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Exciting things are happening in the youth ministries at Lombard CRC this year. In order to make these ministries more meaningful and relevant we are making some changes. We will have a parents meeting on Sunday September 14 at 7 P.M. to go over these changes in more detail and talk about other things. You are welcome to join us.

One of the things we have done in order to improve the youth ministry is a mission statement. To create this youth specific mission statement we looked at the church's mission statement and the specific things we wish to achieve with the youth ministry. We also wanted to make it as youth-friendly as possible in wording. After spending several weeks looking at possibilities we decided on the following mission statement: We desire to build a solid foundation by encountering God, growing in Christ, and encouraging one another while serving and sharing Christ's love with others. There are five keywords in this statement: encounter, grow, encourage, serve, and share. These are the five primary purposes for the youth ministry.

Using the mission statement as our guide we evaluated the current format for the Rock. The concept seems to be solid but we decided that we were trying to do too much in one night, and we lacked continuity meeting only twice a month. To address these two concerns we will be having the Rock Worship and Small Groups on separate nights. The Rock Worship will continue to be the first and third Sunday each month. However, it will look quite different. We will focus less on music and more on interactive learning times and a variety of worship styles and spiritual disciplines. Small Groups will meet the 2nd and 4th weeks, each small group will decide what night each week works best for them. Small groups will have one leader and 3-7 students. The small groups will meet in the homes of the students and will be intentional times of growth instead of social times. In addition to these two programs that have already existed in some form or another in the past, we are incorporating a more intentional outreach/service element. The last Saturday each month will be an activity/event. These will be events that students can feel comfortable bringing new people to and/or acts of service in the community.

The Path will remain mostly the same. We will have a time of games and a lesson every week. We will also have an activity the 2nd Saturday each month.

Want to be involved? We are going to be looking for parent volunteers to help with the activities/events we do each month. Let me know if you would be interested in "chaperoning" or have ideas/suggestions of good activities or places to serve.

I am very excited for this year and look forward to partnering with you as we work with your son/daughter. If you have any questions don't hesistate to call me.