New to the Youth Group
The PULSE
Sunday Night “Hang Outs” (occur on most Sun. nights) fulfill our purpose of Evangelism (Pursue)These are various fun events that are planned for Sunday night of each week, except the fourth Sunday of the month. Our teens are encouraged to invite their non-Christian friends to these events. Hang Outs are a chance for non-Christian teens to be part of a fun, “non-threatening” event with our youth group that does not have a “Churchy” feel to it. Hang Outs are our entry point for new teens. To find out what our Hang Out event is for this week go back to the “News and Updates” page.
Wednesday Night Life Groups (every Wed. night from 6pm to 8:30pm) fulfill our purpose of Fellowship (Unity) Life groups provide a time and place where teens can share their lives, be prayed for in a small group setting, learn accountability, community and be connected to another Christian adult volunteer. This is where teens learn the importance of being united with the body of Christ. It is in our Life Groups that we plan on growing smaller as we grow larger. To see where we are meeting for this month go back to the “News and Updates” page.
Sunday morning class (every Sun. morning at 9:00 am.) fulfills our purpose of Discipleship (Learn)We have two levels of discipleship classes on Sun. morning.
Heart classes & Mind classes:
Matt 22:37
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Milk and meat classes:
1 Pet 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
Heb 5:14
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
On Sunday morning we seek to provide “milk and heart” classes for both our non-Christian teens and new believers all year round. Our summer and winter quarters are typically textual studies and our spring and fall are topical studies.
FAQ for new teens and parents:
Some Q & A about the Youth PULSE teen
1) Q. What general expectations are there for our teens?
A. See our Behavior Expectations form below.
2) Q. Will there be adults other than Rob at any/all youth events?
A. 90% of the time, yes.
Sun. morning class – the majority of the time there will be other adult volunteers present in our teen classes. They are there to help out with class, help keep teens focused, and to develop relationships with our teens. There will be some Sun. mornings that Rob (or the current teacher) will be the only adult in the class, but this is rare.
Sun. Night Hang Outs – Every Sun. night Hang Out has a scheduled adult or college sponsor present. These sponsors are there to help keep your kids safe and have relationship time with our teens.
Wed. Night Life Groups – Our Wed. night Life Groups are set up to have adult small group leaders actively involved in our small group studies. For more info on how these groups work see our Wed. Night Life Groups description at the top of the page.
Camps, retreats and trips – The number of adult volunteers for these types of events depends on the set up of the event and the number of teens who will be attending. Typically if we have more than 7 teens attending one of these events, then we will try to have extra adult sponsors.
Overall answer – Rob wants to have spiritual adult volunteers involved in the teen
3) Q. Is it OK for parents to occasionally attend events?
A. Yes! Parents are always welcome to be part of our Sun. morning classes and Hang Out events. If you would like to come and visit on Wed. night for our Life Groups or for one of our camps or retreats, please check with Rob ahead of time so that he can make sure that there is room.
4) Q. What does the typical schedule look like for teen events every month?
A. Sun. morning classes – 9:00 to 10:00 every Sun. morning
Sun. night Hang Out – Most every Sun. night (except for the 4th Sun. of the month and certain holidays) typically between 6pm to 9pm.
Wed. night Life Groups – Most every Wed. Night, except for the first Wed. of each month, (we take off for Family Night that meets here at the church) from 6pm to 9 pm.
Over all answer
– you can always find out what is going on during the week by picking
up a Youth News each Sun. morning in the North hall of the church, or by
checking our web page www.lakewoodcc.net (go to Teen
5) Q. What is the normal cost per month for a teen to attend all events?
A. It is Rob’s intent to try to keep our Sun. Night Hang Out events to a maximum cost of $20 a month. Typically, we do not spend this much money for events. If we do something that costs money one week, we’ll often try to do a free event the next week.
As for Wed. Night Life Groups we will typically eat together at a fast food restaurant ($5 or so) and then head to someone’s home for our Bible study.
Eating Out:
Anytime that we are eating out for an event, teens always have the option of eating dinner before they come to an event so that they can just get a drink and hang out with everyone, rather than pay for dinner. Many teens choose to do this.
6) Q. How do you handle male/female interactions, relationships, etc?
