Youth Group Our youth group, for kids from 7th through 12th grade, is known affectionately as “Youth at Church” or “YAC.” We meet in the church basement, Sunday nights at 6:30 p.m. during the school year, and then break for the summer. Our team of adult volunteers helps the youth create a safe space where they can be themselves, get to know each other, connect with God, ask the big questions, and live out their faith. Most of our activities fall into one or more of the following categories:
YAC 01 Our youth group is based on the principle that everyone has a voice, everyone deserves to be listened to, and no one gets left out. So, whether we’re doing stuff that’s silly or stuff that’s serious (or stuff that’s a little of both), we’re always working at building a sense of trust, teamwork, and inclusion.
YAC 02 Youth have questions. Big questions. So we provide a place where they can talk about about life, love, God, Jesus, the Bible, faith, sexuality, and social justice, and know that no question is too big, too small, too weird, or too stupid. We use a variety of formats, like “fishbowl” and “four corners,” to get conversation started.
YAC 03 Mission is how we walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We’ve done everything from stocking the food pantry at Denver Urban Ministries to having a full week of cultural immersion on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. We try to live out Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25:35-36: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me . . .”
YAC 04 Some of our fun is scheduled. Like, we have a Halloween party (costumes mandatory), and a white elephant gift exchange at Christmas, and we play Capture Baby Jesus in both regular and snowball editions. We even take on the adults in an epic all-church kickball game every Spring. But a lot of our fun just kind of happens. And that’s usually the best kind.