Who make up the youth of Christ UMC Youth?

At Christ UMC, the students who make up the Student Ministries, grades 6-12, are significant parts of the church body and are considered adults. In addition to participating in the youth activities, many youth also serve in areas of leadership throughout the church. You will see youth serving on Sunday mornings as teachers in the children’s ministry, as ushers and greeters, as sound technicians, as musicians through voice and instruments, as volunteers, and more. The youth of our church are not just "The Church Of Tomorrow," they are "The Church Of Today."

Youth Sunday School

Our youth meet every Sunday morning for a time of fellowship before dividing up into age-level small groups for discussion and study. Our fellowship time is called "Common Ground" and it is during this gathering time that we experience some "true fellowship" as we break doughnuts together and drink coffee and juice. We occasionally will also incorporate some worship, led by our youth praise team.

9:20-9:40 a.m. Common Ground/Small Groups

Common Ground takes place in the youth room, which is called "The Pitstop" and is located at the back of the Annex Building near the gym, pool and kitchen areas. If you need assistance in finding "The Pitstop" look for a greeter in the Fellowship Hall lobby near the Salt and Light bookstore.

Small Groups meet immediately following the Common Ground fellowship time. These small groups are divided by grade levels. Each class focuses on a curriculum that is part of a master discipleship plan to educate students in the Christian faith. Each group meets in and around the Pitstop youth area.

The Pitstop

The Pitstop youth room has been designed for our youth and includes classrooms, a lounge and game room, snack bar, stage and worship area, and multipurpose space. We invite you to visit the youth room to get ReFueled, ReCharged, and RePaired for the road ahead.

REFUEL

At Christ UMC we think our youth ministry is a great place to be Refueled, ReCharged and RePaired for the road ahead. With this in mind our weekly Sunday evening youth time called ReFuel is designed for students. The fueling happens the minute the students walk in the door at 5 p.m., and by 7:30 p.m. they are ready for whatever comes their way. During this time students have some free time to play games in the gym or game room, eat in our snack bar or relax and talk while listening to music with friends. At 5:45 we crank up one of our worship bands and sing some tunes. After our worship we split up into junior and senior high groups and provide a teaching and training time with our students in mind.

RECHARGE (Weekday Bible Study)

A weekday Bible Study - whether on your own or with a group - is essential to each person’s spiritual formation and on-going discipleship. Several weekday opportunities are available. However our primary youth Bible Study “ReCharge” is held on Wednesday us from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Pitstop. Here we have Bible Study groups that go deeper into God's Word and your faith journey with your Christian brothers and sisters. This time is for Jr. and Sr. High Guys and Girls. We meet from 6:30 - 8 p.m. This time on Wednesday is where we get ReCHARGED on God's Word and have Bible study and peer to peer discussion time in an accountable, Jesus-centered, loving atmosphere. If you need some spiritual ReCharging, we encourage you to come and join one of our small groups to get ReCHARGED

REPAIR

If you are in need of some RePairing in your life because the world has be beating you up, or because of some junk in your life...look no further. We have some great groups that are interested in helping you work those dents out of your exterior and also get down to the dirt on the inside. This is a more challenging time of accountability where guys and girls will split up into peer groups where we will talk about the nuts and bolts of what it means to walk the narrow road with Jesus. These groups are not your come and go type of group, so if you are ready to commit we will help you find a group to plug into. (Contact Brian Smith, Director of Youth Ministries, at 690-4673)

Student Leadership

Students run a variety of ministry teams throughout our youth ministry. The leaders that run the various groups form the Student Leadership Council. Any student can participate as a member of a ministry team, however only students who have completed the Leadership Track can be a leader of a ministry team.

6th Grade Ministry - Confirmation

Students in sixth grade have an entire semester dedicated to their crossing from children’s ministry to youth ministry. This class is offered every year in the spring semester on Sunday nights. Although this course is coordinated by our children's ministry, teachers for the class are our program & ministerial staff. Confirmation classes meet 5-7:30 PM Sunday and will begin in January in the Annex, Atrium Room.

Fun Events

Our group loves to have fun, and we have a blast doing just about everything under the sun! Check out these awesome events: ski trips, mystery trips, paintball, lock-ins(outs), backpacking, rock-climbing, canoeing, tubing, amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, conferences, retreats, camps, scavenger hunts, ice skating, ball playing and more.

Here are some of the typical annual events that our youth participate in.

January/February - Superbowl Party & Winter Retreat
March - Mexico Mission Trip
April - Spring Retreat
May - Graduation Festivities
June/July/August- J.U.M.M.P. (Jr. High United Methodist Mission Project), U.M. A.R.M.Y. (United Methodist Action Reach out Mission by Youth), Summer Camp, Youth Week & Back to School Bash
September - C.R.A.S.H. (Christians Running Around Snatching Humans)
October - Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser & Jr. High Mystery Trip
November - Camping Trip
December - Youth Christmas Parties & Youth Ski Trip

Please note that not every event happens every year. Check the youth newsletter for more detailed information.

A Church in Mission
Mission Opportunities through the Youth Ministries of Christ UMC

As the youth strive to fulfill the mission statement that Christ UMC has adopted of being a Community of Hope, a major emphasis is placed on mission work in our community, in our state and abroad. On a regular basis our students participate in service in our community. During spring break we take an annual trip to build houses in Mexico and during the summer months we have week-long mission projects call UM ARMY and JUMMP that take us all over Texas and surrounding states

For more information on the Youth Ministries of Christ UMC contact

Jay Pritchard
Assistant Director of Youth Ministries
jaypritchard@christ-umc.org