Youth Group
Together, we RECEIVE, CELEBRATE, and SHARE God’s love for us in Christ.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…
Together, we RECEIVE, CELEBRATE, and SHARE God’s love for us in Christ.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children…
what is youth group?
Youth Group is a place for the young people, grades 7–12, in our church to hang out to receive, celebrate, and share God’s love for us in Christ.
We receive God’s love for us in Christ by studying the Bible together to better understand who God is and all that he has done, and continues to do, for us in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
We celebrate God’s love for us in Christ by coming together in worship to sing God’s praises as our grateful response to His amazing grace.
We share God’s love for us in Christ by coming together for fellowship and fun to encourage one another and to testify to the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work in our lives.
As a ministry, our ultimate goal is to glorify God (Rev. 4:11) by nurturing the next generation (Prov. 22:6) to be wise, faithful, and loving disciples of Christ (Matthew 10:16), who proclaim his gospel through words of grace and lives of service in Lancaster County and beyond (Mark 16:15).
Sunday School Classes
Our Senior High students will be studying Bible Doctrine using a curriculum from Reformation Heritage Books written by James W. Beeke. This quarter they will be studying topics such as God’s Providence, Creation, The Fall, The Covenant of Grace, and Jesus Christ. This curriculum will help our Sr. High students learn what the Bible teaches us about God’s character and God’s works in redemptive history. The goal of this class is to cultivate a greater adoration and desire for God within the hearts of our young people.
Teachers:
Michael Mante (Ruling Elder), Mike Zappitella (Deacon),
and Lenny Marsch
Located in the Annex
Our Junior High guys and girls Sunday School classes will be studying the Westminster Shorter Catechism using the “Digging Deeper” Curriculum from Great Commission Publications. The Shorter Catechism is a great tool that helps us understand what the Bible teaches. In essence they will be learning what the Bible teaches us about God and what the Bible teaches us about how we are to live. The goal of this class is to help our students develop a Biblical worldview.
JH Boy Teachers: Tim Fanus & Jack DeWeese
JH Girl Teachers: Willow Donnachie & Lily Williams
Located in the Annex
When & Where is youth group?
Sunday School at 9:30am & Wednesdays from 6:20 to 7:45pm
Westminster Youth Room Lower Level (LL9)
Our main Youth Group gathering is Wednesday nights. Students are welcome anytime after 5:30pm; and can stay to play sports or other games until 9:00pm.
Please continue to check our calendar/schedule for other fun events and meetings that are happening throughout the year!
YOUTH LEADERS
Rev. Matthew Collins - Associate Pastor of Youth
Matthew grew up in Laconia, New Hampshire. After high school he served in the Air Force as a mechanic on the F-15 fighter jet for several years. It was during his time in the military that he began to sense the Lord’s call on his life to the ministry. And after receiving his Bachelor’s degree, he studied and graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. While living in Philadelphia, Matthew met his wife, Sue. They have been happily married since 2017 and have two children, Noah and Henry.
Send Matt an email at [email protected]
Jillian Rogers - Youth Ministry Assistant
Jillian joined our church staff in September 2022. Jillian assists Matt Collins in the youth ministry, helping with the planning and organization of programs, leading girls’ Bible studies, and mentoring young women to grow in Christ. She has attended Westminster her whole life and been a member here since 2014. Jillian recently earned her Associates Degree in Education and is currently working towards a Bachelor’s in Religion: Next Generation Ministries through Liberty University’s online program. Much of her ministry experience has come from serving here at the church in both Children and Youth ministries, doing multiple internships, and spending six months serving as Kids and Teens intern at Great Plains Gathering in Billings, Montana.
Send Jillian an email at [email protected]
YOUTH Interns
2023 Youth Intern Report
Westminster’s Youth Ministry looks to hire two college students (one male and one female) from Westminster Church’s membership to serve as full-time summer interns (June–August). Contact Matt Collins ([email protected]) for an application or use the link below. The application deadline is Sunday, March 24, 2024.
Service Opportunites
Student Leadership Team
The Student Leadership Team is about service, and our primary goal is to grow in our ability to serve the kingdom of God by growing spiritually, growing as leaders, and by giving our time, our efforts, and our intentional focus to inviting, welcoming, and encouraging peers in Westminster’s youth ministry. Student leaders also help lead various aspects of the youth ministry, according to their gifts and callings, and provide input on improving youth group, retreats, and events, as well as the topics we talk about in youth group.
If you are interested in growing as leader and serving others in love for God’s glory, then we encourage you to fill out the application below. Thanks for your interest in the student leadership team!
Communicants Class
The next Communicants’ Class will start January 5, 2025.
This class is a five-week course that takes place on Sunday afternoons from 5–6 pm. The deadline to register is October 20. This year’s Communicants’ Class will be slightly different than in past years, and is neither required for 7th Graders nor restricted to 7th Graders. The class, its material, and the interview with the elders require commitment, hard work, and a level of maturity from students that is most appropriate for late-elementary and middle school students.
If your child desires to profess Christ and come to the Lord’s table, and you believe your child demonstrates faith in Christ and is ready to become a communicant member, please contact Matt Collins at [email protected].
Because only communicant members are entitled to all the rights and privileges of the church (BCO 6-4).
According to our Book of Church Order, communing members are those who have made a profession of faith in Christ, have been baptized, and have been admitted by the Session to the Lord’s Table (BCO 6-2).
According to our Westminster Larger Catechism, “The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament (a holy ceremony instituted by Christ) of the new [covenant], wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine according to the appointment of Jesus Christ, his death is showed forth; and they that worthily [participate] feed upon his body and blood (we feed upon the body and blood of Christ, not in a physical or bodily manner, but in a spiritual manner by faith) to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace; have their union and communion with him confirmed; testify and renew their thankfulness, and engagement to God, and their mutual love and fellowship each with other, as members of the same mystical body (Q/A 168).”
According to the Heidelberg Catechism, the Lord’s Table is for “Those who are truly sorrowful for their sins, and yet trust that these are forgiven them for the sake of Christ; and that their remaining infirmities are covered by His passion and death; and who also earnestly desire to have their faith more and more strengthened, and their lives more holy; but hypocrites, and such as turn not to God with sincere hearts, eat and drink judgment to themselves (Q/A 81).”
Seven questions to assess your child’s readiness to participate in communion:
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