First Reformed UCC: Youth and Children’s Ministries at FRUCC, a snapshot
The Ministries to Youth and Children at First Reformed United Church of Christ are vibrant, engaging, fun, inclusive, and affirming. Since I was hired to the position of Director of Ministries to Youth and Children at FRUCC, my five primary ministry goals have been as follows:
First Reformed UCC: Youth and Children’s Ministry
1) That each Child/Youth has it made abundantly clear to them that they are made in the Image of God, and that they are dearly loved by God, by me, and by their church family.
2) That each Child/Youth feels seen, affirmed, and celebrated in their God-given, uniquely crafted identities related to their race, gender identity, social location, sexual orientation, and much more.
3) That each Child/Youth knows they have a space where they can always come with curiosities, questions, and wondering, and will always be met with kindness, compassion, and honesty.
4) That each Child/Youth understands that, while their presence is always cherished, they are loved, welcomed, and appreciated regardless of how often they are able to attend Church or Church events.
5) That each Child/Youth has fun, learns, and has a space where they can grow and flourish. In the year since I was hired, we have taken many different steps to live out these goals. As it pertains to our Youth programs, we began by instituting Sunday night Youth
Group, a time where we meet at 6pm to play games, talk, and enjoy each other’s company. Additionally, we started doing Wednesday Night Youth Study, a time where we study various cultural topics, and relate them back to our faith, and more specifically, the Bible. Throughout the 2021-22 school year, we held extensive, in-depth discussion and study on the topic of racism, and examined the anti-racist mandate given to Christians by Scripture. This upcoming year, we plan to explore a wide array of other interesting topics such as the Bible and the LGBTQIA+ community, the Bible and Creation in light of Human learnings about Science (specifically, Outer Space and
Physics), and more. The process of choosing what we study is led by our Youth, and I am grateful to support them wholeheartedly in their learning decisions and goals.
Youth at First Reformed UCC demonstrate the Biblical account of Lazarus.
Our ministries to Children follow a similar structure to our Youth. On Sunday Mornings, we offer Young Disciples Church for our children grades K-6. In this offering, the children are taught a daily Bible Story, and act it out in our Theatre Room in the Education Building. Following this, we have a discussion about the story, ask two fundamental questions: 1) What does the Bible story teach us about God? And, 2) What does the Bible story teach us about how we should live our lives? On Wednesday nights during the school year, our Children have Fun and Fellowship Night, where they get to know each other, and play fun games, do arts and crafts, and participate in service projects.
In addition to these offerings, our Youth and Children have participated in multiple events such as putting on a Christmas Pageant show for the church, going to musicals in Lexington, having lock-ins at the church, and going to baseball games in High Point.
At the center of these events is a desire to have fun, build relationships, and do life together. In 2022-23, it’s my prayer that we can continue to cultivate a space that is fun, welcoming, and affirming to all.
Rev. Evan Sieges
Director, Youth and Children Ministries
