"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

We are fortunate to have 3 active Youth Groups beginning with our 3rd Grade students. our Junior Youth Group (3rd through 5th grades) meets monthly, intermingling social with mission related events. Both our Middle School (6th through 8th Grades) and Senior High Youth Groups meet bi-monthly, alternating social events with mission events.

Youth are always encouraged to bring friends to any and all events. The cost to our youth for these events is always the same...FREE! All youth events are supported by the annual congregational budget as a show of support for this vital ministry of our church.

 

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" Mark 16:15

Senior Highs are invited to participate in a summer mission trip. Locations are typically domestic but have included a crossing of the border into Mexico for some hands-on work with our Spanish speaking neighbors.

We are committed to helping our youth grow in Christ through worship, prayer, service and mission. We are committed to helping children of all ages find faith through age appropriate teaching of Gods Word.

Mexico Group 2008

"Stepping out of our comfort zones, all the way to Mexico"

A few weeks ago, 19 of us were blessed with the unique opportunity to go and serve God in poverty-stricken Mexico. Once there, we would build a house for a very deserving family, and would get to experience life in their shoes. Although Yugo, the organization that we were working with, had nice facilities, we certainly were not staying in a 5-star hotel. But none of that seemed to matter to us once we got there. We were all brought together by faith, and were excited to change the lives of one special family. Here are some of our reminiscing about our experiences on our missions' trip to Mexico.

Day one: it's fair to say that we were all excited to embark on our journey, although we all had some nerves in us. Thankfully God answered our numerous prayers and blessed us with safe travels. Everything went as planned with the exception of the Starbucks kiosk closing as we jumped in line. Once in Chula Vista, we slept in a neighborhood church and enjoyed their service the next morning. From there, we rented two white vans and began our expedition to Ensenada. Once we got to the Yugo Ensenada Outreach Center, we settled into our new rooms and from there, met our family and pastor. Our family, the Gonzales', couldn't have been a better match for us! Their family consisted of a mother, a father, and six children (all between the ages of 4 months and 16-years-old). They were living in a house made of tarp and old cardboard, which made them vulnerable to any bad weather that came their way. They were clearly in need, and deserving, of a new house. And we came to do just that.

Over the course of the next four days, we bonded with the family, practiced our Spanish (as they practiced their English.), built an
amazing house, and most importantly, grew in our faith. We did everything from painting to roofing, and had a blast doing it! This
experience made us all realize how blessed we truly are in America, and now, looking back, we have all made an effort to not take things for granted. The Gonzales' taught us a great lesson that even when you don't speak the same language, love is universal. Over this trip, I've learned many life lessons that none of us will ever forget. And for that, we are all thankful. Submitted by Karly Sandsmark and Shelby Bourdo.

 

The things we've done. Some of our past activities have included the following:

Mission

• Making Sandwiches for Guest House in Milwaukee
• Collecting food for Hug the Hungry
• Collecting money for "Soup-er" Bowl Sunday
• Playing Bingo with Shorehaven residents

Social

• Lazer Tag
• Sleep-Over/Lock-in at Church
• Bowling
• Ice Skating
• Hay ride/Bonfire
• ComedySportz