August 28, 2026
Dear church,
Every time I turn around, I feel like there’s one more thing to share about things that are coming up at Grace. The Spirit is alive around here! Today I’m writing to share about the High School Leadership Program we are launching this fall. I’m intentionally sending this to the whole congregation because I think it’s important that all of you know what we’re trying and why, and because we covet your prayers and support as we begin something new.
The High School Leadership Program is an investment we are making in our high school students, as we also invite them to invest their time and skills in the life of our congregation. Through this program, our high school students will have specific jobs at church, mostly on Sunday mornings. Positions will include: helping with kids’ programs, setting up coffee fellowship, working in the nursery, and helping with audio/visual in worship. Our students will be paid for their time as a way to make it clear to them how much we want them involved at church, and to recognize the responsibility and accountability of these positions.
Why this approach?
We are really ready to try something new for our high school ministry, and something that feels like it significantly shows our youth how worthy they are of our investment and care.
It’s a way to keep high school students engaged in the congregation. The truth is – our high schoolers need jobs, and they will say yes to jobs that need them to work Sunday mornings. So what if their job was at church on Sunday mornings?
We want to give our teenagers a safe, loving, supportive environment to help them grow more deeply into their identities as beloved children of God as they weather the unprecedented challenges of contemporary adolescence.
We have gotten to learn from other congregations who are trying a similar approach and they have seen remarkable changes and growth through this investment. High school students are around and feel a sense of ownership around the congregation’s ministry; the students know congregants and congregants know them. It excites us to imagine similar changes at Grace!
How are we funding this? We have $3,500 in accounts designated for youth ministry – this is a combination of memorial funds, endowment funds, and leftover funds from past youth fundraisers and events. These funds will more than cover what it would cost for every high school student in our congregation to fulfill all of the possible hours of this program. If the program goes well, we will begin incorporating this into our operating budget for 2027.
Join me in praying for this new endeavor and for all of our high school students. We love them and hope to see more of them this fall!
Pastor Sarah