A Look into Youth Ministry at Christ the King

A Look into Youth Ministry at Christ the King
Amity Lantz, Director of Youth and Family Faith Formation 

First and foremost I would like to say thank you to everyone in the congregation for such a warm welcome. You have helped to make a big transition as smooth as possible for Alyssa and me, and we can’t thank you enough for being so eager to welcome us into your Christ the King Family. We look forward to continuing to meet even more members of our church, and serving this community.

I’m excited to infuse my ministry style into the youth and family programming here at CtK with a focus on Faith, Relationships and Service. At the end of the day everything comes back to faith, and Jesus being sent to save us from our sins, but we all know it’s much more complicated and more full than that. Growing in your faith is embracing all of your questions while learning about the Bible and incorporating the teachings and love of Jesus into your daily life; taking time to worship, and experience the presence of God, and to gather in groups as this journey can not be traveled alone. I want our youth to know they are created and loved by God, and absolutely nothing can change that. Their family matters, their friends matter, and their life matters. It’s also important to remind ourselves  Jesus calls us to be servants over and over again. In small settings, in large settings, to those who are like us, and to those who are different. Serving others is not only following the way of Jesus but is also a great way to get to know our own talents and use the abilities we have. Service is not just confined to a “project” or “trip” but we are to be serving God through serving others at all times. Congregationally, locally, nationally and globally. 

Here at Christ the King, I hit the ground running, taking a great group of high school students to Appalachia Service Project in late June. We worked with an amazing family in Breathitt County, Kentucky laying the groundwork for other ASP folks to give them a new porch, kitchen, and add another bedroom to their home. We had a wonderful time and it was a privilege to start my time at CtK participating in a rich tradition our church has been involved in for years. 

We have settled in to our new programming year with some new and continuing programming for youth and their families. In the last year of our confirmation program, the 9th grade students will have the time to reflect on what they have learned in the last three years and how that has shaped their faith up to this point in their lives and have them looking toward their future in the church and with their faith. They will explore this through conversations with their mentors and combine everything into a faith portfolio before Confirmation Sunday in May.  Our 6th - 8th grade students are spending the year learning about the Bible and the story God is telling through the scriptures as a whole. We are using the Daniel Erlander book “Manna and Mercy” as a guide to our learning time together, and with their peers in Growth Groups. 

Our Sunday’s start off with Breakfast Club, in between our morning services. We gather  in the youth room to question, discuss, and strive to discover what it means to be ourselves, be Christians and to be citizens in our ever-changing world. We have good people, good conversation and tasty breakfast foods! We continue in the evenings with our new weekly High School Youth Group. These gatherings consist of snacks, games, scripture, discussions on relatable topics, and worship. We build relationships with each other as we grow in our faith and deepen our understanding of our God. We meet on Sunday evenings from 6:00- 7:30. We are also looking forward to starting a monthly middle school ministry in the coming months.

As the year continues we will begin working on this years youth musical, as well as planning a trip to Christikon this summer. We welcome all 6th graders through seniors to come and  join us for any of our youth programming! I am excited for what is to come for Youth Ministry here at Christ the King.Thank you for supporting our youth!!
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In His Love, 
Amity Lantz