It is about that time again!

Summer is winding down, VBS is over, and yes, it's now Lads to Leaders time again!

We are going to try to register through the blog this year. Please fill these online forms out and submit. There are separate forms for adults and students.

For those of you new to Lads to Leaders and aren't sure what to do, there will be Kickoff Event on August 23rd during Sunday school. We will be happy to explain the program and help you and your family to get started.

If you have questions about events or want to help with a certain event, these are the event leaders for the year...

Art Says It and Banner: Elizabeth Westbrook
Bible Bowl: Robert Warren
Oral Bible Reading, Mass Media Website, and Advanced Bible Reading: Elisa Beth Brown
Centurion of Scripture, Parade of Winners, and Good Samaritan: Dixie Oden
Know the Books and Bartimaeus: Kim Roberts
Mass Media Storyline: Geneva
Mass Media Audio and Video Presentation: Steve Roberts
Music Composition: Leigh Ann Wells
Puppet Theater: Staci Warren
Scrapbook???
Song Leading and Songs of Praise: Chad Reagan
Debate and Speech: Jeremy Brown
GIFTS: Laura Oliver
GUARD: Randy Wells
Second Language:???

Survey Says......

We would love your help with planning for next year's Lads to Leaders. (It's never too early to plan!) If you would take 30 seconds to fill this out, it would be such a big help!!

This is for EVERYONE, Lads to Leaders OR NOT! Thanks so much!!

IMPORTANT AND URGENT

If you are going to convention the next five posts are critical that you read, especially the fifth one. I need your cell phone number to make a cell phone list for convention. I must have it by Sunday morning April 5th! Please take the time to read the next five posts!!! Thanks for all you are doing to help your child be ready for next weekend! Where did the time go???

Next Year's Theme

If you just are so ready for this year that you have time to look to next year (HA!), then here's next year's theme...

April 2-4, 2010
Overall Theme: Faith is the Victory
Bible Bowl: Hebrews
PEARLS: Standing on the Promises
Debate: Resolved: Marriage is between a man and a woman

Final call for registration fees

If you have not paid your $35 per person registration fee, please see Celeste or Elisa Beth with a check made out to the church. If you are not attending convention, but participated in an event, you will pay $15 per person. We need this ASAP.

Food Room

Wendy needs everyone to go ahead and sign up if you plan to eat so she can prepare. This is EVEN IF you've not yet paid. Wendy says there have been enough donations to cover the cost if you have not yet paid.

Time for Convention

I don't know how the year passes so fast from convention to convention! I'm sure many are scrambling to get your last minute events completed. Here are some things to remind you of.

• Judges: You should be receiving an email reminding you that you are judging an event. Please print and take that with you. Unless you swap with someone else, you are required to attend and judge.
• April 1st: Puppets will perform at Wed night service.
• April 5th: Speech, Song Leading/Songs of Praise, and Oral Bible Reading particpants will demonstrate their wonderful skills for the congregation. Boys in the auditorium, girls in the Kirby Building.
• April 5th: When the service is over, I will have schedules, cell phone lists, and students event lists for you to take to convention.
• Please remember that Art Says It is due to Elizabeth Westbrook by April 8th!!!
• April 9th: Leave for Indy. I will be there by 6-7pm with hotel keys.
• PLEASE see the post below. I have created an online form that will email your cell phone numbers to one Excel document and I can print out the cell phone list without running everyone down or typing them in! PLEASE fill in the online form for me before April 5th!

Here are some other convention items:

• I will pick up the Know the Books ribbons and pass these out on Friday at convention (these will not be picked up at Oral Bible Reading like last year.)
• Over 17,000 people are signed up to attend the different conventions this year.
• You may check the website http://www.lads-to-leaders.org/ for the final schedule (but I already have one ready for you with student names and assignments (to be given out April 5th).
• The 2010 convention for Indy is moving to Louisville for one year only (Louisville Marriott).

