WORD Youth Ministries

The mission statement of St. Paul’s WORD Youth Ministries is to inspire youth to know Christ, to live Christ’s love and to share Christ’s truth.  A variety of programs are involved with the goal of a balanced ministry.  These programs include outreach activities; fellowship activities; faith nurture, including discipleship and worship activities; and service ministry activities.

Our mission statement at Word ministries is “To inspire youth to know Christ, to live Christ’s love, and share Christ’s truth.” We live this out by being dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ, sharing in Bible study, worship, mission, music, and fellowship. Word ministries has many entry places with 4 day per week programming, and additional special events. (Youth Schedule.)
 
Word ministries has three different areas focused on faith development.
Learning: First we have Sunday school at 10:20 broken into age-appropriate groups. Club 56 focuses on Bible training in more depth than students experienced in elementary school, commensurate with their maturity. 7th-8th grade is primarily focused on preparation and implementation of our Confirmation program. High school is focused on Bible study and social principals through the lens of United Methodism.
 
Our Sunday night Bible study is more ecumenical in nature as we draw youth from many faith traditions that worship with their families in their home churches on Sunday morning, but come to us for youth group because of many different reasons. Evening study is also broken into age appropriate groups, and focuses on Bible study, and its application in our contemporary lives and choices. Wednesday nights, our youth worship experience music is led by our youth, and the message is directed at the challenges and growing points that our youth are experiencing at this time of their lives.
 

Fellowship Our weekly fellowship events occur during the fellowship time before worship on Sunday Café which is the meal Sunday night, and also our “Lunch with the Pastor” program. Each week, while school is in session, we hold lunches. We lunch Tuesdays at Lovely Lane UMC with Kennedy students and Thursdays with Washington students at the parsonage. Each week we will fellowship and break bread with over 125 students for fellowship and relationship building.

 

Service Word ministries also has many special events including four different faith building retreats per year, Happy-Go-Lucky-Big-Funday-Sunday fellowship events, one day mission events, and of course our flagship events - our summer mission trip program. (Report from the 2009 Mission Trip - Dear Jesus Letters.) Jesus teaches us in John chapter 15 that He is the Vine and we are to be the branches that bear His fruit. When you know and love Jesus, and follow his way, the fruit of Jesus’ love will be evident to all.

Our fruit is evident in the countless hours of joyful labor our youth offer working in our community and beyond, their involvement in children’s ministry, Thriftmart, and all the mission ministries of our church community named St. Paul’s. Word ministries views youth as a vital part of a vibrant church, and in building youthful Disciples today.

 

Our music ministry is led by Carol Tralau and is a part of the overall music ministry of St. Paul’s. We have an all-youth choir, as well as mid-high and senior-high bell teams.