Goal

The goal of youth ministry at First Presbyterian Church is to create a safe and sacred place for our youth. We aim "to help youth navigate safe passage into adulthood and to offer youth a specific faith/cultural identity" using significant relationships with Christian adults. (Reference: The Godbearing Life, by Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster). Through the various aspects of our youth ministry program we hope to fully integrate our youth into the life and corporate body of the church both in receiving and providing ministry.

Sunday School

From September to May, Youth Sunday School classes are offered at 9:30am in the Kinhart Center and are separated into two classes, one for middle school and one for senior high students. The education hour provides an opportunity for a relaxed, but more formal Bible study that is age appropriate.

Fellowship Events

A variety of activities are offered year round for our youth to interact with each other, adult members of our congregation and the larger community while exploring their faith.

Fellowship activities range from the purely recreational:

• Ski trip
• Frisbee golf
• Scavenger hunt
• Bonfire

• Feeding the homeless
• Doing sweat equity work on our campus
• Participating in CROP Walk
• Visiting with and caroling for our home bound members

• Preparing for and leading worship
• Assisting with Vacation Bible School
• Making and using prayer beads
• Taize services

Youth eUpdate

Youth announcements are made weekly via email. These emails provide specific details about the upcoming fellowship activity along with any other pertinent announcements.

Facebook Group

Many of the youth in our group are on Facebook, the social networking site, so we have created a group page to connect our youth to each other and the youth leaders. Event details are posted to the group page as well as photos and web links that are useful or of interest to the group. It is a "closed group," so no one can access it that hasn't been invited or approved by a youth group leader.

Volunteering Opportunities

A successful youth ministry program gives the youth the time and space to be youth while also connecting them to the congregation at large. Volunteers are what make our program possible and we are always on the look out for committed, faithful adults to interact with the youth. Whether it be long term, short term, or just for a specific event we have opportunities available to either work directly with the youth or to assist in a "behind the scenes" supporting capacity.

For more information or if you feel called to this ministry please contact Chris Dunn, Director of Youth Ministry or Chris Kardish (chris at kardish.us), Elder and Chair of Youth Ministry Council.