St. Gabriel’s Youth Group Mission Statement: To nurture and grow the Christian faith of our youth through study of the Bible, faith-building activities and good fellowship. We wish to empower our families and our youth to have faith-filled lives of service and be prepared to share with others the love of Jesus Christ.
There’s a Place for Everyone: Youth group exists to serve youth 7th grade through 12th grade. 6th grade middle schoolers are invited to be a part of the Seasons of the Spirit class on Sunday mornings and are encouraged to join in on middle school youth-only special events and service projects. Friends are invited to join us in our worship, service projects and fun outings, with the exception of the fall goal-setting retreat.
Sunday Morning Worship: To see what the current Sunday’s youth activities are, please check the small whiteboard on the youth bulletin board on the wall between the kitchen and the restrooms. All youths 7th through 12th grade who aren’t acolyting are invited to sit together most Sundays along with our youth ministers Kelly and Nelson Sigrah at the 10:00 AM service- look for the purple fleece pew covering behind where the acolytes sit. Youth group will take Communion early and adjourn to the youth room for a 15-minute check-in and discussion. Youths who are acolyting are welcome to join in the discussion when their tasks are completed. Friends are always welcome. 6th graders are invited to join our Seasons of the Spirit classroom, which starts out in the large classroom to the left of the kitchen at 9:45 am and then moves to the youth room.
Service Projects: St. Gabriel’s youth have a fall beach retreat in September when we do goal setting and make plans for the upcoming school year. St. Gabriel’s youth are involved in at least one service project a month, including putting on a Palm Sunday egg hunt for the community, serving as group leaders for Vacation Bible School, serving the homeless and working poor, community clean up projects, delivering meals, and so on. We hope that our commitment to serving others will form a life-long habit for our teenagers, inspired by the teachings of Christ. We completed a mission trip to Wind River Reservation in Wyoming the summer of 2010 and plan to continue our commitment to service locally in 2011.
Fun Outings and Events: Our youth get together for bowling, movies, rock climbing, miniature golf, swimming, beach trips, meals and other outings, often on Sunday after church. With the exception of the fall goal-setting retreat, friends are welcome to come along. Any event that includes transport by youth leaders or volunteers requires a parent trip permission form or one on file, updated yearly. We also ask that youth reserve a space for transportation to events away from the church by adding their name to the sign-up on the youth bulletin board or contacting Kelly, Nelson or Page by phone or email. Download a form at the bottom of this web page.
Leadership: St. Gabriel’s Youth Group is led by our youth minister team of Kelly and Nelson Sigrah youthminister@stgabrielonline.org. Parents and other adults are needed as volunteer drivers and chaperones, and are relied on to encourage their youth to attend, as well as driving them to and from meetings and events. Parents will be included in any emails regarding youth group and we ask that they help their youth keep track of their calendar of upcoming events and commitments.
Acolyting: Middle and high schoolers (as well as children over 10 years old and adults) are invited to serve as acolytes, assisting the clergy for all services. Acoltying is not only a way to learn more about the Episcopal rituals and traditions and an opportunity to serve your church, but it looks great on a job or college resume! Trainings are held frequently- look in the church bulletin or on the youth bulletin board for dates and times. If you are interested, contact Tim Reifsteck at timreifsteck @ stgabrielonline.org.
Youth activities are often subject to change. Please check St. Gabriel’s newsletter The Messenger, the service bulletin from Sunday morning, the church website, the youth bulletin board in the church’s narthex, or call or email one of the leaders for the latest information. If you would like to be on our email list for youth events, contact Page Clothier at pageclothier@stgabrielonline.org.
