4:12 Fall Plan
Youth Group on One Night
Hey parents!
I am so excited for 4:12 this year! This summer has been so fun to have one large group of students, 6th grade – 12th grade. Over the last year, Shannin, myself, and our leadership team have been talking about what this might look like and praying to see what God would have for 4:12. As we prepare to head back to 4:12 for the fall, we’ve decided to stay as one large group, meeting from 6:30-8:30 pm on Wednesdays. Our leader team has settled and together feels really good about continuing this change into the fall! Below are some of the reasons we believe this will be beneficial to students, parents, and our team.
Over the last year, the MS group has been around 15-25 students, and HS has been around 8-15 students. Students have traveled from Stevi, Clinton, Huson, and Frenchtown (to name a few) to come to 4:12. We know that there is a cost to the pick-up and drop-off of students when some of you drive so far.
For parents – Families driving from a far distance and those with students in both MS and HS have shared the difficulty of bringing students to each event. Having 4:12 on one night makes it easier to get both students to 4:12, and frees up an additional night each week for families to spend together.
For students – Having more students creates more energy and more fun! When a student graduates 8th grade, they can continue relationships with younger students and with leaders on the same night, and just shift into a different small group. This makes the leap from middle to high school easier for many students. And finally, having upperclassmen step into a student leadership role and mentor younger students can be a positive way to really grow their faith and maturity. Younger students have the opportunity to be encouraged by and look up to older students who are living out their love of Jesus in high school, and setting an example.
For Leaders – We will have a larger leader team! This helps us make sure that every night of 4:12 is well supported, and canceled less, regardless of how many kids are there, or which leaders are sick or unavailable that night. With more leaders and students, we are now able to build worship into 4:12 on a regular basis, equipping students with a love of worship! And finally, Shannin and I would love to take discipleship to students outside of just the church setting: we want to go and support students at their games, plays, and events! With this extra night of the week free, we can be more involved in the lives of all the students, where in the past, we’ve had to miss this opportunity.
Through this upcoming fall semester, we will work to teach and explore content appropriate for combining grades 6 through 12, create spaces at church for HS and MS to be separate, with their peers, and provide a space for each grade to be known, loved, and encouraged by leaders as we talk about Jesus!
We love your students and want to support you as much as we can. If you ever have thoughts, questions or concerns about 4:12, I would love to hear about them going forward!
Luke