A. Dating in the youth group is not discouraged, however, youth group events are not "dates." Therefore, a male/female couple is not allowed to be alone in a room, or on a walk or in any other capacity. This is considered a prudent step in promoting sexual purity. We are on these events to get to know Christ better, not the opposite sex.
7) Q. How do you handle rating systems when it comes to what movies you watch at Hang Out, or show in class?
A. The youth group will typically never go to a rated R movie. If we ever planned on seeing one (for example, when we went to see
PG 13 – concerning a PG-13 movie, Rob will either have seen the movie ahead of time to make sure that it is appropriate, or will have read reviews on it from www.pluggedinonline.com.
8) Q. What do I do if my teen wants to attend a retreat or camp event but we can’t afford it?
A. Money shouldn’t keep your teens from attending a spiritual event! Therefore “scholarships” are offered for teens who need some extra funds. For more info on this contact Rob and ask him for a Scholarship Request Form (found in the North Hall behind the Youth News).
Below you will see our Youth PULSE Behavior Expectation Form. We
ask our parents and teens to fill this form out twice a year (at the
beginning of the year and summer) so that we can continually remind both
our teens and parents of some of our basic guidelines. You can get a
copy to feel out either in the North hall behind the Youth News or on
line by going to Teen
Behavior Expectation Form
1. Lakewood youth group is a safe place,
This means that teens would ideally be able to attend church, class, trips, fun activities, etc... and expect that they will not be hurt physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Therefore, hugs, smiles, compliments, and lots of unconditional love are encouraged. There are also a few things that are not tolerated: cut downs, gossip, violence, judgmental attitudes, etc... Teens who act this way while with our group are not welcome to be a part of our activities!! The goal of this statement is to provide a place where teens know that they are loved and accepted. Our hope is that when teens feel this safety, they will believe that Christianity is authentic, and they will open their hearts to the Lord.
2. Everyone is welcome Lakewood youth group is not a "sterile Christian bubble." It is a place where non-believers can come and explore the possibility of having a relationship with God. Therefore, teens who smoke, cheat, lie, drink, take drugs, belong to gangs, disobey their parents, and sleep with their boyfriend/girlfriend are welcome....however, they are not welcome to do these things while they are with our group. Teens who are involved in these things will not be looked down on or treated differently from others. Rather, they will be loved, challenged and encouraged to fall in love with Jesus.
3. Our goal is to become more like Christ The ultimate purpose for every activity the youth group does is to help teens fall more in love with God. Every class taught, trip taken and event that is planned should be done with this as the goal either directly or indirectly. Therefore, while on trips or events, you will have fun, do exciting things and meet new people (probably even people you are attracted to) but none of these things is the main purpose of our events.
4. Our group represents Christ The way our group acts while in public should reflect our church and God. Therefore, our group should act differently compared to other groups, in ways such as behavior, speech and attitudes toward each other and others. And oh yeah, NO COMPLAINING!!
5. Miscellaneous rules No music (CDs or tapes) with violent content, sexual themes, or coarse language, will be played at our activities. While on trips teens are encouraged to listen to Christian music. Much of a teen’s week is spent listening to secular music. While our group is together we want to expose them to great sounding music with a positive message.
No video games with violent content, sexual themes, or coarse language. (Teens are encouraged by the leadership to leave media devices such as, "Gameboys," CD players, etc. at home to promote a greater degree of personal interaction). On long trips these are fine but should not be used while at an activity.
Seatbelts must be used in all vehicles for all activities at all times.
No kissing, touching, blah, blah, blah.
Dating in the youth group is not discouraged, however, youth group events are not "dates." Therefore, a male/female couple is not allowed to be alone in a room, or on a walk or in any other capacity. This is considered a prudent step in promoting sexual purity. We are on these events to get to know Christ better, not the opposite sex.
Be respectful to adults
Participants are expected to recognize the authority and responsibility of the adult leaders by obeying instructions and showing proper respect. This includes the adult leaders of other churches that may be in attendance.
Contact Info.
Dear Parents – we are excited to have your teen involved with our
cell 720-937-8592
office 303-988-1024 ext. 7.
Staying up to date:
To stay up to date with all that is going on with the Teen