Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry at Second Presbyterian Church, Richmond




Meeting Times:

First Sunday of the Month – 5:00PM – 7:00PM

Second Sunday of the Month – 1:00PM – 3:00PM 

 Third Sunday of the Month – 5:00PM – 7:00PM 

Forth Sunday of the Month – 5:00PM – 7:00PM 

Fifth Sunday of the Month* - No meeting

*if applicable

Five Theological Tasks of Youth Ministry
  1. To help young people know they are created by God and belong to God forever.
  2. To help young people know they belong to the community of faith and must claim a place in the community.
  3. To help young people know that faith itself is a gift from God.
  4. To trust that the Holy Spirit gives us what we need.
  5. To help young people become familiar with the Bible, our best hope of knowing God.

Five Intentions of Youth Ministry

  1. Call young people to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
  2. Respond to the needs and interests of young people.
  3. Work together, youth and adults, in partnership.
  4. Be connected to the whole church, community, and world
  5. Be inclusive of all young people. 


Youth Ministry at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond aids youth in exploring their faith through multi-sensory and multi-intelligence curriculum.   When the 2011-2012 curriculum was in its infancy phase, the youth ministry team struggled with one simple question, “How do we make faith relevant and personal for youth?” The youth ministry team believes that a strong personal faith, can help foster lifelong church participation. Thus, the theme for the 2011-2012 program year is “I believe…”, an original curriculum developed by the youth ministry team which explores the “Brief Statement of Faith” of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and urges the youth to articulate their own faith. The “I believe…” curriculum is based on a four-week rotation model:
  •  Week One – Fellowship: Fellowship events, like lock-ins, camp retreats, and group outings, help build (and reinforce) the strong sense of community that is necessary for authentic and honest personal faith exploration.
  •  Week Two – Service: Service events help the youth in manifesting their faith. These service opportunities allow the youth to put their faith into action and the events give further room for personal reflection and exploration.
  • Week Three – Spirituality: Spirituality events, like Ignatian Examen, Midrash, Lectio Divina, Praying in Color, and others, give the youth a wide array of options for developing a personal spiritual life.
  • Week Four – Study: The Presbyterian Church is committed to strong theological education to help understand the Bible in its original context. Study events allow the youth to study particular topics of the Bible and learn about historical and social context, grammatical nuisances in the original language, and larger themes present in the text. These events are led by seminary trained youth ministers and volunteers.

Leadership:
Gail Monsma, our Associate Pastor along with the Youth Ministry Committee provides support and supervision. Gail came to Second with more than 15 years of experience running youth ministry programs in various congregations. The youth Ministry Committee is comprised of both parents and other interested adults who deeply care about this ministry. They provide a strong foundation and support for all that goes on in our vibrant faith filled ministry.

2011 | 2012 Youth Ministers

High School:

Andy Morgan is entering his third year of the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Education program at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Andy was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and his honors thesis, entitled Why Witnesses Come Knock'in When the Television is On: An Examination of the Paradoxical Development of Jehovah's Witness Evangelism, earned him summa cum laude honors in the Department of Religious Studies. Andy loves watching college and professional  basketball, playing video games, and reading. Andy has been working with the youth since 2010. Andy's ministry interests deal with issues of gender justice, inclusivity, and eating disorders. Andy is a member of Second Presbyterian Church and is an ordained Deacon. Andy will be leading the high school ministry for the 2011-2012 year.

Andy can be contacted via email at: andy.morgan@upsem.edu  

Shelby Etheridge - Shelby Etheridge is the 2011-2012 High School Youth Ministry co-leader. Shelby is a graduate of the University of Florida and is a current Masters of Divinity student at Union Presbyterian Seminary. 

Middle School: Whitney Caswell is a Master of Arts in Christian Education student at Union Presbyterian Seminary. Whitney graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. After college, Whitney served as Director of Children and Youth Ministry for four years at Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clinton, North Carolina. A native Floridian, Whitney loves the beach. Whitney also enjoys dancing, working out, and watching Netflix. Whitney's ministry interests include racial justice, discipleship, and eduation. Whitney has been working with the youth at Second Presbyterian since 2010 and will be leading the Middle School Ministry for the 2011-2012 year.  

Whitney can be contacted via email at: whitney.caswell@upsem.edu


Cam Thomas - Cam is the 2011-2012 Middle School Ministry co-leader. Cam is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Williamsburg and is a current Masters of Divinity Student at Union Presbyterian Seminary. 

Supporting these two great folks are volunteer Youth Leaders from the congregation. This team approach ensures a strong program that will engage the youth in the full ministry and mission of Second Presbyterian Church.

If you would like to volunteer with the Youth Ministry Team at Second Presbyterian Church, email Andy Morgan at andy.morgan@upsem.edu 

Sunday Morning Church School:


Middle and High School classes meet weekly September through May from 9:30 to 10:45 am on the third floor in their own rooms. Andy Morgan will be teaching the High School class and Whitney Caswell will be teaching the Middle School class. Hot homemade waffles are served each week. 

For the 2011-2012 Program year, Middle and High school youth will be exploring the history, context, and themes of the Bible in order to better understand their faith in relationship to it. 

Evening Youth Group Activities:


Upcoming Events: Feb. and March, 2012   


Youth Sunday Planning

Feb. 19th: 5:00PM - 7:00PM


Description – The youth's recent work on their Youth Sunday Planning retreat will be further explored

. The Youth will assign roles for Youth Sunday worship and begin to practice. 
Attendance at this program is REQUIRED for youth to participate in Youth Sunday.  


Youth Sunday Service

Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 (11:00AM - 12:00PM) at Second Presbyterian Church


Description – Join the youth as they lead Sunday morning worship. The youth have prepared and will lead liturgy, sing sings, and seniors will preach the Word. Come join the youth and the rest of the congregation for this Worshipful experience. 

Fellowship Sunday - Inflation Nation

March 4th: 12:30PM – 3:30PM


Description – The first sunday of each moth is an intentional fellowship event. The fellowship in March will be a youth group outing to Inflation Nation in Richmond. Inflation Nation has a number of inflatables for the youth to jump, play, run, and generally let-loose on. The event will be open to both middle and high school youth (and friends). If you are bringing friends, please let Whitney or Andy know via email and make sure the friends fill out an emergency contact sheet.

Service Sunday - College Care packages

March 11th: 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Description – After Second Sunday lunch, the youth will participate in a very interesting service project in which they will fill care package boxes for former members of the youth group who are presently college students from Second Presbyterian. This service event will focus on Christian nurture and expand ideas of community. 
 

Spirituality Sunday – "Praying in Color" - Led by Whitney Caswell and Shelby Etheridge

March 18th: 5:00PM – 7:00PM

Description – The youth will be learning about prayer. Prayer doesn't have to just mean private conversations with God through internal dialogue. This program will focus on praying through art. This program is great example of multi-intelligence theory being applied to youth ministry. 

Study Sunday - "Good God, Bad God, One God, Three gods" - Led by Cam Thomas

March 25th: 5:00PM - 7:00PM

Description - Cam Thomas will lead the youth in a study about the different (and seemingly changing) understandings of who God was and what God was like between the Old and New Testament. You may have heard that God was mean in the Old Testament and loving in the New Testament. Why is this? What does it mean for our faith? Come out and find out!



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