Our Sr. High Youth leaders are truly some of the most talented and caring shepherds you could ask for. This year we had 8 youth leaders serving, and they have a combined total of 22 years of experience leading youth. The depth they bring is incredible. I have felt so incredibly blessed to have this team as they haven’t just made sure I have not dropped balls, but they have elevated so much of what we have pursued this year at youth.
In Sr. High Youth, we grew from a weekly attendance of 30 at the start of the year, and now we average low 60s. – In Young Adults, we average 60-85 students a week.
We continue to be a sanctuary for our youth and young adults. Our students are under huge pressure as they navigate an incredibly complex world with many waring agendas and messages. In addition, they carry a load of their failures and or the failures of significant, impactful people in their life. The weight is always present, but some days it becomes incredibly enormous. And so, as Jesus’ hands, feet, ears, and voice, we lift burdens, we ask ourselves at debrief, “Did they leave lighter than when they came?”
Sometimes our youth just need to play, blow off steam, laugh, and goof off with friends. They often need to talk it out and give their burdens and their failures to Jesus. We feel privileged to represent Jesus weekly in this way.
We are in the process of hiring a Sr. High Youth Pastor. We had some great applications come in, and we have narrowed it down to one person. They will be candidating here June 6-13th. If all goes well, we hope to have this position filled in the summer so that we are ready to go by the next school year.
Here is some rapid-fire information to better understand what Sr. High & Young Adult Ministries were up to this past year:
Events:
Down Hill Luge / Kick Off / Lake Days / Youngs Farm on the Cliffs / 2-Step Lessons / Christmas Banquet / Scavenger Hunt / Sylvan Lake hang out / Ultimate Frisbee / Slip and Slide Kick Ball / West Edd. Mall Hunt / Glow Tribes / 90’s Lip Sync / Hawaiian Luau / Food Bank Serving / Pool Party / Sr. High Youth Retreat / Nerf Wars.
Snacks:
Pizza / Smores / Skittle Bar / Banana Splits /Pumpkin Pie /Crackers-N-Dips / Ice-cream Sandwich Cookies /Apple Pie /Potato Bar /Fries n Gravy /Ice-cream Treats /Chicken Burritos /Strawberry over Sponge Cake/ Candy-Cane Deconstructed Cheese Cake / Nachos / Pizza /Donuts /Sugar Cereal / Ice-cream Cones/ Italian Sodas /Chocolate Fondue/ Grilled Cheese /Bagel Bar /Pizza Pockets /Cheese n Carmel Popcorn / Cinnamon Buns.
Ice Breakers and Games:
Hide and go Squeak / “Duck Hunter” / Rope Swing Teambuilder/ Tortilla Slap / Wits-N-Wagers /Pull-Apart “Deconstruction” /Penguin Basketball /Mario Wars /Clue / Mennonite Dancing /Gift Exchange /Zip-Tie Lego Copy / Blind Leading the Blind Obstacle Course /Bucket Ball/ Uno Competition /Shopping Cart Jousting /Stick Bridge Building / Sock Wars / Wackum Hockey / Pumpkin Bash / Capture the Flag / Bouncy Castle / Real Life Mario Cart / Kajabe-Can-Can / Cocoon Your Leader / Jeopardy / Slimed / Bob Ross Art In Fastforward.
Talks:
Identity in Christ Part 1 and 2 / The God Who Speaks / Taking God’s Gifts vs. the World’s / Who’s Fighting Your Battles / What’s Your Spiritual Plan / How Pickled Are You? / Who is in Your Corner? / How Can I Live My Best Life Now? Pt 1, 2 and 3 / Life on Purpose / Boredom vs. New Life / Shame / The God Who Hides / Perfect Love vs Fear / No Boring Conversations / Life “With” God / Outward Focus; 1-Praying 2-Caring 3-Sharing / God’s Cheque Book / Breaking a Habit / Living Free of Judgment / The Pains of a “Puffed Up” Life / Testimonies / Dating: Pursuing a Win vs. Avoiding a Failure / Missionary Sharing.
