Middle School Ministry
Youth, with the support of their families, participate in our Middle School Ministry for two years, ideally beginning in 7th and completing in 8th grade. Exceptions can be made, so please speak with our Pastor if needed.
Attendance: Youth are expected to attend sessions that are offered through the joint program, Faith Together Muscatine, aka, Family Faith Nights. They will be held on Wednesday nights and the schedule for such events will be communicated through our “FaithTogetherMuscatine” Gmail email and calendar and our weekly church communications. The program is offered starting in the fall and goes through mid-May of the following year.
In addition to weekly sessions, youth will also be expected to meet monthly with their faith partners (in a public setting if in person). The curriculum of our faith formation program will rotate subject matter every other year, so regardless of when a youth begins the program, materials will not be duplicated for each attendee. Through our studies and sessions, we will expect our youth to learn and use the following throughout their involvement in this ministry: The Lord’s Prayer, Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds, Sacraments, Ten Commandments, and any scriptures as added to the curriculum. Note, as youth entering this phase of the ministry, they should already be familiar with the books of the bible and how to find them in their own bible when asked to read or assess assigned scripture.
Faith Partners – Youth are asked to seek out an adult (same sex, non-relative) Faith Partner to develop a positive relationship based in faith, to learn and grow together in faith, and to challenge one another. It is meant to be a time to intentionally develop our community of faith. Both youth and adult are to come as they are and develop a relationship centered around the love of Jesus Christ. Faith partners will meet once* a month throughout the school year but can continue to grow their relationship as their faith journey continues outside of this program and through adulthood if they so choose. (*More to come the 2nd half of the year on this.)
Worship Notes: Youth are required to attend worship services on a regular basis and fill out our online Worship Notes throughout the 2 years they are involved in our middle school ministry. 10 notes per year or 20 in all need to be completed by the end of the youth’s second year.
Service Projects: We will meet per our FFN schedule to do service projects as a group, including all ages that attend FFN. If youth do not attend these, youth are strongly encouraged to do additional service work on their own time.
Acolyte/Worship Service Participation: As life resumes some normalcy (during Covid-19 times), we will try to incorporate in-person participation again when deemed safe to do so.
Affirmation of Faith: At the end of the two years, each youth is to turn in an essay, presentation, movie, or sermon, etc. –it is their choice. Regardless of what format is chosen, it should illustrate where the youth is on their faith journey, exploring what makes them a disciple of Christ. Our Pastor will be the only one reading or viewing your material unless you choose to do a sermon or public presentation. If you need help deciding what to do or how to begin, you are encouraged to discuss this with him/her, your faith partner, or your family members. Consider working on or praying about what you will do over Christmas break, so it is not rushed to complete in the spring.
Youth traditionally affirm their baptism during a Sunday service in May in their second year of the program. A 2022 date is yet to be determined and we will work with 2nd year families to determine an ideal date for all involved.
Attendance: Youth are expected to attend sessions that are offered through the joint program, Faith Together Muscatine, aka, Family Faith Nights. They will be held on Wednesday nights and the schedule for such events will be communicated through our “FaithTogetherMuscatine” Gmail email and calendar and our weekly church communications. The program is offered starting in the fall and goes through mid-May of the following year.
In addition to weekly sessions, youth will also be expected to meet monthly with their faith partners (in a public setting if in person). The curriculum of our faith formation program will rotate subject matter every other year, so regardless of when a youth begins the program, materials will not be duplicated for each attendee. Through our studies and sessions, we will expect our youth to learn and use the following throughout their involvement in this ministry: The Lord’s Prayer, Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds, Sacraments, Ten Commandments, and any scriptures as added to the curriculum. Note, as youth entering this phase of the ministry, they should already be familiar with the books of the bible and how to find them in their own bible when asked to read or assess assigned scripture.
Faith Partners – Youth are asked to seek out an adult (same sex, non-relative) Faith Partner to develop a positive relationship based in faith, to learn and grow together in faith, and to challenge one another. It is meant to be a time to intentionally develop our community of faith. Both youth and adult are to come as they are and develop a relationship centered around the love of Jesus Christ. Faith partners will meet once* a month throughout the school year but can continue to grow their relationship as their faith journey continues outside of this program and through adulthood if they so choose. (*More to come the 2nd half of the year on this.)
Worship Notes: Youth are required to attend worship services on a regular basis and fill out our online Worship Notes throughout the 2 years they are involved in our middle school ministry. 10 notes per year or 20 in all need to be completed by the end of the youth’s second year.
Service Projects: We will meet per our FFN schedule to do service projects as a group, including all ages that attend FFN. If youth do not attend these, youth are strongly encouraged to do additional service work on their own time.
Acolyte/Worship Service Participation: As life resumes some normalcy (during Covid-19 times), we will try to incorporate in-person participation again when deemed safe to do so.
Affirmation of Faith: At the end of the two years, each youth is to turn in an essay, presentation, movie, or sermon, etc. –it is their choice. Regardless of what format is chosen, it should illustrate where the youth is on their faith journey, exploring what makes them a disciple of Christ. Our Pastor will be the only one reading or viewing your material unless you choose to do a sermon or public presentation. If you need help deciding what to do or how to begin, you are encouraged to discuss this with him/her, your faith partner, or your family members. Consider working on or praying about what you will do over Christmas break, so it is not rushed to complete in the spring.
Youth traditionally affirm their baptism during a Sunday service in May in their second year of the program. A 2022 date is yet to be determined and we will work with 2nd year families to determine an ideal date for all involved.
Worship Notes
Middle School Youth taking part of Grace Lutheran’s Faith Formation Education program will need to submit 10 worship notes per school year–20 total by end of their second year.
Use the link below to fill in each of your worship notes after or during each worship service that is attended. (Hint: bookmark this link or save this
document to your device for future reference.)
Since worship notes will be online going forward, here is a brief outline of what feedback will be needed each time, so you can prepare yourself to listen for the items below and take notes, if needed, during worship service.
The information for worship notes, including the questions are available in the pdf on this page for download anytime.
Middle School Youth taking part of Grace Lutheran’s Faith Formation Education program will need to submit 10 worship notes per school year–20 total by end of their second year.
Use the link below to fill in each of your worship notes after or during each worship service that is attended. (Hint: bookmark this link or save this
document to your device for future reference.)
Since worship notes will be online going forward, here is a brief outline of what feedback will be needed each time, so you can prepare yourself to listen for the items below and take notes, if needed, during worship service.
- Your full name & consistently used email address
- In person or Zoom & date of service
- Abundant Life or Amazing Grace Service
- What were the Bible readings in worship today?
- What part of worship meant the most for you today and why?
- What did you hear in the sermon that reminded you of our brokenness?
- What message of promise or good news did you hear in the sermon?
- How did the message apply to your own life?
The information for worship notes, including the questions are available in the pdf on this page for download anytime.