Youth

Middle School Sunday School meets Sunday mornings during the school year during both worship services. The first Sunday of each month, instead of Sunday School, youth are encouraged to worship with their families. Our lessons follow the sermon series being shared in the worship service. We read scripture, watch videos, talk through the day’s lesson and learnings, and play games.

Middle School Youth are working our way through the Old Testament, learning about some “stories we all know” and some we’ve never heard before. By learning about God and God’s people through the Old Testament, we see how the whole story points toward Jesus – but also about how God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We play games, do activities, read stories, and watch videos from The Bible Project each week in Middle School Youth Group.

Middle School Youth Group (grades 6-8) meets Wednesday nights from 7-8 pm in the Lakeside Room. Before Youth Group, we have a casual “Dinner + Hang” time from 6:30-7 pm. Dinner is served for all youth at 6:30 (typically Subway or pizza) and we hang out with friends and Youth Leaders. We gather in the Youth Room; when the weather is nice we meet on the back patio.

There’s no cost for dinner, and youth do not need to RSVP. This is an optional activity – many youth come just for Youth Group, but we offer this before Youth Group to help youth who feel like Wednesdays are too hurried to grab dinner in between school, activities, and church.

Faith + Life is a weird intersection in high school. Each week we study the stories of Jesus, his disciples, and God’s people. We gather in large and small groups, and each week includes a game and some teaching/conversation - always striving to better understand God and each other. High School Youth Group (grades 9-12) meets Wednesday nights from 7-8 pm in the Youth Room.  

Before Youth Group, we have a casual “Dinner + Hang” time from 6:30-7 pm. Dinner is served for all youth at 6:30 (typically Subway or pizza) and we hang out with friends and Youth Leaders in the Youth Room or on the back patio. There’s no cost for dinner, and youth do not need to RSVP. This is an optional activity and many youth come just for Youth Group. 

Confirmation allows youth an opportunity to take a closer look at the inner workings of Christianity and the United Methodist Church. We study the Bible, the life of Jesus, what it means to be a disciple, the early church, and basic tenants of the United Methodist Church.  We learn about world religions, and grapple with tough questions. We approach this through experiential activities, discussions with mentors, church visits, service projects, and retreats.

Confirmation Classes begin with a parent/student meeting in October and classes in November. Confirmands meet on the first and second Sundays of each month, with additional activities scheduled throughout the year.

Each Summer, Messiah Youth have two opportunities to spend a week serving others. Middle School and High School students can participate in STORM Camp (Service To Others in Relational Ministry), where they will do two things: work and worship. Youth and their adult leaders spend the day serving in the community (building, painting, cleaning, weeding, etc.) and spend evenings in worship with one another.

High School students also have the opportunity to serve for a week with YouthWorks. They’ll travel out of state and serve in various ways, while also learning about the community they are serving. Each evening there is an opportunity to engage with members of that community.
 
Messiah Church never wants finances to prohibit a student from participating in summer missions. Scholarships are available.

Messiah Church is concerned about the mental health of our adolescents. In response, we created a free community seminar series. Let’s Talk Mental Health is a multi-event speaker series, hosted by Messiah and focused on tween and teen mental health and well-being. From anxiety to depression and suicide, we invite speakers and counseling professionals to share their understanding, experiences, and expertise surrounding young mental health. 

We love partnering with families to nurture young faith. We also realize that sometimes families are looking for more parenting resources. We’ve collected a few of our favorites to share with you: