Youth Ministries
Sterling Youth has a foundation built on the teachings of Christ and a desire to reach the youth of Sterling, Virginia. Our goal is to provide a community where youth can feel comfortable to express who they are, feel loved where they’re at and grow stronger in their faith. Youth Connections meets from 5:30 to 8:00 each Sunday evening, with special Saturday events once a month.
Youth Connections is open to all youth, ages 6th to 12th grade, and includes dinner, games, and a time of short worship. This program is not designed to replace a church service, but rather it is a time to build relationships with peers who are also learning about what it means to be a preteen or teenager pursuing a relationship with Jesus in our culture today.
Coming up!
Schedule
Volunteer Opportunities
(Confirmation Class is being offered for the 2022-2023 school year)
The Confirmation process is a period of intensive study about the Christian faith in preparation for full membership in the church. Confirmation class starts with the simple question “Is there a God?” and works its way through a brief overview of Christian theology, an outline of the Old and New Testaments, Church history, Christian living, and the development of a personal faith statement.
Confirmation is open to anyone 8th grade and up this year, and will be starting January 2023. The curriculum includes attending and reflecting on one of our worship services, the creation of a confirmation banner and the writing and presentation of a statement of faith. Each confirmand will be assigned an adult sponsor (or mentor), whose responsibility will be to pray for, encourage, and guide their confirmand through the process. Because the confirmation class is designed to challenge our youth to wrestle with their faith, and to deepen their knowledge and understanding of God, it is important to offer them guidance along the way. The sponsor, who is a member of our church, but not an immediate family member of the confirmand, serves in that capacity.
Register for Confirmation Class!
One thing we take very seriously in our youth ministry is helping teens grow deeper in their faith. We do this through Bible study, discussions and conversation. We currently offer an opportunity for Youth Bible study on Sunday mornings following the 10:00 Service. 6th – 12th grade youth meet to revisit some of the fundamentals of Christian faith (which they may not have thought about since their confirmation year!) and recognize what it now means for them as teenagers.
The Big Questions
We are going to be spending the next couple weeks using a curriculum called The Big Questions from Fuller Youth Institute. We all ask questions, but we are hoping to dig a little deeper with our youth by asking some big questions. Who am I? Where do I fit? And do I matter? Following Jesus helps us address these questions in a meaningful way, and that’s our goal through this series.
Sterling Youth has merch! Check out The Church Shop for the 3 youth items, as well as other Sterling UMC apparel. Items can be purchased and shipped directly to you!
Youth Directors
Heather Toth
Director of Children’s Ministries & Youth Co-Director
Harrison Beane
Co-Director of Youth Ministries