Youth Ministries
Our Mission
To nurture the person of Jesus Christ within each of youth "so that you may lead a life worthy of Him and please Him in every way." (Colossians 1:10)
A youth ministry is always more than the sum of its programs. Our goals and hopes reach far beyond the scope of our programming, yet our programs are important. The events of Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night, as well as the special events throughout the year, are important components in the continuing spiritual formation of our students and leaders, and we encourage everyone to dedicate themselves to the ministry through participation in these programs. Our hope is that this guide can assist you in understanding the nature and purpose of those programs and facilitate your students’ participation in them.
It is most important to know our programs follow a consistent pattern throughout the year. Understanding this rhythm can help you juggle the many demands on your family’s time. Think of it this way: there are two five month terms in the youth ministry – August-December and January-May – that mirror one another and are separated by a two month summer term – June and July. The first month of each term is dedicated to outreach and building momentum, including events planned each weekend for that purpose. These events are outlined elsewhere in this guide. During these months, we meet every other Wednesday for Fools’ Day.
The middle three months of each term – September-November and February-April – are dedicated to corporate gatherings of the youth ministry for worship, study, discussion, and prayer on Wednesday nights. Additional events during these months will always be noted in youth ministry calendars and other Grandview publications.
The final month of each term – December and May – are slower months for youth ministry programming. They again include bi-monthly Wednesday night Fools’ Day gatherings as well as annual gatherings of the entire church that all students are encouraged to attend.
Summer months are given over to large annual events – mission trips, camps, service projects, day trips – and again occasional Wednesday Fools’ Days. The summer also includes Sunday school and small group meetings, which meet regularly throughout the year.
It's a pleasure to minister with you.
Ryan Bader
Worship
"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good acceptable and perfect."
Romans 12:1-2
Paul teaches us that worship is a response of our entire life — mind, body and soul — to the gracious activity of God. Everything we do each day should be an act of worship. Our rehearsal of those lives that are pleasing to God, however, take place on certain occasions set aside for the body of Christ to come together in worship. The activities that take place in those gatherings — prayer, singing, silence, teaching and preaching, and a sharing in the Lord's supper — help to transform our lives into those that are set apart from the world and acceptable to God.
The primary gatherings at Grandview take place each Sunday morning at 9:30 and 11:00 when all Christians gather together for worship. We believe that it is essential that Christians young and old maintain an active role in these gatherings and we encourage all students in the youth ministry toward that end.
There are other occasions, however, when we gather for worship as a smaller student body. These gatherings take place on Wednesday nights as a part of our church-wide Two-4-Two program. Following dinner at 6:00 our students gather for times of singing, prayer and teaching. We also celebrate the Lord's Supper together every week. Through these activites and with the help of the Holy Spirit we hope to move toward a better understanding of who God is and how we can be more like Christ.
Because the journey toward knowledge of God and Christ-likeness is not meant to be taken alone, we emphasize the need we have for one another and the important place of friendship in our worship gatherings. Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights are ideal times to introduce your friends to the worship of God and the fellowship of God's people.
Small groups
At Grandview we believe that every follower of Christ should live in close relationships with other believers. These relationships offer all of our students the support, accountability, and motivation necessary to grow as Christians. We hope to foster these types of relationships among our students through our small group ministries. It is our hope that as students meet together, they will discover the importance of prayer, regular Bible study, and Christian community as they encounter the issues faced by teens today. Just as importantly, our adult small group leaders offer valuable guidance, direction, and care to our students through these formative years.
At Grandview, our small groups meet on Sunday nights from 6-8. Our small group leaders plan the details of each meeting including topics of discussion and study, location of the meeting, and any special small group events throughout the year. Small groups meet each week throughout the year with only a few exceptions.
Small Group Leaders
- Junior High Gals (7th - 9th): Wendy Williams, Robin Swain & Meredith McKinney
- Junior High Guys (7th - 9th): Ryan Bader, Sam Vaughn & Adam Proffitt
- Senior High Gals (10th - 12th): Caroline Neal & Jackie Vaughn
- Senior High Guys (10th - 12th): Larry McKinney, Roger Allman
Sunday School
We believe that every follower of Christ should be continually growing in their relationship with God through regular Bible study. Sunday school classes meet each Sunday morning at 9:30 & 11:00 to equip students with the skills necessary to develop that gift in their lives. Here we focus on both biblical content and methods of study in order to prepare our students to effectively use the Bible as a guide for the journey ahead.
For our junior high students a single class is offered during both the 9:30 and 11:00 hours. The goal of our junior high class is to offer students a survey of Scripture in its entirety over the course of their two years in the class. During their eight quarters in the junior high Sunday school class they will familiarize themselves with the whole Biblical narrative as they prepare for greater interaction with the Scriptures moving forward.
