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St. Luke’s youth are
integrated into every aspect of our life together. They regularly
lead worship, sing in the choir, hold positions of church
leadership, play instruments in church, serve at the Sausage Supper,
participate in missions or help out in the kitchen on a Sunday
morning. In addition, we have several other programs designed
specifically for youth.
Confirmation
Confirmation is a special
rite for young people by which they confirm their baptismal vows and
join as full members of the church. The Confirmation Class is open
to youth in middle school and older. It is a two-year program that
combines biblical study in a classroom setting, mentoring, worship
participation and service. Once the youth are confirmed, they are
considered full, adult members of the church.
Mission Trip
St. Luke’s has partnered
with
First Christian Church for a joint mission trip for the last two years. In 2009, the
youth traveled to Rutland, VT, and in 2010 to Newport, TN through
the YouthWorks program. They work hard painting, cleaning, hanging drywall,
running a kids camp and visiting with seniors, and they engage in
thoughtful faith reflection and bible study on their service. The
youth do fundraising projects throughout the year, and so far they
have been able to raise enough to travel without cost to individual
families.
Special Events
Youth activities and events
are organized throughout the year. Typical activities include a fall
bonfire or farm outing, a December lock-in with other downtown
churches that includes a service project preparing Christmas gift
bags for the local jail, Christmas caroling to nursing homes, a
January trip to a bowling alley or laser tag game, a spring service
project such as yard work or church cleanup, and a summer trip to
Holiday World.
Church Camp
Merom Camp and Conference Center is operated by the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United
Church of Christ. St. Luke’s sends a group of campers to participate
in the Faith Journeys camp every year. We believe church camp can be
a transformative faith experience for young people, and an important
opportunity to learn about Jesus and Christian life. For this
reason, St. Luke’s has a commitment to paying for one-half of the
camp fees for all of our children who wish to participate. Camp is
open to children entering third grade and older.
St. Luke’s Scholarship Program
Through the gift of an
anonymous church family, St. Luke’s is able to offer a unique and
generous scholarship program to help our youth pay for a college
education. The scholarships are non-competitive, and any youth with
a 2.5 grade-point average in a two or four-year college who
completed the Confirmation process and remained active in the life
of St. Luke’s can receive a scholarship of up to $1000 per semester.
We are incredibly proud of this program, and grateful to the family
that has made it possible. We believe in supporting our youth for
their future in faith and in the world.
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