Dear Fourth Church Youth Parents,

 

Welcome to a new year of growing, learning, and serving with the youth of Fourth Church. Whether your son or daughter is entering the sixth or twelfth grade or anywhere in-between, I hope you share my hope for the months to come. We start in earnest on Sunday, September 9.

 

I mailed out a welcome letter, event calendar, and annual consent form at the end of July. If you did not receive that, please hit "reply" to this email and share your mailing address so I can include you in future communications. The calendar and consent form can be found online here.

 

So, as I mentioned above, September 9 is our Kickoff Sunday. We will launch the regular weekly schedule and also have some fun welcoming new people, greeting friends, and then, at 12:00 noon, enjoy burgers and hot dogs in the courtyard. I hope you will be there.

 

Here is that regular weekly schedule (with one notable change):

 

9:30 a.m.           Junior High (Grades 6-8)

10:00 a.m.         Youth Choir (Grades 9-12; Grades 6-8 join at 10:15 a.m.)

10:30 a.m.         All Youth Bagels in the Bumpus Room 

11:00 a.m.         Senior High and Confirmation

 

Moving Junior High to the 9:30 a.m. hour is a response to something I have heard several parents ask for over the past two years. It also unbundles Junior High and Senior High, allowing the same staff person to lead both (more on that in a minute). I expect this change won't be great for everyone, but it seems to me well worth trying, and I hope going forward you will communicate with me your experience of this change.

 

Now for the bagels. Offering these to all sixth- through twelfth-graders each Sunday morning is but one way we welcome students and help build a community. It's an easy thing for parents to support, too. By clicking this link, you can sponsor a week's worth of bagels for Fourth Church youth. Thanks!

 

Finally, an update on staff. When Senior High Coordinator Shelley Donaldson departed for Connecticut last April, the Youth Committee and I took stock of our staffing needs and decided to combine Junior and Senior High leadership into a single job, the Youth Discipleship Coordinator. At the same time, Katie Patterson became our Urban Youth Mission Director, full-time.

 

We began our Youth Discipleship Coordinator search in June, and that search is ongoing. Whether the position is filled before September 9 or after, our team of volunteer leaders and I are excited about a new year of youth ministry at Fourth Church.

 

Thank you for being part of this community. Here's to learning and growth in discipleship.

 

Yours in faith,

 

Rocky Supinger

Associate Pastor for Youth Ministry