Youth Group
The Youth Group at OGPC meets most Sundays from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Everyone in grades 6 to 12 is welcome!
Youth Ministry can be summed up as fun, faith, and friends. At OGPC, we reaffirm our beliefs in right from wrong, trust and respect to family and friends, how to believe in yourself, and how to be accepting of others. We apply the Christian way to real situations in life and discuss our experiences and how we can be better, always learning from our mistakes. We have nights of just games, nights out, and nights of discussion and games -- combined with food, of course! We meet most Sundays at 5:30pm.
For Kim, our Youth Group director, being involved in the youth group at her childhood church changed her life. She met some great people, and made some life-time friends. She credits belonging to her childhood Youth Group with making her more outgoing, which she found important at college. (BTW, she's still very close with 4 people from her HS. She's still in touch with a mission trip friend. ...and... her college friends eventually introduced her to her husband!!!) Today, as our Youth Group leader, Kim is ready to be there for our kids when they need someone, like her leaders were there for her. Contact Kim at youth@ogpc.org.
What does the Youth Group do? Well, here's just a little of what we did in 2008-2009.
- Discussions covered being a friend, money management, school struggles, peer pressure, becoming responsible, respect, saying '"I love you" to parents, sibling rivalry, how to build better friendships, death, dealing with disappointment, miracles, and forgiveness.
- Fundraisers included running a haunted house halloween party to raise money for our sponsored child, and serving food at a luncheon and spaghetti dinner to pay for our annual mission trip to help the underprivilidged in Delaware.
- We spent a week in Delaware on a Mission Trip. Check out our blog!
- But of course we had nights of just fun too, with an on-the-road scavenger hunt, moonlight bowling, miniature golf, lock-in, and Dorney's Halloweekend, and many game nights at church. Game nights included air hockey, Easter egg hunt (with candy and money!), beach volleyball, manhunt, chariot races... just to name a few. And of course almost every meeting was accompanied with food of some sort.
Do you want a peek at what's planned for 2009-2010? Here's what's scheduled so far.
- Going Out: Dorney Park, Halloween maze, Christmas caroling & party, ice skating, berry picking, miniature golf, picnic
- Staying In: Superbowl party, cook breakfast for Sunday School teachers, cook breakfast for an IHN family when they stay at our church, Easter egg hunt, movie nights, game nights
- Fund Raisers: Haunted House, car wash, fruit smoothies, spaghetti dinner
- Cooking Lessons: Thanksgiving dessert, Cinco de Mayo enchiladas
- Topics of Discussion: Conflict, Doubt, stress, homosexuality, love, creation vs. evolution, dating, divorce
- Mission trip: We spend a week in Delaware, repairing houses and building access ramps for low income homeowners.
Until we meet again, here are some online resources you can check out.
- Check out our calendar. (It has some links to fun games, too!)
- Devo 'Zine is a devotional magazine designed just for youth and published by Upper Room Ministries. Written by teens and adults, it explores a different theme and question every week.
- EveryStudent.com is a place for students to explore ideas and information about God. It features discussions ranging from "Does God Exist?" to "Insights on Life". There's even a FAQ page about religion!
- Insight Online include articles, advice, album reviews, and much more. Check out their Team Blog and Hot Topics page!