Cell Phone List for Convention

Please add your cell phone to the form below and I'll have a ready made cell phone list for us to take to convention! Thanks.

Storyline and Websites

Here is the Mass Media entry for Storyline. Also I've included the two webpages that were completed for Mass Media as well.



Aaron Roberts: http://stickman37.weebly.com/

Ainsley Brown: http://cooter.weebly.com/

T shirt Orders

The deadline for signing up for Alvaton T-shirts will be Sunday the 15th. This way we can get them ordered. The cost will be $7-$8. Let me know if you have any questions about ordering these please see Leigh Ann. These shirts are the ones for everyone not the puppet shirts. We won't be ordering a special Lads to Leaders shirt, but rather an Alvaton shirt.

Bible Bowl and PEARLS test

Bible Bowl tests will be given during evening services on February 15th.

PEARLS tests will be given during evening services on February 18th.

If for any reason you are unable to make either of these dates, please let Jeremy Brown (Bible Bowl) or Melissa Dyer (PEARLS) know immediately.

Registration Fee Due

The registration fees are now due. Each person attending convention is required to pay $35. This includes adults and children who are spending the night at convention. If your child completed any event but they are NOT spending the night, the cost is $15. If your child is under 3rd grade and NOT participating in any event, they are FREE! Please let me know if you have questions.

Fees are due by February 18th.

Hotel Reservations

If you have not told me whether or not you are staying all three nights, two nights, which nights, etc, PLEASE tell me by Jan 23rd. As of Jan 14th there are NO more Thursday night rooms. Please see me if you have not talked to me about your hotel reservations. If you have turned in your forms then you are most likely OK.
EB

More Judges Needed

Please consider judging events if you have not already signed up. We need more judges in the following areas. Volunteer or be coerced! :)

Art Says It: need 4 more
Leaderettes Oral Bible Reading: need 2 more
Puppet Theater: need 2 more
Song Leading: need 1 more
Songs of Praise: need 1 more
Leaderettes Speech: need 3 more
Lads Winner Circle: need 1 more

Art Says It

Patrick Folker is available to help all students who participate in the Art Says It drawing/sketching part of Lads to Leaders. If your child needs help in any way please contact him. Remember that you should check the requirements of the Art Says It as it (and all rules have been updated). We still plan to take up all art work on the Wed night before Easter. Contact Elizabeth Westbrook for additional information.

Events and Practice Schedules

Here are the latests practice schedules:

Sundays:
Puppets: before church
Song Leading: during church
Bible Bowl: during church

Wednesdays:
PEARLS
Second Language (next three Wed nights)

Bible Bowl and PEARLS testing dates: We will determine a time for everyone to take the test at the same time for each event sometime between February 11-23, 2009. Completed test answer sheets are to be returned to the appropriate coordinators and MUST be postmarked by February 23, 2009.

Updates on Registration

All registrations forms were due on Sunday. If you haven't gotten the forms to Elisa Beth, please see that you make arrangements to do this soon. Hotel Rooms are going fast and you would not want to be left "out in the cold" so to speak.


Hopefully on Wed night we will have a list posted of all the registration forms that have been turned in to be double checked by everyone. Please do this on Wed.


NEW THIS YEAR! If you competed in the following events, you need to fill out a verfication form and/or a log sheet. THIS IS NEW, so please do this and turn into the person in charge. These forms are located at the link below. These have to be filled out and mailed by the event coordator next week.

Mass Media: Steve Roberts, Geneva Brewer
Music Composition: Leigh Ann Wells
Second Language: Aimee Hockman
GIFTS and GUARD: Brandon Marshall and Sonya Byrum
Good Samaritan: Elisa Beth Brown
Parade of Winners (reading the Bible): Elisa Beth Brown
Know the Books: Bonnie Flieschman
Centurion of Scripture: Jeff Byrum

Follow this link to find forms online that you can print or Celeste will have some printed. This is a MUST to get your award. http://ebbrown5.googlepages.com/verificationforms