YOUTH MINISTRY
Serve God.
Love people.
Have fun.
Our Youth Ministry is for 6th to 12th grade students. We are an active group that balances the three statements listed above. Take a look at some of the exciting things that we do during the year…
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In an effort to grow in our relationship with God, we do things that challenge us to get out of our comfort zones and into God’s love and grace. These opportunities include:
YOUTH GROUP: Sunday nights (5 – 7 PM). On Sunday nights we focus on all three of our Youth Group goals (love God. love people. have fun.) There are a variety of activities, trips and discussions that go on during Youth Group. We might be playing Laser Tag, Ultimate Frisbee, or our annual Super Bowl Party, or we may be playing BINGO at a local nursing home or throwing a Christmas Party for some of the local children, or we may be discussing important issues that matter to you and asking what God thinks about those issues. Every Sunday Night is an adventure. We even have a free snack supper from 5 – 5:30 PM. Bring a friend!
SMALL GROUPS: Wednesday nights (6 – 7 PM) On Wednesday Nights we get together for some “sharing and caring”. This is an opportunity to find out how other people are doing and to get some support for yourself as well. Each week we share the same 3 questions: What is your HIGH POINT for the week? What is your LOW POINT for this week? and Where did you SEE GOD this week? We also pray for one another! Currently we have a High School Small Group that meets in Rodney’s Office (second floor of the Christian Enrichment Center (Room #207) and a Middle School Small Group that meets in Room #200 (second floor of the CEC)
YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sunday mornings (10 – 10:45 AM) This is the time where we really get into the depth of our relationship with God. We discuss topics about God’s desires for our lives and how we can live those desires out!
HIGH SCHOOL SPRING RETREAT: Each Spring, the High Schoolers head up to YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly for a retreat in beautiful Black, Mountain, NC. We discuss a variety of topics that help you grow in your relationship with God. We also participate in a High Ropes Initiatives and a Saturday Night campfire. Information about this retreat will be available on this website in early Spring!
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPRING RETREAT: The Middle Schoolers get to go on a Spring Retreat also! We will go to Camp Hanes for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference event called “Igniteus”. Middle Schoolers from all over western North Carolina come together for meaningful worship, fun games and meeting new people. Information about this retreat will be available on this website in early Spring!
LAKE JUNALUSKA RETREAT: In late summer, we take another retreat to Lake Junaluska, right outside of Waynesville, NC. Our Youth group has been staying at Providence Lodge for nearly 40 years for our annual Youth Retreat where we send off our graduates and spend some quality time at the Lake J cross! We have also been known to go tubing in Asheville or visit the Pisgah National Forest at go to Sliding Rock! Information about this retreat will be available on this website in mid-Summer!
YOUTH SUNDAY: Each year in early June the clergy of Memorial UMC get the Sunday off and the youth of Memorial get to take over the worship service! We take care of every aspect of the worship service, from special music, to the prayers and even the sermon! It is a great honor for us to show the rest of the congregation just how God is moving in our lives!
Some ways that we “love people” are…
APPALACHIA SERVICE PROJECT: Every year since 1997 Memorial United Methodist Youth have proudly participated in a ministry called Appalachia Service Project (ASP). This is our summer mission project in which the goal is to address sub-standard housing in Central Appalachia by making homes warmer, safer, & drier. For more information on our church’s ASP opportunities please check us out HERE.
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS (R.A.K.’d) NIGHT: Once a year we venture out into the community and try to spread a little extra love in RANDOM ways. It is our belief that by doing one thing nice for someone else, we can make a small difference in our world. We also believe that this is sort of what Jesus was calling us to when he said: “Love your neighbor…”
RAKE-N-RUN: In the fall, we go to some of our shut-in’s homes and rake their leaves for them. It is a small gesture that we can do to help out some of our fellow church members who have given so much to our church. Plus, its just lots of fun jumping in a giant pile of leaves!
Some might say that this is the part of our motto that we are BEST at, but having fun is a key to making sure that our teens keep coming back week after week…
SKI TRIP In the winter we make our way to West Virginia and go skiing at WinterPlace Ski Resort! We spend the weekend skiing and fellowshipping with our friends and we spend the night right on the WinterPlace complex in the “Mountain House”. Information about this trip will come out in early January.
END OF SUMMER / BEGINNING OF SCHOOL POOL PARTY: As summer draws to a close and school is ready to begin, we take time to let our new 6th graders know it’s time to start attending Youth Group. We invade a local swimming POOL and throw a party to say goodbye to summer and hello to the new school year!!!
“BIG GAME” PARTY: Since it is now illegal to use the words that describe that FOOTBALL GAME in February, we have a “BIG GAME PARTY” and watch some great commercials!!! We get together on S**** Bowl Sunday to have some fun and cheer on our favorite team!
OTHER FUN EVENTS: Laser Tag, Sloppy Night, Rock Climbing, Tailgate Night, Bon Fires, Kickball, Ultimate Frisbee, and lots more…