to teach Vacation Bible School, Regular Sunday School, and now UMYF.

Our UMYF Jr. & High School was a great group of kids. We were like a big family. It didn’t matter who you hung out with at school or outside of Church, we all came together to serve others or to have FUN like a big family. These are the people I still keep in touch with the most.

My husband Scott “married into” Rockport, but has come to really think of it as his own now, and together we are excited about working with the UMYF, a group that I have always felt SO strongly about.

On January 3^rd, Scott and I invited all of the Youth to a New Year’s Party. We wanted to get to know everyone and also talk about what our UMYF group would like to do the rest of the year!

We had a nice party, and we enjoyed meeting everyone, or getting to know people better that we already knew a little bit, and I think that the group came up with some REALLY good plans! I know I cannot wait to get going!

We have started a UMYF website to aid us in giving our updates, sending out reminder emails, gathering information on all kinds of things, and to keep a calendar up for Youth & Parents to view…we can even post pictures from our events on here. It is ONLY by email invitation – so if you are part of the UYMF group or a parent, please email me at CiminoDesign@aol.com and I can send you out an invitation.

I am hoping that we get some kids to help write this blog in the future because I would love some stuff from their perspective – so if you are interested in helping out all the time or only once-in-awhile, please email me for that as well!

Also, be sure to check out the UMYF bulletin board next to Rev. Myers office- we will post events and info there!

We have several events coming up, from Superbowl Subs & putting together Easter Baskets for Laura’s House, to our once-a-month Pizza & Game Night, so be sure to check out our website or the Board regularly!

Thanks!

Kira & Scott Holchin

Welcome to Rockport UMC's Youth Blog!