Important Blog Announcement:

Thank you for visiting the blog of Cook's United Methodist Youth! We will no longer be using this blog to post updates and information about our youth ministry's events and activities. For up-to-date information please visit 

http://cooksumc.org/ministries/youth/

or check us out on twitter @cooksyouth. Thank you!

April 2014 - Important Notice

Here is the youth ministry newsletter for April 2014. 

If you are a youth, grades 6-12, and you don't already have a church home we would love for you to come and see what SWAT Youth Ministry is all about! We meet each week on Sunday and Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm. 

We are moving our youth ministry's online presence this month to our church's main website at www.cooksumc.org under the "ministries" tab. Please continue to check there each month for updates and information.

Be the Change! Jordan

March 2014 at SWAT

It's hard to believe that Spring Break is already here! With so much going on here at SWAT Youth Ministries, we've hardly had time to take a break and look ahead. Nonetheless, here is the youth ministry's newsletter & calendar for March.

As always, for more frequent and up-to-date information, you can follow us on twitter (@cooksyouth) or instagram (@swat_youth), or you can subscribe to our text updates by sending "JOIN SWAT" to 40650. 

We hope you'll choose to come check out SWAT Youth Ministries this March!

Be the Change! Jordan

February Updates

It's been extremely busy here at SWAT Youth Ministries, but now that we're getting into February we're able to get back into our normal school year routine. 

As always, our youth (6th-12th grades) meet on Sunday and Wednesday nights from 6pm-8pm. Sunday nights are typically our youth worship services while Wednesday nights are when our small groups meet. If you don't have a church home and you live in the Mt. Juliet/Lebanon area, we'd love for you to come join us and see how you can be a part of SWAT!

Here is a look at the February youth newsletter to see what else is going on this month.

We've got a lot of exciting events in the coming weeks and months. Come join us so you can be a part of it as well!

Be the Change! Jordan

SWAT says "hello" to 2014!

It's hard to believe that we're already at the halfway point of the school year, but here at SWAT Youth Ministries we're gearing up for an exciting spring semester! It all starts this month with our annual trip to Gatlinburg for Resurrection 2014. More detailed information (packing lists, detailed schedule, etc...) about this trip will be distributed to the parents by e-mail in the coming days.

For information on everything else we have going on this month, check out the January Youth Ministry Newsletter.

Also, as a reminder, our church's weather policy states that in the event city/county schools are closed due to weather concerns, all church activities will be cancelled for that day as well. We always do our best to communicate widely when any changes are made to our normal meeting schedule, however the best way to be sure you stay up-to-date on all youth ministry activities is to sign up for SWAT Youth Texts! To sign up, simply send "JOIN SWAT" to 40650 then complete the registration process.

Here's what you need to know for our youth ministry's party for the big game on February 2nd.

Be the Change! Jordan

December 2013 @ SWAT

It's hard to believe 2013 is already coming to a close! This year at SWAT has been a great one, but we're excited because as grow individually and as a group we realize that greater things are still to come!

Here's a look at the youth ministry's calendar & newsletter for December, which includes information about our annual Project Serve at the Last Minute Toy Store & a special event with area youth and SKYHOOK!

Here's a look back at some of the great experiences we've had this year.

Follow us on Instagram @swat_youth and twitter @cooksyouth

Be the Change! Jordan

Turkey Month

We're now past the half-way point of this semester but we've still got a full calendar through the end of 2013! Here's a look at some of what we have going on throughout the month of November. 

Plus, this month sign-ups open for Resurrection 2014 featuring The City Harmonic!

We hope you'll join us throughout the month of November!

Be the Change! Jordan

Welcome Fall!

It's been a great start to the new school year here at SWAT Youth Ministries! Here's a look at everything we have going on during Wilson County's fall break and the rest of October.

Here's the Youth Ministry Newsletter for this month.

Speaker & Worship Leader: Shaun Willis

We're also excited about the launch of our new Wednesday night youth small groups! Join one! 

