Thank you for your interest in Calvary’s Youth Ministry and taking the time to visit our site. I hope you find it helpful and informative. Please feel free to call or email if you don’t find what you are looking for or if you have further questions.
Here at Calvary we do not think or try to pretend that we have “the perfect youth group.” None of the teens, sponsors, or even the Pastor of Students and Young Adults – that’s me – are perfect! That pretty much excludes us from having the perfect youth group.
However, we are all constantly learning; and hopefully that knowledge is being implemented in lives and transforming us into the image of Christ (Romans 12:2 and 8:29). The primary source of that learning in youth group comes through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
I would like to share briefly with you where we are.
Sunday School
The junior high is currently in a study of the parables. Jesus often used parables in His teaching to drive home the point of His message by illustrating it with situations from common, everyday life. Because God's Word never diminishes, those same truths have great relevance for us today.
The senior high has as its theme for the year Different by Design. While the entire year will not necessarily be focused on that topic, we will constantly be reminded of our calling to be different from the world and different than we used to be – last week, last month, last year. We have been studying the Ten Commandments, one of the earliest places where God established a distinction between His people and the world.
Wednesday Youth Meeting
The junior high male sponsors rotate sharing truths from God's Word that he has been teaching them. They also address specific needs as various situations present themselves. From time to time, they may include short topical series applicable to the junior high age.
Our primary format in the senior high is our M.A.P. program. M.A.P. is an acrostic that stands for Meditation, Application, and Prayer. We spend time meditating on the messages from Sunday (Sunday school and the morning and evening services), talk about various ways the truths apply to our lives, and pray that God will bring about change in these areas. This is often done in small groups. Simply hearing God's Word is not enough. We must put into practice what we hear to change (James 1:22-25).
Activities and Opportunities
We have regularly scheduled activities and ministry opportunities. Yes, having fun is important, and we do have fun. Whitewater rafting, snow tubing, softball, and Greenville Drive baseball games are just some of the ways we have fun.
But more important than having fun is channeling our abilities and energy into things that will last. We honor and serve our parents at our annual HonorU Dinner. We have recently begun a ministry at the Springs Assisted Living Community here in Simpsonville, and that has been tremendous, both for the residents as well as our teens.
An interactive Saturday morning Bible study held once a month, mission trips, and summer camps are other great opportunities for growth and service.
Our desire is to be used of God to minister to teens and their families. No, we don’t know all the answers, but we do know the God Who does, and we have His Word that has everything we need to be what He wants us to be (2 Peter 1:3). Please consider yourself invited to come and see if God might be directing you to be a part of the Calvary family.