Effective,
Experiential,
Lutheran
We're working with you to create disciples for this generation and the next.
Running a middle school faith formation program on your own can be amazing and awkward and challenging all at the same time.
Even more so if you only have 1-3 youth.
Designed specifically for churches with few youth, we have a program that combines the backbone of your faith community with the joy and creativity of camp.
The program
There are 3 primary components to our middle school faith formation program.
You choose the best way for your congregation to incorporate them.
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Your Church
Disciples not only make up a congregation; they're formed in one, too. We could do all the amazing programming we wanted, and if youth don't have a place to worship and live out their faith, it doesn't matter.
Participating in congregational life is key, along with your willingness to guide them throughout this process!
Project Boxes
From September - May we send out 4 project boxes. Every couple months a box of fun arrives in the mail AND it helps develop faith! Each youth gets their own box, but we can send them to the church.
Every box has 5 unique and engaging projects in it, which can be done in any order, at (almost) any time, and without a fully formed youth group.
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Peer Cohort
We all need to explore our faith with our peers. And if your church has very few youth, that's hard.
We bring the participants from all the churches together three times/year to create a peer cohort. This includes a fall retreat (at Mt. Cross), a spring retreat (Tahoe area), and a week of summer camp.
Full Information
Curriculum
(what they'll learn and explore)
Participate!
(how to join in)
Resources
(for pastors, parents, and councils)
Just the Basics
Who's it for?
The curriculum is geared towards youth in grades 6-8.
For participation in the peer cohort (retreats & camp) we'll accept youth in grades 5-9.
You're welcome to order project boxes for any age you like.
How long is the program?
To complete the entire program takes 3 years.
However, it's a yearly commitment, so you decide how many years to participate.
The years do not build on one another, so you can start and end at any time.
When can we start?
It depends on what you're hoping to do.
To participate fully in the 2020-2021 school year, you need to register by September 10, 2020.
At any other point, we'll need to know at least 2 weeks in advance of the next shipment. Contact us for those dates.
For this pandemic-affected school year, all events and prices are a-la-carte. So keep in touch about dates for a fall Zoom gathering, spring retreat, and summer camp.
Do you have suggestions for how to implement this in our congregation?
Yes! There are several options. You can contact us for a conversation about it, we can put you in touch with pastors who love and use the program, and we also create a Google Doc for each box and share it with all the pastors receiving it so you can share ideas in real-time.
How is this paid for?
You can find information about the costs under the "Participate" information above.
As is often the case for youth programming, setting aside budget money for faith formation or doing youth fundraisers is needed. Many congregations also choose to charge families a nominal amount to have "skin in the game".
However, we do have a policy of not turning away participants due to financial need; if this is you, let us know.
You've looked at all the info above and still have questions - or just prefer a conversation?
Don't hesitate to reach out. We'd love to talk with you.
Rev. Sarah Erickson
sarah@mtcross.org 831.336.5179