Cedar Lane Youth

Cedar Lane Youth is a ministry for students in 6th-12th grade. It is our mission to help students fall in love with Jesus, and to make disciples. This ministry is more than just teaching facts and sharing knowledge in a classroom, it is about exemplifying a lifestyle that reflects the Savior. We strive to help students connect what they know about God in their heads with what they feel in their hearts. Our desire is to surround our students with adults and peers who will walk alongside them as they journey through the ups and downs of their middle and high school years, emphasizing the importance of a personal relationship with God. To us, being a disciple isn’t just some activity that we do whenever we choose; it is a way of life. We are going to share a variety of experiences with our students, and find ways to point them towards God.

Youth ministry is something we do with our students, not just something we do for them. We want to help parents minister to their children, and students minister to their parents. The goal is to help forge connections between adults and students that will last for years to come and help everyone involved discover ways that they can serve in God’s Kingdom. We want this ministry to be very welcoming, and for each teen to feel a sense of acceptance, belonging, and know that they are genuinely cared for. We are seeking to create an environment where our teens feel safe to be themselves, have the freedom to wrestle with their faith, and are excited to participate and tell their friends about it.

On Sunday mornings, instead of a traditional class format our students meet together in Connect Groups, which are small groups divided by age and gender to discuss Scripture and have a chance to put their faith into words with the guidance of peers and adults. On Sunday nights, we gather in different homes in the area to eat together and worship followed by a short teaching time. And on Wednesdays, we have a high energy group of students that gathers for a time of worship and more practical messages. Throughout the year, our students go to retreats, youth rallies, camps, and mission trips. We also focus on serving our community and reaching out to people around us. These are all useful events to help us continue to encourage our students to not just settle for being Christians now, but to continue growing into faithful adults as they prepare to enter into the next phase of life.