AND THEY ARE OFF!!!!

Who are they and why are we writing about them?  Well, glad you asked...

They are 16 youth and 5 adults from Upper dublin Lutheran Church.  They are traveling to NEW ORLEANS for the ELCA NATIONAL GATHERING!  They will spend time doing service projects.  Becoming Peacemakers, Justicemakers, and Disciples while also learning how to pack it up and bring it home.

Want to know more?  Want to see photos?  Ask Questions?  Just send support?

CHECK US OUT AT udlcyouth.blogspot.com, follow us on Twitter @udlcambler, or Facebook (www.facebook.com/udlcambler).

We leave at 4 AM tomorrow morning, so we maybe updating you before most of you have your first cup of coffee!

Set a goal and see what happens....

On March 10th - 11th, 28 youth and adults got together for two main goals:

1.  Get 50 participants to raise $5,000.
2.  Begin to educate our community in more detail about famine in the East Horn of Africa and locally.

Well, we didn't get to 50 participants, but we did get to 28 and we didn't hit our $5,000 goal.  WE HIT $10,000.

We worked with our friends at Chosen 300 to serve our fellow community members in Philadelphia.

I would give you more details and provide all sorts of facts, but our youth did a great job of recapping for us:

Check out some of the photos from UDLC's 30 Hour Famine.

Why call your Blog "News from the Back Pew"?

So the name may make sense to some who understand the idea of  sitting close to the back for a quick exit, many people may wonder why we chose to go with "News from the Back Pew".  Though if you ever take a look at the back pew of most church services, it is almost always occupied.  

The Youth Director here (who actually chose the name) spent almost 20+ years with his Dad, Mom, and 2 sisters in the back pew of the congregation he grew up in.  In that time, he knew who was missing each week by spaces open in relation to where he sat.  It gave him a sense of community and family to look over the  congregation and see the adults and friends in his church family with him each week.  It also was his safe spot.  It was a place that he knew he would be almost every Sunday and was the place where before the services his family would read over the weekly announcements and church happenings (never during worship of the sermon of course). 

However, if you think about the back pew of most churches, you always find a mix of members.  You find late comers, old timers, nervous visitors, and often times our ushers.  The church back pew is also the place the pastor hopes to reach each week.  Sure, we have microphones these days, but you still have to project all the way back there, so really the back pew is focal point for those up front, as much as the altar is the focus for the people back there.

So, the name comes the way other things get their name, it works.  So join us each week here and get the news from the back pew.  It may be additional reflections on the sermon from Sunday, a question to think about each week, or just some info we find on the web and think the UDLC will find interesting.  So this like the back pew is a place for you to still remain involved, if cautiously and to a degree anonymously.

Welcome to the Virtual Coffee Hour!

Welcome to our our virtual home for information on ministries and the happenings of UDLC!

It is kind of like being in the Narthex Sunday mornings.  We will work to keep you informed on happenings, share photos, and shre other things from around the web.

Each Sunday our UDLC shares in fellowship between services and this is when we get to catch up on the weeks past or coming up.  Our hope is to make this another place for you to share the amazing things that happen at UDLC.

While we will be sharing information and stories from around the church/Synod/ELCA, we hope to also spotlight on other topics or issues facing UDLC.

So if each week you may not have time to sit down and catch up with your church family....

We are hoping you can take a few moments to check in with us online and maybe have something to share what you love about your church family with others.