Youth Ministry
6th - 12th Grades
YOUTH GROUP
Our youth group meets during the school year from 4:00-5:30 on Sunday afternoons. Youth group intentionally brings young people together in a life of faith, action, and community. The nurturing environment provides them with a safe place to be challenged and encouraged to ask questions about their faith. In our youth group we address the spiritual, emotional, and social needs that are unique to young people. Through worship, Bible study, service, fellowship, and play, we explore our faith and equip our young people with the tools and support needed to grow as Christians. Opportunities offered in such a supportive and accepting community may enable our youth to renew or deepen their relationships with God, their faith, and commitment to Jesus Christ.
The purposes of Sunday Night Youth Group are:
• to intentionally create a safe, welcoming, inviting, inclusive environment for young people to feel comfortable talking about their faith,
• to address the needs and current issues relevant to youth,
• to challenge young people to grow in their faith,
• to provide opportunities to share with one another,
• to equip youth to be transformational Christian leaders,
• to build up and participate in a Christ-centered community,
• to deepen relationships within the group and with God.
BIBLE STUDY
During the school year our high school students meet each Wednesday morning from 7:30-8:15 at Bojangles. They enjoy breakfast, fellowship, and a short devotion before school begins. Transportation is available to York Comprehensive High School following Bible study.
YOUTH CONFERENCES
CONFIRMATION
Youth of First Presbyterian Church regularly attend Montreat Youth Conferences and Presbytery retreats. Youth retreats and conferences are characterized by leaving behind the regular hustle and bustle and demands of everyday life to venture to a place set apart where encounters with God, with others in community, and with creation are possible. Through retreat and conference experiences, youth have the time and space to reflect on scripture, pray, enjoy the company of one another, and rejoice in the beauty of God’s creation. These settings provide safe environments where young people are challenged through keynotes, small group meetings, and worship services. They are empowered to hear their own voices, share their perspectives, and to ask their questions. These opportunities in such supportive communities of acceptance often enable youth to encounter God more personally and also learn to better embrace others. The result of these times away is a renewal or deepening of their relationships with God, their faith, and commitment to Jesus Christ.
The purposes of retreats and conferences for our youth are:
• to clear space for encountering God,
• to challenge them in deepening their faith,
• to discover a vibrant, durable discipleship in Jesus Christ
• to be invited to embody the love, justice, and righteousness of Christ
• to equip them to be transformational Christian leaders
• to live in Christ-like community with others,
• to deepen the relationships within our own group.
The teen years are an age when young people begin to think more seriously about what they simply accepted as children. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), teens are invited to affirm their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and become full members of the church. To facilitate the process of growing toward a personally held faith, we provide confirmation classes for youth in the eighth grade and older. These classes typically follow the school year.
Youth who participate in the confirmation class will be matched with a Covenant Partner. This person will serve as a guide in the confirmation journey, particularly as a sponsor and mentor for the young people. A Covenant Partner is a church officer, a teacher, or other church leader (other than one’s own parent), who has a genuine interest in being a companion of a confirmand during this important part of his or her faith journey. At the end of the process, the confirmand, Covenant Partner, and church staff member will meet to discern whether or not the young person is ready to proclaim her/his faith and become a full member of the church.
YOUTH MINISTRY MISSION STATEMENT:
As youth and adults we respond to God's call through the Holy Spirit to call, encourage,and support young people and their families to be disciples of Jesus Christ, to be connected to and supportive of each other, the whole church, the community, and the world, so that our lives proclaim with joy that Jesus Christ is Lord!
OUR VISION:
All youth will
Know God,
Grow in Christ,
Love and accept one another
As we lead through the Holy Spirit.