Our church has a long tradition of valuing the youth. Over the years we’ve been blessed to have had several youth pastors focusing their energy on our next generations. Whether there is a formal youth pastor or not, the tradition that continues is a commitment from the congregation to purposefully focus time & resources to pour into our students.
YOUTH GROUP is the small group ministry for 7th-12th grade students.
Here students will find access to local events as well as district-wide events (like IMPACT and Winter Blast) and national events like Challenge.
We are committed to teaching God’s Word and helping students navigate an ever-changing culture with an unchanging God. We aim to use a balanced blend of fellowship, worship, study & service. The oldest students are challenged to help lead the lessons and all are encouraged to memorize sections of Scripture that we are studying.
Many members of the congregation have volunteered in student ministry over the years, and remain in contact even as these students move well into adulthood —and old age! Here are the current volunteers who work with the junior-senior high youth group. Don’t worry folks, your children are in good hands.
For more info, please contact the church office.
Youth Leaders
From Left to right:
Mike Ehlers, Geri Sommerlot, Andrea Peterson, Shane Carlson
Geri is the mom—making sure everyone has a coat, a cookie, and a ride. She specializes in nifty details like organization, coordination, and communication. Unrelated to anyone in this corner of the state, Geri and her husband Roger are newcomers to the church—arriving
in 1997. Over the decades, their 9 children have all benefitted from growing up with an excellent example of a good church.
Mike is the musical one among us. He serves by leading the youth band, which practices once a month, and leads church worship a couple of times each year. We currently have a lot of musically talented students, which makes Mike look pretty good. He & his wife Michelle have 2 musically gifted children & often lead worship as a family. When he’s not raising praises, Mike is raising crops & hogs.
Shane likely knows the most about what’s going on here. He’s been a leader for years—so he’s the top dog in decision-making and keeps us all cool, calm & collected. He grew up in this church and has more stories than anyone would ever want to hear about youth groups from “back in the day.” Shane has been impacted by several overseas mission trips and brings solid passion to any discussion. To know Shane is to know the silly side of sarcasm. Speaking of contradictions, this brawny dude enjoys flying an “ultra-lite”...hmmmm.
If we ever have to enter someone in a LOL contest, it’s gonna be Andrea. Think: actually “LOUD”. Her warm smile, cheerful attitude, and willing spirit make her a natural with young gals. Vying for Old MacDonald’s position, Andrea & her husband, Jesse, have a menagerie of pets, which includes (but is not limited to) cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, guinea hens, turkeys, and goats. She grew up in this church and feels privileged to give back in a way that was given to her.
