Good Samaritan Youth Ministries exists to share the Gospel with all teenagers while connecting them to each other and the Church.
We aim to create space for our middle and high school friends to explore what it means to know and love God with every part of their lives. As Fr Ellsworth frequently says, he hopes Good Sam will be a “play hard, pray hard” church, and that is our aim as well as we lean into what it means for adolescents to ENJOY being part of the church.
As we explore life and faith with middle school and high school students, Good Sam Youth Leaders accept these truths:
- Relational ministry is far more effective than most things we do on a stage.
- We need to spend time with teenagers where they are (the community) not just where we hope they’ll be (our church events).
- Evangelism precedes discipleship and we need to do both well.
- It is harder to be a teenager today than it has ever been before (and that statement will always be true).
- The next generation is not the future of the Church, but an important part of the Church we can all learn from today.
- Effective leaders have to be willing to earn the right to be heard (a theology of games, laughter, and getting pied in the face when necessary).
Each week our youth ministry team has several points of contact with students at Good Sam and in our community. In addition to attending students’ events or grabbing coffee and a chat, we provide two programmed times with students each week and a variety of events throughout the year, including the opportunity for service through missions trips.
Middle School
This is an exciting and terrifying time to know and love middle school students. Approaches that have been helpful with current high school or college students might not prove to be effective with today’s middle schoolers as they grow—and that will be challenging for everyone. The way we meet the needs of our high school students (the youngest of Gen Z) might just be the most different from the way we will need to meet the needs of our middle school students in the church (the emerging Gen Alpha).
Core Groups (school year). On Sunday mornings throughout the school year, Core Groups take place during the Christian Formation between services. Grades 6 – 8 meet in the Youth Room for small group discussion geared directly towards them.
Club 56 (summer). Throughout the summer, Club 56 (for those who have completed Grades 5 and 6) students are dismissed before the sermon at both the 9 am and 11:15 am services. Club 56 provides a small group discussion for students, and then they return to the service in time for Holy Communion.
Youth Nights (school year). Students in Grades 6 – 12 meet on Tuesday nights each week, breaking into small groups for discussions on each student’s level. Our leaders are trained in working specifically with middle school students.
Summer Youth Bible Study. Each Tuesday night from 6 – 8 pm, we hang out at a student’s home, swim, play games, and break into small groups for discussion. Email jessica@good-samaritan.org for more information.
High School
Our current high school students, the youngest of a Generation marked as diverse, post-Christian, digital natives who don’t feel safe much of anywhere, can sometimes feel hard for adults to connect with. But did you know that over half of Gen Z expresses that they feel motivated to learn more about Jesus? They are curious in ways we might not be giving them credit for. As we earn the right to be heard and discuss faith with them, something exciting happens.
Core Groups (school year). On Sunday mornings throughout the school year, Core Groups take place during Christian Formation between services. Grades 9 – 12 meet in the Upper Room for small group discussion geared directly towards them.
Youth Nights (school year). Students in Grades 6 – 12 meet on Tuesday nights each week for dinner, games, a message on their level, and small group discussions with their age group. Our leaders are trained in working specifically with high school students.
Summer Youth Bible Study. Each Tuesday night from 6 – 8 pm, we hang out at a student’s home, swim, play games, and break into small groups for discussion. Email jessica@good-samaritan.org for more information.
