Fredonia First United Methodist Church’s youth director, June Ruckman, has been collaborating with youth leader Pattie Lukaszewski from Cherry Creek United Methodist Church and Taylor Gates from Christ Community Church to unite in providing opportunities for children, youth and families in our area to know, love and serve others, our communities and God.

“Our first event was a youth lock-in on Presidents Day Weekend. Fifteen area youth and four leaders, including Dan Bolles from St. Paul Lutheran in Fredonia, stayed up most of the night playing games, watching movies, snacking and creating relationships at FFUMC’s top floor designated for youth,” explained Ruckman, “and we’re very excited about our upcoming summer programming.”

Numerous areas inside FFUMC are set up with area youth in mind. The upstairs kitchen area is equipped with all the amenities for young people to create and experience fine cuisine or pizza and wings from location businesses. Two game rooms include air hockey and foosball tables, a pool table, ping pong table and shelves of board games. The music room includes a drum set, bongos, electric guitars and electric keyboards and amplifiers, a piano and more. The Trinity Lounge is a warm, comfortable space for large study and discussion groups with lots of couches. Downstairs is an open activity space complete with stage. This summer FFUMC will be making great use of those spaces during Drama Camp and Youth JAM.

Drama Camp meets Mondays and Wednesdays, beginning July 10 and running through Aug. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. Students in grades K-12 will learn about theater and hone their acting skills as they role play Biblical-themed skits and plays. Students will show off their talents with a performance the weekend of the Fredonia Farm Festival.

Youth JAM (Jesus All Mighty) meets Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Trinity Lounge beginning July 12 and ending Aug. 30. Specifically for youth grades 7-12, Youth JAM invites participants to discover what’s so Mighty about Jesus. Gatherings may include, but are not limited to, videos, activities, music, crafts, discussions, games, food, meeting new people and fun.

“Service projects and fundraising events have been created to unite our youth in service and fellowship. We are also working to raise money to pay for three campsites at the Kingdom Bound Christian Music Festival at Darien Lake in July with a Car Wash and Zap Cloth fundraiser on Saturday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., A Night of Comedy on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. and a Chiavetta’s Chicken Barbecue on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. We have eight chaperones taking 20 youth from three churches camping for five days and four nights. All participants will have the opportunity to experience the gospel through a variety of art forms including concerts, seminars, bonfires, late night movies, dance parties, worship and more. And of course, everyone will receive wristbands to enjoy the amusement park rides and water park slides throughout our stay. Most recently,” Ruckman added, “our youth participated in the Canadaway Creek Conservation Project, where we learned about invasive species entering our lakes and creeks and spent the afternoon removing garbage from Canadaway Creek between Risley and Matteson Streets in Fredonia.”

For more information about any of these events, please visit fredoniafirst.org or call 716-679-1513. Fredonia First United Methodist Church is a church family that is open to all. They are missional, family-friendly and comfortable, offering a traditional service with a contemporary message. Visit www.fredoniafirst.org to see their schedule of events and worship. FFUMC is located at 25 Church St. in Fredonia. Please call 679-1513 for more information.