Youth Ministries – Senior High School
Connect
Connect is our Wednesday night middle school & high school ministry. It is held in cooperation with Calvary OPC of Cedar Grove and takes place at Faith Reformed most weeks. Connect gives students the opportunity to break away from their weekly routines to connect with God and each other. Students are encouraged to gather for fellowship & snack as early as 6:00PM; worship begins at 6:20 and the night concludes at 7:30. After fellowship, high schoolers will gather for worship led by a live band. Then, they will hear a large group scripture lesson that touches on relevant topics in their lives followed by small group discussions that will help them further process the topic at hand. Also, once per month at Connect, we hold special events that emphasize fellowship, service and more to help the students practice what they’re learning. Connect meets from September through April and all students grades 6-12 are welcome to join us!
Core
Core groups are small group Bible studies for middle and high school students. They are held in cooperation with Calvary OPC of Cedar Grove, and take place at Faith Reformed on Sunday nights from 6:00-7:00PM from September through the beginning of May. Core groups help students learn how to read the Bible on their own, which is a lifelong discipline at the core of Christian living. Groups are divided by age and gender and are valuable in developing relationships with Christian peers who will help each other navigate through life together alongside adult leaders that serve as mentors.
Sunday School
After the morning service each Sunday during the school year from 10:30-11:20AM we hold two Sunday school classes for high schoolers. The first class serves as a crash course of the Reformed Christian faith through studying the Heidelberg Catechism. The second class serves as a “catch all” for our first 18 years of Christian education and helps solidify the students’ Christian worldview. In the worldview class, students are encouraged to bring questions they have about Christianity which are discussed throughout the year.
Summer Fellowship
On Sunday evenings starting in mid-July through the end of August, the high school group meets for fellowship at 6:00PM. These gatherings are low-key, and we often meet at students’ houses or in the park for yard games and a bonfire, and other times we meet in the church basement for board games. Most years we study through a book of the Bible at these gatherings over the course of the summer covering roughly a chapter per week.
FORT Winter Retreat
“FORT” is our annual high school weekend retreat which is held at Crescent Lake Bible Camp near Rhinelander, WI in January. As always, we’ll enjoy broomball, cross country skiing, tubing, ice skating and other outdoor and indoor fun. We’ll also have teaching times based around a theme to explore the truths of scripture followed by small-group discussions. And of course, the Connect band will lead worship. It’s a great chance for us to break away from our routines and grow in our relationships with each other and with God!
Annual Summer Mission Trip
Each year the high schoolers take a week-long mission trip at the end of June. The 3 goals of these trips are to serve, learn through new experiences and grow in fellowship. Over the years, we’ve worked alongside many different churches and missions agencies, assisting them in a variety of ways. On our trips, students have the opportunity to serve others with their hands and feet and to share Christ’s love with children and other residents of the communities they serve in!
