We’re shooting some fun volunteer training videos for our leaders this week and I got to help write a script outlining the purpose of the weekend services at our church. Now, in our context our weekend services are what most churches call “youth group” – a weekly gathering of all the teenagers in the church and their friends. We have 4 services every weekend, 2 on Saturday night and 2 on Sunday morning. Each have their own size and style, but one thing is true about them – they all share the same purpose:

Why do we gather each week in the Refinery? We’ve got lots of reasons, let me give you 4:

>> The first purpose of the weekend service is FUN.
When a high school student walks into HSM we want them to enjoy themselves, we want them to smile, to have a good time and to feel comfortable. We may try to accomplish that through crazy games, hilarious videos, and some awesome after service events like Extreme Bingo or Christmas movie night watching Elf. We want students to relax, be with friends and have a good time. So while we start with fun and games, other purposes quick rise to the top.

>> The second purpose of our weekend services is CONNECTION.
Our goal is for each student to have friends at church and that they can make new friends, we want them to feel connected. We help them get connected in a few different ways, but one HUGE way is through you all, our weekend leaders. Every weekend before after and even during the service there are opportunities to meet new people and help them not feel out of place, and we think that’s super awesome. We think YOU’RE super awesome. So while we work hard to make our weekend services fun and entertaining, and give them a taste of Christian community.

>> Our ultimate purpose is to help students GROW IN CHRIST.
We have awesome speakers that give messages geared specifically for high school student lives. Our weekend services help students learn how to study their Bible, teach them how to apply the Bible to their everyday life, and teach them how to defend their faith. We do fun topics teenagers love to talk about – sex, friendships, parents, stress – and tackle the tough topics that people often avoid and show students what God has to say about them, too.

>> We want students to CELEBRATE JESUS.
We use singing through worship to help students really understand God’s love for them and the power of the Bible I in a way that’s different than someone simply speaking. If you come to a weekend service, you’ll see a vibrate and passionate community of students expressing their love for Jesus and dedication to Him through songs, communion and prayer.

So here’s what we’re setting out to do: have fun, give them a taste of community, challenge students to grow and celebrate the presence of Jesus. We hope that the environment we create in HSM is that no matter where a student is at on their walk with God they feel welcomed and loved when they walk into HSM. You’re a big part of that, so thanks for being a part of the team!

JG