For more information on youth events and activities, e-mail our youth director at jordan@cooksumc.org

Be the Change! Jordan

Welcome to SWAT 4.0

It's hard to believe, but with the beginning of this school year we begin our 4th year being known as SWAT Youth Ministries. God has done some amazing things in the lives of our youth over the past 3 years, but we're even more excited to see what He does this year! We hope you'll join us!

Here are some images from our Fall Kickoff Week (Whitewater Rafting the Hiwassee and Messy Games Night).

Here's a look at some of the happenings this month in our August Youth Ministry Newsletter. 

Other happenings not mentioned in the newsletter this month are:

• The launch of this year's Youth Leadership Team (YLT)
• Wednesday Night Meals each week at 5:30pm
• The launch of the Fall Edition of Core Group
• Tickets go on sale for next month's Silent Auction & Fish Fry

To stay up-to-date on all of our youth ministry's activities, sign up for our youth ministry text messages. You can sign up directly from your mobile phone by sending "JOIN SWAT" to 40650.

SWAT Summer Updates: July 2013

In just a few short weeks our youth will be going back to school, but we're not there yet!

To find out more about this month's events and more, check out the July Youth Ministry Newsletter. 

Two of the events we have coming up this month are aimed specifically at our incoming 6th graders. First on July 14th, we'll be attending Nashville Shores with hundreds of other United Methodist youth from around Middle Tennessee. Next, we'll be going whitewater rafting on Saturday, July 27th, at the Hiwassee River. 

Please stay tuned for more specifics on these events and more throughout the month. 

Be the Change! Jordan

Hold on Tight, Summer is Here!

It's hard to believe but summer is already here which means that things are about to kick into high gear at SWAT Youth Ministries. With that said, if you don't have a church home, we'd love to have you come check us out this summer! 

Here's a look at what we have going on through the month of June. 

For more frequent updates and information, check the twitter feed on the left. 

Come and See! Jordan

Congratulations Class of 2013

We are filled with emotion as we congratulate the graduating class of 2013. We are sad to see this group of seniors leave, but we're excited about all the ways that God will use them in the future. Here is  SWAT Youth Ministry's class of 2013.

"ConGRADulations" to you all!

With Great Love,

The Youth of Cook's UMC

SWAT May Updates

What's going on with Cook's youth this month? Check out the youth ministry's monthly newsletter to find out!

Also, let's say congratulations to all of this year's graduates! This year our graduates include Brandon Mitchell, Andie Rochester, Tiffany Shubert, Michael Vaughn, and Quinton Wilson. 

 Please join us every Sunday night, excluding Mothers Day, this month for a series on the Holy Spirit. The services begin at 6pm.

Please contact our youth director, Jordan Littrell, at jordan@cooksumc.org if you have any questions or would like more information. 

Be the Change!  Jordan

Lent & More

With a big event sponsored by The Gate Annual Youth Conference on March 3rd, our month is off to a fast start! With worship being led by SKYHOOK and an inspirational message by Kourtney Brownlow, this will be a night to remember!

Check out the youth ministry's March newsletter to find out what else is happening this month at Cook's!

Also, if you enjoy friendly competition, join us for a little March Madness fun!

Details and registration instructions are available in the church newsletter.

Let's go be the change! Jordan

It's been a busy month here at Cook's. Between a BIG Super Bowl Sunday, church wide meetings about values, mission and vision, Ash Wednesday services, and more, we haven't been able to get our monthly blog update out until today! What a blessing! With over 100 in attendance for our Super Bowl party, and heavy youth involvement in our church's planning for future years, we're extremely excited and blessed to be so busy. 

Now, we want to look ahead at what's coming up the rest of this month and other large happenings coming up in the very near future.

With the arrival of Lent we've asked the youth, "what do you want to be like when Easter arrives?" Now is the time that we are challenging each youth to pursue that vision by following through with his/her commitment. 

