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Visit the Student Ministry website!
www.watershedyouth.org
...so the next generation
would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would
tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
--Psalm
78 |
Gospel Perspective
As our young people develop through their teenage years, we believe the freeing Gospel of Jesus, taught in the context of their own culture and extended through messy and caring relationships, has the power to shape each person as he or she begins to step into independence, decision making, and faith ownership. Instead of binding our young people through outward moral behavioral management, we believe the Gospel, as it roots in the heart, creates an environment for inward transformation.
Gospel Practice
We seek to create a safe, relational, relevant, Gospel-centered environment where an honest, free and dependent relationship with Jesus develops in the context of individual and mentoring relationships. As the Gospel is seeded in each heart, we seek to mentor our young people in the process of allowing the Gospel to do what it does naturally – manifest itself through acts of love and service.
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Because we believe the truth of the Gospel is best modeled to our young people through mentoring relationships, we desire for our leaders to spend time with students -- in large and small groups within the church as well as in the culture of the students – i.e. camping, coffee hours, schools, sports and concerts.
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Because we believe that the Gospel permeates all of life, bringing freedom and not burden, we intentionally limit the number of programs, so that the time of leaders, families and students is freed up; the limiting of programs allows us to specifically focus each time we meet.
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Because we value the Gospel in the context of diversity and relationship, we seek that Sundays, which attract a larger and more diverse group, are anchored in messages that are Gospel-based, relevant and attainable and not focused on a topic.
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Because we believe the Gospel has the power addresses us specifically and individually to us in our unique phases of life, generating ongoing change, we desire our weekly Bible studies on Wednesdays to be divided by age and gender, each group led by at least two leaders, focused on a book of the Bible, and geared to help students read and study the Word of God personally; the desire is not just gaining information but applying wisdom into the life of each student’s everyday, real life.
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Because we believe in Gospel-based and Gospel-reliant, unified leaders who are themselves growing in faith, the leaders of each weekly small group are specificallyand personally responsible and accountable to the Youth Pastor for leadership
and training so that each leader’s teaching is an accurate representation of the
whole.
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Because we believe the Gospel permeates our world, penetrating agendas of self
and prejudice, we desire to appropriately and increasingly expose our youth to
varying cultures and various levels of need through missions – level 1 (within the
U.S. and not too difficult); Level 2 (may or may not be within the U.S., but more
difficult); Level 3 (outside the U.S. and even more difficult).
FALL 2008
This semester WaterShed Youth will be going through the “Minor Prophets” on Wednesday Nights (6-7:30) and Sunday Mornings (9:15-10:30). On Wednesday Nights we break up into small groups divided by grade and gender to explore what the Bible says and also how it is relevant to each student’s life. Sunday mornings are broken down between high school students in one room and middle school students in another and includes time for hanging out, community, musical worship, and a short talk.
We meet every Sunday from 9:15-10:30 EXCEPT November 23 & 30th, finishing the year off on December 14, resuming January 11th, 2009.
We meet every Wednesday night from 6-7:30 EXCEPT Nov 26th. We will finish the semester off on Dec 10th with a Christmas Party (bring a funny or strange $5 gift to exchange), resuming January 14th, 2009.
Your teen will find their own place in Grace's Youth Ministry. Watershed is a community of students and adults who are growing in their love for Jesus and each other, for His Gospel and His church.
The desire of the Student Ministry is to develop a ministry that empowers students to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ through the gospel of grace, which will overflow with love for others — family, friends and beyond. Our "Come-Grow-Send" strategy seeks to disciple believers, draw seekers and pursue wanderers, and sensitively reach those wanting to know more about Christ.
Gospel growth is gardening, and gardening is messy...dirt, bugs,
weeds, sun, rain, more dirt. Being a teen and youth ministry is
also messy: hormones, failure, passion, discovery, struggle and
more hormones. Sowing the gospel into the hearts of students and
their families takes energy, purpose, and organization. The result
of God's work in the hearts of students is healthy growth, that
is, "fruit that lasts" (John
15:16). The student ministry at Grace is primarily driven by
enabling young men and women to come to Christ and grow in Him.
This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John
15
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