Genesis is our youth group for middle school age students
in grades six through eight at First Presbyterian Church
of Wheaton. In addition to the education hour
on Sundays, the youth participate in the midweek LOGOS
program on Wednesday evenings (October thru March),
mission opportunities, Fall and Winter Retreats, and
BLAST (Build Lasting and Strong Ties) outings. For
more information contact Mary Kinsey at 630-668-5147
ext. 20 or by
Sunday School: During the education
hour (9:55 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.) each of our middle school
classes meets separately. We use "We Believe,"
our denominational curriculum created specifically
for Presbyterians by Presbyterians, Sixth grade studies
the Old Testament. Seventh grade studies the New Testament,
and eighth grade studies "I know my Bible," an
overview of both Testaments. We have several
all-middle-school
breakfasts throughout the year, along
with a field trip or two and mission opportunities.
For more information contact Mary Kinsey.
LOGOS: This is our mid-week
ministry for young people in Kindergarten through 8th
grade.
Meetings are on Wednesday evenings from 4:45 p.m. -
7:30 p.m. from October through March each year. The
goal of the ministry is to nurture a relationship with
Jesus Christ and form Christian relationships with
peers and adult leaders. This is accomplished
through a four-part program that includes: Bible
study, worship planning, mission projects, recreation,
and a family-style dinner. The program requires
a commitment from each participating family to support
the ministry both financially and with their time and
talents. For more information contact Mary Kinsey.
Retreats: The Fall Retreat focuses primarily
on getting acquainted with the incoming 6th graders
and renewing friendships with the 7th and 8th graders.
Games, Bible study, worship, and team-building activities
are just some of the things in which the middle schoolers
participate during the retreats.
The Winter Retreat has a biblically based theme,
a professional speaker, a praise band, and outdoor
winter activities. For more information contact
Mary Kinsey. Forty of our middle schoolers attended
the Genesis
Winter Xtreme retreat on February 8-10, 2008, at Timber-lee. Our favorite band, Daniel's Window,
led us in worship; and Bill Allison was our amazing
speaker. We enjoyed perfect weather all returned
a little changed for the better.
Retreats are often held at Timber-lee Christian
Retreat Center in East Troy, Wisconsin. Check
out their website for more information - http://www.timber-lee.com.
BLAST: “Build Lasting
And Strong Ties” -
Our BLAST program coordinates events on a year-round
basis that encourage fellowship and outreach to all
First Pres. middle school youth and their friends
in an effort to further draw our youth into the full
life of our church. The events are designed to
supplement the Sunday and Wednesday programming
of Genesis and are planned on different days/nights
of the week to accommodate the diverse schedules of
middle school students. A variety of activities are
offered to address the varied interests and skills
of our youth. Past events have included excursions
to: Vertical
Endeavors, Sonny
Acres, Wheaton
Sports Center, Chasers
Laser Tag, and our own First Pres for
March
Madness Night. For more information contact
Sarah Huesing at 630-462-9209 or by email at shuesing@comcast.net.
Mission:
The importance of middle school youth learning about
needs in our Wheaton and world communities goes with
out saying. It is the intention of the mission committee
to provide opportunities for hands-on mission projects
both at LOGOS and Sunday school, as well as summer
projects and special events to gain a better understanding
of the world around us. For more information contact
Catherine Rowland at 630-682-4443 or by email at catrowland@sbcglobal.net. For
example, Several Genesis volunteers went to the Milton
Township Food Pantry on one of their mission
outings and helped sort and stack cans of food. Genesis
helped clean up the church grounds and enhance
the preschool area in another mission project on August
14, 2007. On November
30, 2007, our middle schoolers participated in Hoops
of Hope, the world’s largest shoot-a-thon,
with 71 students together shooting 5,726 free throws
and raising over $3,200 to help build a medical lab
in Zambia, a country hit hard by HIV/AIDS.
Announcements about youth
activities also appear in our weekly bulletins, monthly
newsletters, and on the upcoming
events for youth page of the First Presbyterian Wheaton website.
Photos provide a great way to learn more about our
Genesis activities. Over 200 photos of our 2005-2006
Genesis activities are available in a slide
show format in Macromedia Flash.