For our senior high students we offer Sunday school "electives". Each quarter we will offer classes during both the 9:30 and 11:00 Sunday school hours. The first three month quarter begins in August as school is returning to session. Topics are chosen based on the needs and interests of the students as well as the gifts of the teacher. Presently one elective class is offered during each of the Sunday school hours. An elective format offers our ministry the flexibility to offer classes that respond to issues current in our students' lives and allows us to utilize the teaching gifts of many of Grandview's members.
Missions
We believe that all Christians are ministers and that all the world is a mission field. Therefore, the Grandview youth ministry encourages, equips, and sends out students to use their gifts to bless and serve all the world. Whether together in the church building, separate in our schools, or distant in parts of this or another country, our mission is to serve and be a witness to Christ.
The opportunities to serve as a part of the Grandview youth ministry are many and varied. Each summer our junior and senior high students have the opportunity to come together for week-long mission trips. On these trips, students work to minister to areas experiencing great need due to disaster, poverty, or other difficult circumstances. Destinations for these trips have included Cincinnati, OH, Lexington, KY, New Orleans, LA, and Knoxville, TN.
The Grandview youth ministry also has a relationship with Mountain Mission School, a Christian boarding school in Grundy, VA. Through annual weekend visits to the Grundy campus, we assist in the upkeep and improvement of school facilities and foster relationships with the students living on campus.
Students also have the opportunity to participate each month in local missions on what we call Fools' Day. Why "Fools' Day?" Because by the world's reckoning, service and sacrifice are foolish ways, but it is exactly through these foolish acts that God blesses the world. We celebrate foolishness through acts or service preformed for members of our church family and local service organizations and ministry to others in our community with pressing needs.
Outreach
Archbishop William Temple once said, "The church is the only voluntary organization that exists solely for the benefit of non-members." Our mission in the Grandview youth ministry is to live up to Temple's dictum and "be the church for our world." In everything we do we aim to reach out to those surrounding us to be a blessing to them through friendship and service (see Missions).
During certain occasions throughout the year, though, we will make a special effort to introduce ourselves to the community and create new friendships through events designed especially for outreach. These events are annually scheduled for the first month of both five month terms (August and January) and take the place of our mid week worship services during that month.
August Rush
August is an exciting month in the youth ministry as we generate momentum for the new school year. The month begins with our fall kickoff, while each of the remaining Sundays in August are devoted to some of the more bizarre activities we'll do throughout the year. We call them "Nights of the Bizarre". These nights begin with small group dinners at 5:00 with activities (often wet and messy) to follow from 6-8 each week. These nights are ideal occasions to invite friends into the youth ministry to become acquainted with who we are.
Winter Blitz
Weekends in January are given over to events planned by Grandview's small groups with an eye toward inviting their friends into the fellowship of the youth ministry. These events usually take place on a Friday or Saturday and involve a little more travel and expense (see cost schedule page). However, every effort is made to make these events accessible to every student within and without the youth ministry.
Koinonia
"fellowship, a close mutual relationship; participation, sharing in;"
The Grandview youth ministry is an active participant in a local fellowship of youth ministries called Koinonia. This fellowship came together in the fall of 2000 out of a commitment to fulfilling Christ's vision of a unified church. Participating churches come from a wide range of denominational traditions and church backgrounds out of which Leaders and students alike join together to plan events that will foster friendship and cooperation among all Christians.
Koinonia events throughout the year include semi-regular gatherings for worship, play and service. There are also occasions when churches cooperating in this Koinonia work together on mission projects locally and abroad.
As the ministry of Koinonia continues to grow it is our hope and prayer that young people will be strengthened by Christian friendships, those friendships will foster a deep affection for Christ and his church, and that above all else, God will be glorified by the fellowship of all His people.
Cost schedule
We strive to make participation in the youth ministry an inexpensive venture and insist that cost not be prohibitive to any student's wishes to be a part. It is our desire through communication and cooperation to work with families to minimize any financial stress that youth ministry expenses may create.
We believe the first step in reducing potential stress is advance knowledge of expenses. We hope such knowledge allows families to budget appropriately by anticipating major expenses throughout the year. While it is impossible to anticipate every major expense during a year, there are some annual expenses that vary very little. Those expenses are approximately as follows.
- january: winter blitz and tctc - $150
- march-april: senior high koinonia retreat - $50
- june: junior and senior high camps - $250
- june-july: summer missions trips - $300*
- august-september: junior high koinonia retreat - $50
Mission Trip expenses can vary significantly based on the destination of the trip.
In addition to foreknowledge and budgeting, we work to alleviate these costs through year-round fundraising. Most of the money raised by the youth group goes to finance summer mission trips, but fundraising also reduces the cost of other events throughout the year. We also offer full and partial scholarships to every event sponsored by the youth ministry. Scholarships are available upon request and recipients will be asked to participate in ministry fundraisers as well as individual "for-hire" projects sponsored by members of the congregation.
