Bethlehem United Church of Christ
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.
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Children & Youth January Youth & Children's ActvitiesSTAR KIDS' CORNER ACTIVITY PAGE Below is a picture of our youth on their 2010 mission trip to Denver during a stop outside an art museum.
In 2011, our youth served on a "local" mission trip, right here in Evansville, serving those in our community!
.jpg) Bethlehem has three youth groups:
Elementary Group (grades K-5) Middlers (grades 6-8)
Senior High (grades 9-12)
At Bethlehem, family members and other adults from the church are involved in our youth's activities.
We believe when adults and young people participate in activities together,
it creates a mutual benefit for our youth AND the volunteers who engage in their lives,
allowing them to grow together in ways that they cannot grow separately.
The Elementary Group (grades K-5) is currently being led by parent volunteers,
until we hire our Children's Ministry Coordinator.
They meet monthly (usually on Sundays) during the school year for lunch and a fun fellowship outing.
Activities have included, roller and ice skating, trips to CMoe, indoor rock climbing, and trick-or-treating for UNICEF!
 The Middlers (grades 6 - 8) is led by our acting youth leader, Andrea Gander. They meet twice a month (sometimes joining with the Senior High) for spiritual development, mission (like the 30-hour Famine pictured above), fundraisers to support their missions, and fellowship. They meet in the recently-built Youth Center that they helped design.
 The Senior High Youth Group are also led by Youth Leader, Andrea Gander and meets in our recently-built Youth Center! At our regular meetings (two or more per month), we typically share a meal, spend some time in sharing and prayer, and have fellowship. For the last several years, the Senior High has taken a mission trip in the summer. In 2011, we participated in a "local" mission trip, right here in Evansville, serving those in our community! We believe that one of the most important things young people can do as they prepare themselves for adult living is to connect with others to discern the gifts God has given them and to find ways to use them to do God's work, both at home and in the world.
We spent the week with a youth group from Oklahoma.
Additional Faith-Enriching Youth Programs
 We have an exciting confirmation program for our seventh and eighth graders. It is a special time for our young people to explore and deepen their faith, as they engage in meaningful discussion and a variety of challenging and enjoyable activities. The program consists of eight, two-hour classes and an overnight retreat to Merom Conference Center. Family members are very involved in the program, as they are encouraged to participate in the classes and the retreat to Merom Conference Center. The idea is that the teens will not only learn about their own faith, but they will also start building a spiritual partnership with their family members. This program is offered every-other year.
 A long-standing tradition at Bethlehem is the presentation of a Bible to our eight year-old children.
Each child is given a memory verse that they share with the congregation when they receive their Bible.
 Acolytes at Bethlehem Church to remind us of Christ's presence by lighting the altar candles for worship,
and extinguishing them to bring the light out in the world. Acolytes also carry in the Bible to remind the
congregation of the importance of the word of God. In addition, they assist the ministers with baptisms
and other special rituals. It is a very important role in the church’s ministry.
Children in fourth grade and higher serve as acolytes.
Summer
 Every summer, Bethlehem holds a Vacation Bible School. Children from Bethlehem and the Evansville community come together for this fun week of events. All children and their families are invited to join us for dinner each evening from 5:00-5:30, before the crafts, games, songs, and skits by their favorite Bible School characters begin!
Pictures from 2011's fun-filled VBS are shown below:
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