Junior High and Senior High students are an integral part of many ministries at St. John’s Center.  Students participate in a Praise Band for Sunday Morning Worship, sing in a Youth Choir, Senior Choir, assist with Nursery, help with Bible School and with Children’s Church, serve on the sound engineering team, participate in Sunday morning Drama Ministry and have their own Sunday School discussion classes.  Ninth graders are part of the Confirmation Class.
 
        TENTATIVE 2010 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
                                        (Additional Activities May Be Added At Later Dates)

• Every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Sunday School Class for Junior High and Senior High Students
• Saturday, January 30th - Trip to Philadelphia to Feed Homeless Men at First Reform Church
• Friday & Saturday, March 12th & 13th - Planet Wisdom Youth Conference in Washington, DC
• Tuesday, June 29th - Saturday, July 3 - CREATION 2010 Festival
• Saturday, July 10 - Saturday, July 17th - REACH Workcamp in Windsor, ME
• October (TBA) - Youth Sunday
• Sunday, November 7th - Youth/Adult Flag Football Game
• Friday, December 24th - Live Nativity Scene

In 2009, the REACH workcamp will be held in Hurricane , West Virginia.  Eight ninth graders attended the PLANET WISDOM gathering in Washington D.C. this spring.  Many of our youth and families attend the Christian festival, CREATION, at Mt. Union, PA, every year during the month of June.  Junior and Senior High students help assemble Christmas gift bags and Easter baskets for needy children within our community.  Some youth members work at the Terre Hill Food Bank, serve the homeless families at First Reformed Church, Lancaster, and the homeless shelter at Old First Reformed in Philadelphia.

Youth Ministry at St. John’s Center, UCC, is organized around seven basic principles or checkpoints in planning.  First, youth ministry centers around developing an  authentic faith, trust in God.  Second, youth advisors help youth develop a sense of seeing with God’s eyes.  In other words, we share a spiritual discipline with youth in all our events.  Third, our planning committee works within moral boundaries.  Hopefully, we can help pave the way to intimacy.  Fourth, fun events provide an opportunity to develop healthy relationships, close friends for life.  Fifth, in discussions and with guest speakers, we offer ways in which to make wise choices.  Sixth, youth planning committees seek to help youth live within an ultimate authority.  Youth learn to know what freedom means living within God’s boundaries.  Seventh, each event is based on learning how to put others first.  Christian hospitality, consideration, and compassion are developed through games, special events, guest speakers.

 We invite you to be part of our Youth Ministry.  Check the church calendar and join with us in any or all of our projects, classes, meetings and fun events.