|
Youth Ministry At Faith |
|
Faith Church not only ministers
"to" its youth, we make a deliberate practice of ministering "with" our youth,
including them in the full life of our congregation. Faith is a discipling
congregation and we believe that disciples need to be nurtured in scripture,
discipleship and service ministry from a young age. Jane Krantz, our Youth
Ministry Coordinator, works diligently and creatively with Pastor Nelson to make
that a reality. |
| Here is an overview of our
Ministry with Children and Youth: |
|
Age 3: Presentation of their
first "Bible" and entry into Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.
At age 3 there is a special nursery Sunday School class at the 9
am Sunday School hour. A volunteer staffed nursery of two to three
Nursery Buddies watch over our little ones during worship for those who
wish to take advantage of this service. Our teens are paired with
one or two adults to entertain the little ones. The nursery, its private
bathroom and stock of toys, are maintained by members of our Clean Team
Small Group. |
|
At
Faith Church, babies, toddlers and young children are welcome in the
Sanctuary for worship, and encouraged to be there on the second Sunday of
each month (Family Service featuring the Peli-Can
Puppet Team Children's Message). During this service the gospel is read by the people in unison, and the Children's and Beginner's
Bibles are in use as they follow along with the adults who use their
Contemporary English Version pew Bibles...pages given, of course!)
|
|
Sunday School for ALL ages! |
Sunday
Breakfast Club |
First Communion Class |
|
Sunday
School for all ages, beginning with Age 3, is held from September
through May of each year. Our Sunday School classes are group
graded and we use a lectionary-based curriculum. Most classes have
a "team" of two adults. Catechetical students have their own Sunday
morning class, as do older teens and adults. |
Sunday Breakfast Club is a special
class for older teens --a continental breakfast and group discussion
with mentors in the Library during the Sunday School hour each
week. |
First
Communion Class is taught by the pastor for two sessions just before
First Communion is celebrated on Maundy Thursday, the festival during
Holy Week which commemorates the institution of the sacrament of Holy
Communion as it remembers Jesus' own Last Supper with his disciples.
Children age 10 and above are the usual candidates for this class. |
|
Kid Event |
|
In order to disciple well-rounded
followers of Jesus Christ, Faith offers fellowship and service events
for our youngest children in a fellowship group called Kid Event, led by
our Youth Ministry Coordinator. |
|
Catechetical
Instruction |
When
young people reach the age of about 12, a physiological change occurs in
the human brain which enables a person to move from concrete to abstract
thought. So, our first year catechetical class begins when young
people reach the age or near the age of 12. For 2 1/2 school years
under the pastor's teaching they study the scriptures, church history
and doctrine, the sacraments and matters of discipleship using ELCA
materials with enrichments, including video units. Confirmation in
the Lutheran Church is an affirmation of baptism. The Rite
of Confirmation is usually celebrated on Reformation Sunday following
the second year. There is then one final unit, taught by a
specially trained lay-teacher, called See Through the Scriptures, a
Crossways International curriculum that reviews their catechetical
learning's through a unique visual approach, cementing in their
knowledge in a way that can be retrieved the rest of their life.
|
|
Youth Group |
Faith Family
Christmas Program |
|
Our teens have their own opportunity
for fellowship and service through the youth group experience, led by
several of Faith's committed adults. |
A specially written, homegrown
Christmas play is offered each year the fourth Sunday in Advent.
This gives little ones, teens and adults an opportunity to present the
Christmas message in a traditional Christmas play format, including
costumes, props and the works -- lots of music and spirit, and very few
lines to memorize! |
|
Vacation Bible
School |
Peli-Can Puppet
Ministry |
|
One of Faith Church's favorite
congregational activities, there are nearly as many adults and teens
teaching and helping as registered children in the ELCA-curriculum-based
Vacation Bible School held the first full week of August every year.
Meeting Monday through Friday, from 9 am to noon, the event is free to
all and is specially designed to reach out also to children in the
community. |
During worship on the second Sunday
of each month, our Peli-Can Puppet Team presents the children's message
during worship. Volunteer puppeteers are adults and youth. |
|
Sunday School
"Motion Choir" |
Opportunities for
service -- We're part of something larger than ourselves! |
|
Songs and movements learned in
Vacation Bible School are the foundation of our Sunday School Motion
Choir program. The children, who practice for a few moments each
Sunday before Sunday School, then "present" their song during the second
Sunday family worship as their leadership in worship that day. |
Our
children and teens are called upon to help out from time to time in
serving their church family as acolytes, crucifers, lectors, greeters,
worship assistants and even wholly leading the annual Youth Sunday
service in September. There are also plenty of opportunities to
help with nursery, praise band and setting tables for special events.
Other service opportunities might be fundraisers for charity
organizations outside our congregation. |
