Our Youth--Our Greenhouse
What is the Greenhouse?: Wakefield United Methodist Church is blessed to have a vibrant and growing youth group, the Greenhouse. The youth who currently make up the Greenhouse are a wonderful group of young people who are dedicated, energetic and eager to grow in their faith. All youth aging from 6th grade to 12th grade are encouraged to join us! The Greenhouse usually meets on Sunday afternoons where we alternate our time together through worship, study, mission, and social activities! If you would like to learn more about the Greenhouse or be given up-to-date communication about the Greenhouse, please email Ryan, rjones@wakefieldumc.org and he will be happy to add you to our email list.
How the Greenhouse came about?: At Wakefield UMC, our children's ministry, Sarah's Garden, has a mission to grow our little ones in the solid, rich soil of Jesus Christ's Words and teaching. From the nursery, the Flower Bed, to the older Sunday School classes of the Super Seedlings, the Holy Sprouts, and then the Awesome Blossoms; children are rooted in their first experiences in the faith with exciting curriculum centered on Jesus Christ. These Sunday School classes are taught by faithful leaders of our church that, through God's help, mold our little ones and strengthen their understanding of the Christian faith until they are in the 5th grade. When a child becomes a youth at 6th grade, they are then ready for the Greenhouse, our youth ministry!
What happens at the Greenhouse? One word: FUN! Past events include dinner and a movie, bible study and reflection time with God, a Wii party!, making flood buckets for the victims from the Iowa floods, helping serve at our church's Vacation Bible School, a mall scavenger hunt, staff vs youth bowling challenge and most importantly time together in Christian fellowship.
Each season, we have a scripture that the youth study. This past summer, the scripture we studied was 1 Timothy 4:12, "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
We are gearing up for our big Mission trip with the Appalachian Service Project! We will spend a week in June together in mission repairing homes in the Appalachian Mountains which is a life-changing, incredible opportunity in Christian witness and service to the world. There's much more planned so please get involved and come gather with us at the Greenhouse! Click here for more information.
What is our goal after a youth graduates and leaves the Greenhouse? Much like a thriving, growing plant in a greenhouse who strengthens and builds roots does, our hope is that a youth also grows, thrives and builds strong roots in their relationship with Jesus Christ while spending time in the Greenhouse. This is our goal and our prayer as a nurturing church. This time in the life of young person is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intentionally root them in the faith while they are a youth in order to prepare them for what lies ahead in their adult life. The mission of the Greenhouse is to make sure that by the time a youth graduates, they know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are deeply loved by God, they know that that they have a permanent and unshakeable realationship with Jesus Christ, and that they are surrounded by the Holy Spirit wherever life may lead them. And the Good News, is that we do this together, as a youth group, through mission, study, and fun, social activities together!
How can I get connected into the Greenhouse ministry? If you would like to know more about our youth ministry, please contact Ryan Jones, Youth Coordinator, rjones@wakefieldumc.org. Also, if you have Facebook, please look Ryan Jones up and he will invite you to be a part of the WUMC Greenhouse Ministry Group Page where we communicate what is happening in the life of the Greenhouse.
All youth are encouraged to join us and we look forward to growing in our relationships with Jesus Christ, together in a fun and formative way! Blessings to you!
In Christ,
Ryan
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