By: David Rimarski
Class is in session! School is in full swing, and our students are hopping on buses, answering roll call, logging in to their computers, and studying for upcoming tests. While school can offer a lot of opportunities for students to be a part of a group, so many of our students are having trouble finding a place where they belong. During our sermon series, “Restart,” the students were given a reflection time to write down things that they were struggling with and how they wanted Jesus to help them out of it. They were then able to pin in on the cross we have in the student center to say they will trust Jesus and lean on Him to get them through their struggles. That following week, I went back into the room and read through the cards on the cross. As I read through them, my heart began to feel heavy. Students felt like they needed to be different if they wanted to have friends. They felt alone and unwanted. They had fears of losing their friends if they didn’t do what everyone else did.
Our students go through so much and have a deep longing for community. This past Sunday, we spoke about that need. The bottom line was, “if you feel unwanted, God says you belong.” That is exactly what these students need to hear. If you feel like you don’t belong to any group or if you feel alone even when you are surrounded by people; God says that He has a place for you to find community. The Church is a place for God’s people to find belonging when they feel like they don’t belong. The student ministry has many opportunities for students to find that community through the different events and small groups coming up for the rest of 2024.
During the month of September, we will be kicking-off our high school and middle school small groups. High school will start meeting Sunday evenings starting on the 15th of September and the middle school will begin every other Wednesday starting on the 18th of September. We have a great team of leaders who are ready to dive deeper in God’s word with our students and build meaningful connections within the group.
We are continuing our monthly ALL-IN evening services. ALL-IN events are for both MS and HS and take place on the first Sunday of each month. With the upcoming Labor Day weekend, we are moving September’s ALL-IN to the 8th and then the first Sunday of the month for the rest of the year. If you have never been to an ALL-IN, they are a great opportunity to connect with the other students and leaders, where we have free time to play games, eat dinner, and, after our message, break off into small groups.
Our student baptism class will be on the 22nd of September. This is a class where students and their family can learn more about what it means to be baptized and how to take their next steps in their faith. Our post-baptism class will be on December 8th for any students who have been baptized and want to answers to the questions, “Now what?”
The final event for September is our Best Night Ever; Tailgate Party happening of the 29th. This is our Family Ministry event created for the entire family. Parents and children, including our student ministry, are welcome to come in for an evening of encouragement, discipleship, and tailgating!
Our Student Ministry Friendsgiving will be on November 17th. We have a blast with this event each year as families bring their favorite Thanksgiving Day food for everyone to enjoy. We will have group games to play and prizes to win as we celebrate all the things we thank God for in our lives.
Our final event for the 2024 year will be our Student Ministry Thriftmas Party on December 15th. The students are challenged to go into their local thrift stores and find a Christmasy outfit for the evening. During the event we will be doing a white elephant gift exchange and collecting donations for our local Salvation Army thrift store to help our local community.
We want the remainder of 2024 to go out with a bang! If your student is interested in any of these events, go to Mount Carmel’s website and click on the Events tab. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to me! I am praying for all of our families to gear up for a great fall season of Student Ministry.
David Rimarski
