YOUTH MINISTRY COMMITTEE PROCEDURES & POLICIES. Mission Statement

Transcription

1 YOUTH MINISTRY COMMITTEE PROCEDURES & POLICIES Mission Statement The Youth Ministry of The Presbyterian Church in Morristown exists to EXPOSE students to God s love, to CONNECT them to each other, to help them GROW in their faith, so they can HONOR God with the their lives as they SHARE in His mission to change the world. Ideally, the Youth Ministry Committee consists of --the chairperson --two session members (including the chair) --at least three lay people (adults) --at least two, however, three to four youth is preferable --the Youth Ministry Director Chairperson's Responsibilities: Report to Session. Prepare Youth Ministry Committee report for the annual meeting booklet. Report at the Annual Meeting, if necessary. Work with Youth Ministry Director (YMD) to trouble-shoot issues; be the liaison, if and when appropriate, on behalf of the committee and/or Session. Pre-approve committee expenditures. Manage Youth Ministry committee meetings. Support Youth Ministry committee members in all Youth Ministry related activities. Provide performance feedback from the Youth Ministry committee for the Youth Ministry Director s annual personnel review. Update the Youth Ministry Director s job description, as needed. Youth Ministry Procedures & Policies Manual 1

2 Committee Responsibilities: Support Youth Ministry Director in planning, coordinating and oversee the ministries of PCM for both the middle and high school youth and young adults. Assist in recruiting adult advisors for Middle School and Koinonia. Support Youth Ministry Director in building the adult advisors into a cohesive team. Support the Youth Ministry Director on using and updating the PCM website. Support and/or advise Youth Ministry Director in the following functions and responsibilities, as needed and as requested: o Planning fellowship events, service projects and retreats. o Participating in Middle School Sunday School o Participating with the Barnabas Team (High School Church School teachers aids) o Confirmation Classes o Annual Youth Sunday services o EMERGE program (Young Adults ages 22-40) Support and/or advise YMD in building relationships with other YMDs in the Newton Presbytery. Support YMD in cultivating a network of ecumenical relationships with other Youth Ministry Directors in the Morristown area. Support YMD in the development of and the long-term management of a Youth Council across all denominations within the Morristown area. Schedule* of Committee Functions January Evaluate past year. Recruit new committee members. Junior High youth and Koinonia attend retreat weekends. Meet your Mentor night for the Confirmation class February Koinonia collects money for the Souper Bowl of Caring a Nationwide, youth-led effort which encourages people to give one dollar while leaving Youth Ministry Procedures & Policies Manual 2

3 worship services on Super Bowl Sunday. All proceeds go to the charity of our youth s choice. The youth host an intergenerational event: a Chili Cook-off and Talent Show with the proceeds going towards the Middle and High School mission trips March Middle School went on a weekend retreat in Lake Champion, New York. Review Youth Committee Procedures and Policies handbook. Koinonia Lock-in retreat. April Youth participate in Hope Walk. Fundraising begins for Middle School and Koinonia mission trips. College Care care package mailings. May Middle School Mystery night. Conduct fundraising programs for mission trips. Sell PCM Mission shares for fundraising for mission trips. Session approves Confirmation Class, dinner for confirmands and their families. Confirmation Class is recognized by PCM Congregation. Lead Youth Sunday: the youth lead all components of the service (preaching, liturgy, music, drama, ushers and greeters). June Koinonia and Middle School end the school year with swim parties. July Koinonia week-long mission trip. Middle School week-long mission trip. Middle School youth and Koinonia meet informally and sporadically due to vacations. August Middle School youth and Koinonia continue meeting sporadically due to vacations. September Request Finance Committee approval for youth mission trips fundraising. Youth Ministry Procedures & Policies Manual 3

4 Koinonia kicks-off the new school year with a meeting in mid-september. Midweek kicks-off the new school year with a meeting in mid-september. Organize the parent volunteers who cook and serve meals for both youth groups. Initiate budget discussions in preparation for Session and Chair budget meetings. October Continue work of the budget for the next year. Plan Confirmation Class program. Recruit adult mentors for Confirmation Class. November High School service weekend in New York City to work with YSOP Middle School Movie night. December The Middle School and Koinonia enjoy Christmas Parties. Finalize the budget. Confirmation Class Confirmation is the time in our childrens lives when they have the opportunity to explore what it means to become a full member of our church family. Confirmation is open to any High School freshman who wants to learn the meaning and responsibility of an individual s profession of faith in the Presbyterian Church. If a freshman chooses to wait, he or she can certainly participate in a later class. Each year, our class will meet at least eight (8) times over a six (6) month period; meetings are scheduled on Sunday afternoons. During this time our children will explore such topics as worship, prayer, service and mission and Presbytery polity. It is at this time for our youth to focus on their individual confession of the church s faith including the preparation of and commitment to their personal statement of faith. Youth Ministry Procedures & Policies Manual 4

5 Service and Mission We all have gifts and talents, and we need to continue to reinforce that volunteering is an important aspect of our church life. Each year during the annual Stewardship campaign, we emphasize putting our gifts and talents to work for the good of our church, the church and the world. It is not just about tithing although that is important also. It is important through one-on-one and class discussions, teaching and by example that our youth explore and discover the wonder and joy of giving something of themselves. Whether it is being a ringer, being part of the Barnabas team, singing, ringing or ushering during worship, everyone should have at least one role in the church. Fellowship Fellowship is a mutual relationship among Christians. Fellowship on one level means talking to each other about sports, friends, family, fun and news; in essence, the social aspects of coming together as a group with a common purpose and belief. But on a much deeper level it encompasses sharing lives, sharing emotions, bearing one another's burdens, encouraging one another and helping those who have need. The PCM youth ministry strives to create events, opportunities and even challenges for a various aspects of fellowship to come into existence. These opportunities can take place with one or two youth, a small group or the entire Jr. or Sr. High School groups. No matter how, when or what they are doing they know that they have a common bond within our church family. An important outcome of fellowship can be the growth in discipleship. By working together, we help one another grow. "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13). We are always learning: some growth and learning comes from peers; some comes from our leaders in the church who have the specific assignment of teaching and modeling the Christian life. We should provide as many opportunities as possible for fellowship for all these important reasons. Youth Ministry Procedures & Policies Manual 5

6 EMERGE Research has shown that we get lost when we transition from middle school to high school, from high school to college, from college to single adulthood fresh on the horizon of starting and growing careers, from single adulthood to young married couples and then young married couples starting families. EMERGE, attempts to address this group of young adults in our church through informal activities and meetings. * This schedule is based on 2013 activities. The Youth Ministry Committee considers this specific section of the Procedures and Policies document as a living document and plans to update this section at the end of each calendar year in conjunction with our Annual Report. Youth Ministry Procedures & Policies Manual 6