YOUTH AND FAMILY MINISTRIES by Michael Appel
What Are We Up To?
Greetings Believers, Youth and Family Ministries have been having fun and going strong this year. Let me tell you about our recent and upcoming events.
Sunday School comes to a close this month as we break for summer. The kids just wrapped up their lessons about Holy Week. Regular Sunday School will resume in September. Beyond Sunday morning, however, we are still learning about God and His creation. We had a very successful Movie Night in May, watching The Prince of Egypt bring the story of Moses and the Exodus to life. I look forward to another one soon.
Every first Thursday of the month for June, July, and August, we will host a Book Club with games, activities, and discussions about a different book each month. For June, the kids will have read Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham. For July, we will read “The Case for a Creator for Kids” by Lee Strobel. And for August, we will read “The Case for Christ for Kids” by Lee Strobel. Talk to me to pick up a copy of these books for your family! Finally, we plan to learn about and admire God’s Creation with a trip to the Shedd Aquarium in July. Please find the RSVP link in your email or our announcements if you’d like to join.
Catechesis classes have been growing immensely – we’ve more than doubled in size! Well, that’s not hard when you start with only one student. We’ve just started our Ten Commandments unit. As an added learning incentive, the students can earn a commemorative pin for memorizing not just the commandments themselves, but Luther’s explanation for each one. Check out last month’s article for details.
The Youth Group also continues to meet regularly on Wednesday nights for fun and fellowship for middle and high-school-aged teens. We just got a chance to test out our new portable projector set-up, so now we can do Movie Nights anyway – even outside! And this month, we are starting a new book: “A Martyr’s Faith in a Faithless World” by Bryan Wolfmueller. In it, we’ll read about the life and struggles of early Christian martyrs like Stephen, Perpetua, and Polycarp. These stories will remind us how faith grows not when things are easy, but in challenge and strife. Wolfmueller “brings these ideas down to earth, helping readers understand both the struggle and the strength at the heart of Christian life.”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg! More events are moving along, so check your emails and the announcements frequently so you can get involved. God is doing great things; let’s join Him in His work.