At St. Paul’s we believe students (6th-12th grade) should experience a safe place where they can gather with others their own age, be formed in faith and sent into the world to be Difference Makers because of the love of Jesus. We do this through the study of scripture, music, worship, fellowship and mission work in service to our church, community and across the nation.
Take a look at what we offer for youth in the announcments below.
Join us Wednesday nights for an intentional time of community and digging into scripture. Wednesday Nights are for all 6th-12th graders 6:30-7:30 pm (doors open at 6:15 pm)
OCTOBER
October 4: How to talk to and listen to others well
October 11: AHH!! Real Monsters: Gross and Weird stories from the Bible
October 18: AHH!! Real Monsters: Gross and Weird stories from the Bible
October 25: AHH!! Real Monsters: Gross and Weird stories from the Bible
NOVEMBER
November 1: Volunteering with Holiday Fair
November 8: 6:00 pm-7:15 pm volunteering with Central Furniture Rescue at Lovely Lane United Methodist Church
November 15: Friendsgiving – Bring a side dish to share. We will provide the turkey
7: Bloomsbury Farm (3260 69th St, Atkins) at 10:00 am
8: Crop Walk at Thomas Park (343 Marion Blvd, Marion)
15: Faith and Politics – Panel Discussion/ Q&A with local and state elected representatives at St. Marks (4700 Johnson Ave NW, Cedar Rapids)
22: Clue Murder Mystery Party at St. Paul’s UMC (1340 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids)
29: No Youth Co-Op
Family Fun at Bloomsbury Farms
Saturday, October 7 | 10:00 am
Join us for family fun at Bloomsbury Farms (3260 69th Street, Atkins) on Saturday, October 7. Cost $7 per person, children two years old and under are free. If you have questions or want to register for the event, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Becca Nims.
No Tricks Here, Only Treats!
St. Paul’s annual Trunk-or-Treat will be held Saturday October 28, 2023 from 2:30-4:00 pm. Last year we had over 500 children and families from the Cedar Rapids community join us for this event. We truly could not do Trunk-or-Treat without you! We need both trunks and candy. If interested in volunteering, click here to sign up. Questions? Contact Becca Nims.
Trunk-or-Treat
Saturday, October 28 | 2:30-4:00 pm | St. Paul's 2nd Avenue Parking Lot
No Tricks Here, Only Treats! Join us at Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday, October 28, 2023, from 2:30-4:00 pm! It’s going to be a family-friendly afternoon of fun and treats! Trunk-or-Treat will be held in the St. Paul’s UMC 2nd Avenue parking lot and features trick-or-treating stations from the trunks of cars or truck tailgates. Gather your family and invite your friends for this fun afternoon. Trunk-or-Treat is free to attend—no registration required. Remember your not-so-scary costume!
Youth Music practices during the education time (10:20-11:10 am). Currently, students have spent most of the time playing handbells to participate in worship. Have you not played bells before? That is OK. Do you have little musical experience? That is OK. There is a place for anyone who wants to participate, no matter what skill level you have.
The Spirit of God will lead the way and other experiences, such as drumming, drama, etc., may become a part of Youth Music. This is a time to come and fellowship with other students and invest yourself in the worship life of the congregation. Worship is the part of the Christian experience that has been with us since the beginning of Christianity. Come and try it out! We cannot do it without you!! Contact Mark Baumann for more information.
At St. Paul’s, we believe missions are a powerful step in our youths’ faith journeys. We encourage youth to begin these experiences in 6th grade and continue them through 12th grade. Mission trips allow students to get out of their comfort zones to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus Christ in the world. Our mission trips have included recovery missions in response to Hurricane Katrina and the tornadoes in Oklahoma and Joplin Missouri; and a service learning trip to Memphis, Tennesssee. Trips traditionally take place during the summer months.
See information about upcoming Mission Trips in Youth Announcements.
Confirmation is a great responsibility, and it can be challenging. It is such an important time in the faith development of young people.
Too often, confirmation has been downgraded to the role of a checkpoint along the faith journey. We want to provide students with an experience to help them on a journey toward a mature faith.
At your child’s baptism, we recognized God’s grace at work in your child, you promised to raise your child in the way that leads to life everlasting, and the faith community agreed to stand beside you and your child in faith development.
Confirmation is a continuation of what God started in baptism; for that matter, confirmation is a continuation of what God started in the community of faith in your child’s baptism. While confirmation is the moment your teenager confirms the vows taken on his or her behalf in the baptism, it remains a communal experience, whereby the church sees the faithfulness of God at work in and through your teenager. At confirmation, your teen publicly professes personal faith in Christ and commits to faithful stewardship of time, talent, treasure, witness, and service in the body of Christ and the world. In baptism, we are initiated into the family of God, and in confirmation we publicly declare our allegiance to Christ and Christ’s church.
Confirmation is traditionally taught during the 8th grade year, however, we invite those who are in High School, to join in as well. Parents do not need to be members of St. Paul’s for a child to participate in the confirmation class.
For more information on Confirmation, Contact Becca Nims, Director of Youth and Family Ministries at rnims@stpaulsumc.org.
Meet our Director of Family Ministries
My name is Becca Nims, I am the Director of Family Ministries. Thank you for entrusting us with your students! Here at St. Paul’s our goal is to create a safe environment where students gather with other students their own age, be formed in faith and sent into the world to be a Difference Maker. Please feel free to email rnims@stpaulumc.org
Got questions?
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