Q1. Are the Jr. High and Sr. High all together?

Answer: Yes and No. There are many times that they are not together and sometimes they are. As far as weekly events (Sunday School, Faith Groups, Bible Studies) they are separate. However on fun events such as lock-ins, trips such as Resurrection, and missions such as Johns Island they are together. Basically as a whole yes, we have one united youth ministry. our trips & big events are all together, with some elements where they are in two groups.

The reason they are rarely together on bible studies and discipleship is that we realize that the way a 6th grader and a 12th grader need to dive into the Bible are 2 different ways. So, all Sunday School, bible studies, and faith groups are separated by age.

Q2. What is a faith group and what do you do as a faith group?

Answer: A faith group is basically a smaller tighter knit bible study group of either Jr. High or Sr. High youth. We typically meet once a week and have a devotional bible study with fellowship (hanging out), food, and games. Jr. High Faith Groups meet at the church and Sr. High Faith Groups meet in homes in a more “comfortable” setting. Currently our Sr. High Faith Group is held at Cham & Conti McMillin’s. Also from time to time our faith groups may tackle a mission project or go on a retreat independently.

Q3. What do you do for Jr. High “Seek” Thursday?

Answer: Basically, the “Seek” bible study is geared to reach youth through an after school bible study throughout our community. This study frequently contains youth from other local churches and in no way do we pressure you to be 100% committed to CHUMC. However, we do let you know of our upcoming events if interested. However, creating a safe atmosphere after school for youth to grow in their faith and have fun are our key priorities for “Seek.” A typical Thursday we’ll pick up the youth from Colonial Heights Middle School at 2:30pm on our church bus. Once we return we have 30 minutes of snacks and “hanging out,” an hour of bible study or devotional, and another 30 minutes of free time or game time in our gym. “Seek” ends at 4:30pm. In order to participate, please click here to print off and fill out so that we can pick your child up from school.

Q4. Do you have anything for scripture memory or personal bible study?

Answer: It is difficult sometimes for youth to develop personal habits to nurture their spiritual growth so we’ve adopted the HABITS system from Doug Field’s Saddleback Church’s Youth Ministry. HABITS is designed to give youth tools to: study the bible, pray regularly, learn to tithe, and be involved in their local church. A 4-week series will be taught separately every year to teach the system to youth so they can adopt it in their personal lives as they see fit. COMING JANUARY 2010!

Q5. What do you do for missions?

Answer: Throughout the year we have a few missions projects that tie into our curriculum with our faith groups and “Seek” as well as a few special annual events. Two of these are the Johns Island Mission Trip to Charleston, SC every June (you have to be at least an upcoming Sr. High to go) and a more regional Jr. High Mission Trip in July.

Q6. Do you do anything fun?

Answer: Absolutely! After all fun can be key in developing relationships and growing in our faith. We find ways to do spiritual development in fun ways including several big events such as retreats, Resurrection, scavenger hunts, lock-ins, bowling, etc.

Q7. Who are your youth leaders and how do you implement your ministry?

Answer: Our leaders are well grounded Christians who know we aren’t perfect but strive and try our best to always be there for youth when they need us the most. We understand that youth ministry is a mix of fun and structure and we have a dedicated leadership team who is constantly looking on how to improve our youth ministry. More details on us by clicking the “Leadership” link on the navigation bar on the top. We have adopted a similar model to Doug Field’s Purpose Driven Youth Ministry and focus on these 5 key purposes in our program: worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, and ministry. For more questions on the Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, feel free to check out: http://www.pdymcommunity.org/ or Doug Field’s book, “The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry.”