After the flurry of the 30HourFamine, the Junior Basket Raffle, and the Taco Bar, the youth are enjoying the doldrums of summer.  Details from the Taco Bar will be included in the September newsletter, but until then, thank you to everyone who supported the event by preparing the delicious food and baked goods, serving, setting up and taking down, and assisting with publicity - and of course, thank you to each of you who attended and/or invited friends to make this by-donation event a success for the Vision Alive orphanage in Kenya.

Looking back for a moment to the Junior Basket Raffle in May, I want to acknowledge the businesses that donated gift certificates or tickets to the raffle: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Giant Food Stores, MacArthur Road & Coplay, Becky's Drive-In, The Disney Store, The Children's Place, Lush, Crazy Cones, the Iron Pigs, Lehigh Valley Zoo, PuttU, Applebee's/The Rose Group, Crayola Experience, Nacci Printing, Pies On, and Thrivent.

I also want to share a couple of thoughts. First of all, 30 Holy Trinity members and 49 friends and community individuals attended the Junior Basket Raffle to raise $1472 to continue our support of the youth group's South African "sister", Linathi.  Second, I would like to share part of a note I received from one of our members regarding the youth group's support of World Vision's work, by sponsoring a child as well as participating each year in the 30Hour Famine:

    I don't know how long World Vision has been around - but it was not on my radar screen when I grew up. What a great way to help today's youth (& their parents) look beyond themselves and into the world community.

Keep your ears open for updates as the Faith Development Team plans for the fall. Input from both parents and youth, as well as the congregation in general, is welcome as we pray and plan to meet the needs of our congregation and our Catasauqua community.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  (Jer. 29:11)