Ministry Update

By Jack Broomell
As we get into 2021, nothing excites me more than getting youth group back to normalcy. We still have done youth in different ways online, yet I am still excited to see a spring and summer that is closer to what we are used to. Since the shutdown we have gone back and forth with online and in-person events. We were consistently meeting but in the fall but due to myself and other youth getting Covid-19 that brought youth to a halt as winter weather started to set in as well. 
So what does the spring look like for us? I am hoping it looks as close to our normal schedule as possible! Sadly retreats will not be happening as they are usually over by the time we get into March, and Delanco is not hosting their spring retreat this year. But here is what we can look forward to in the next few weeks!

• In person youth! Yes! We have missed it, Zoom is a nice way to fill the gap but nothing compares to seeing everyone each week at church. So with weather breaking and vaccines being more available and given out, we are looking to pick up in-person youth group starting the week of March 21st. We will split up Jr and Sr High as before with Sr High Sunday nights and Jr High Wednesday nights. This was well received before so hoping to try it out again!
• Another event we have started in the past few years was having a guys night and a girls night in the spring. So we will be looking to host those in April! The guys are hoping to finally get their paintball day in and I will leave the girls night planning to our female leaders, as I don’t feel qualified to plan that!
• In regards to our All-Nighter where we visit Funplex, I am hoping to still host an event in May but it will likely look different as Funplex is not fully open right now. This might morph into a worship night, similar to our youth week nights, with games, worship and a message for our kids.
• A Confirmation class is in the works! It is something that we are looking to start doing every other year for 7th and 8th graders but this year we are opening to anyone 6th and up who has not had it yet. The details are still being finalized but if you are interested please reach out to let me know. We are still debating doing zoom or in-person so if your child is interested and you have a preference please let us know. We are looking to do 2-3 classes with Pastor Mike.
• On top of that our summer will have Youth Week and Delanco Summer camp just as we have in the past! Exact details of both will be clearer as we approach in the summer.
• Lastly we are looking to finish up a few more things in the Youth Building before contractors come in, so if you are interested in helping let us know! Would be small groups inside helping clean up certain areas.

It is exciting to see dates and events back at the front of our minds again. When I got into youth ministry, it was never just a job but it is a lifestyle that I chose. So missing out on youth events and meetings is something I miss deeply and I have great joy as we start back up. I look forward to getting back to in person events in 2021! Final and exact details will be sent to parents in our youth email chain soon with details of what each event looks like and how in-person youth will operate!