March 3rd, we'll be hosting a "Mini Gate" sponsored by The Gate Annual Youth Conference. This is a completely free event and it's open to individuals and groups from all across the Nashville area.  The last time we hosted this event (August 2010), we had over 180 youth in attendance. We hope to have similar numbers this year. 

Our guys & girls purity retreats are coming up soon and sign-ups are available now. The guys retreat will be April 5th-7th and the girls will be April 12th-14th. This event is for 8th-12th graders only and the cost is $75. We hope you can join us!

If you have any questions or need any other information, feel free to e-mail our youth director Jordan at jordan@cooksumc.org or call the church office during regular business hours at 615-449-2573. 

Be the Change! Jordan

2013 Is Here!

Now that 2013 is here, we pause for a moment to give thanks to God for everything He did in 2012, but we can't pause too long because He's not done yet. In just a matter of days, we'll be leaving for Resurrection in Gatlinburg. Here's a glimpse of what to expect when we get there.

Check out the Youth January Newsletter to find out what else is happening at SWAT this month.

Now, here's a look back at some of what we experienced in 2012...

We look forward to seeing everything that God has in store for SWAT Youth Ministries in 2013! We hope that you'll be a part of it. Join us from 6pm-8pm on Sundays and Wednesdays. See you there!

Be the Change! Jordan

Holiday Season at SWAT

It's hard to believe that it's already December, but we're more excited than ever about the future here at Cook's! As always, this month is full of activities in the life of our church and our youth ministry. Check out the December Newsletter to find out specific information.

One important item to note is the Parent Meeting on December 9th at 4:00pm in the Sanctuary. We'll be discussing several important topics so please be sure to be in attendance!

Also, December 16th is the final day to sign up for Resurrection so don't miss out, sign up today!

Be the Change! Jordan

Turkey!!

Now that November is here, we're beginning to look ahead with excitement and great anticipation about what God will do throughout the remainder of 2012 and even more excited about all that He has in store for 2013. 

As always you can check the calendar in the bar on the left side of this blog for more specifics on youth ministry dates and activities, however you can get more information by checking out the monthly Youth Ministry Newsletter here.

Now that we're in the second grading period of the school year, we would like to draw your attention to the new Tutoring Ministry here at Cook's UMC. This new ministry is currently geared toward middle and high school students and is absolutely FREE. You can contact the church office for more information if interested.

Also this month, sign-ups will be posted for Resurrection 2013. You can learn more about Resurrection by watching the video below. Dates, prices, and other information is listed in our November newsletter linked above. 

Thanks for checking out the youth ministry blog and we hope to see you during one of our regular youth gatherings soon. 

Be the Change! Jordan

Fall Retreat and More

Once again this year, we were able to have our Fall Retreat at Camp Lookout near Chattanooga. Although some of our plans were altered due to some unexpected rain, we had an amazing time and experienced God in a new and very exciting way! Here's a glimpse of this year's retreat...

Like always, we had lots of fun, but the relationships built during this trip and the spiritual disciplines we learned will last a lifetime. Many thanks to Joel Malin and everyone at Camp Lookout for helping this retreat be the best yet!

Throughout the rest of October we've got plenty to do, including Project Serve on Saturday October 20th, a Halloween party, and of course our regular Sunday and Wednesday gatherings. Get more details by checking out the October Newsletter now!

Be the Change! Jordan          

September SWAT Updates

Whew! It seems like August flew by with all the events we had going on here at SWAT Youth Ministries. HOWEVER, now that September is here we're shifting our attention to Fall Retreat 2012.

Check out this video and meet Joel Malin, our speaker and worship leader for this year's Fall Retreat.

As Joel said in the video, the sign-up deadline is September 16th so sign-up today and don't miss out!

For more information about things happening here at SWAT Youth Ministries, check out our September Newsletter today! 

As always, keep up with the youth ministry calendar to the left for other important dates and times. 

Be the Change! Jordan