It’s not easy being a teenager or raising a teenager. Our Student Ministry is designed to come alongside parents to teach students in grades 6-12 about God’s Word and how to apply it to their lives as they navigate through this crucial time of their development. Reach out to John Mlagan, our Director of Students, if you have any questions.
ABLAZE STUDENT MINISTRY
6th-12th graders. We meet on Sunday nights from 6:00 – 7:30 pm in the ABLAZE Room – enter through door 6 on the east side of our property. It includes strong Bible teaching, small groups, delicious snacks, fun games, and a good time hanging out with friends. We have various other events throughout the year to give our students plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Our student Sunday School classes meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 - 10:00 am. Junior High meets in the Shenandoah Room (202), and High School meets in the Glacier Room (201). These classes are designed to walk students through the Bible and show them how all Scripture points to Jesus. All of our Sunday School classes, 2 years old to adults, teach a unified curriculum so every member of the family is learning about the same topic, in an age-appropriate way.
Waffle Wednesday has been a favorite for our Ablaze students. During the summer on Wednesday nights, students have the opportunity to get together, have fun, eat waffles, and dive deep into Scripture through teaching from John and other teachers and from discussion time with each other. Waffle Wednesday is for 6th-12th graders and will begin meeting in The Barn on June 7th, 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Each year we take a group of students to summer and winter camp at Twin Lakes Camp. During these times we encourage our students to get away, and focus on God and what He is teaching them, and then to come back home and put into practice what they have learned.
This year, our Ablaze students are encouraged to go Twin Lakes Summer Camp the week of June 18-23. John Mlagan will be taking one day that week to visit students!
Click here to see a recap video from our trip to TLC Winter Camp! We hope you can join us next year!
Principles of youth ministry
1. Reach Students with Jesus
One of Parkside’s core values is growing through relationships, and the youth ministry is no different. We want our students to have fun, but we are also concerned about their spiritual state, so our objective is to attract students and keep them coming back to hear the gospel. We want to avoid the two ditches: only having fun and losing focus on Christ, and only focus on the Bible and have the non-Christians and students that are on the fence stop coming. Growing through relationships is a huge part of seeing young people mature as believers.
2. Send Students to Reach More Students
Parkside is a church on mission in her community, and the youth ministry has the same focus. We want to see young people come to know Christ as their Savior, and the leaders have limited reach, so we need our students to live their lives on mission to help spread the gospel. This could be by telling their friends about Christ, but it is also by being intentional about inviting their friends to youth group and events.
3. Preach the Gospel
Parkside delights in the Gospel, and the youth ministry is no different. We desire to see students come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. After that, we want them to continue to grow and mature as faithful followers of Jesus, learning about the major story line of the Bible, theology, and how to live as a faithful disciple of Christ.
Ablaze Student Ministry
It’s not easy being a teenager or raising a teenager. Our Student Ministry is designed to come alongside parents to teach students in grades 6-12 about God’s Word and how to apply it to their lives as they navigate through this crucial time of their development. Reach out to John Mlagan, our Director of Students, if you have any questions.
What to Expect
Ablaze youth group is for 6th-12th graders. We meet on Sunday nights from 6:00 – 7:30 pm in the ABLAZE Room – enter through door 6 on the east side of our property. It includes strong Bible teaching, small groups, delicious snacks, fun games, and a good time hanging out with friends. We have various other events throughout the year to give our students plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Click here for the current schedule!
Sunday school
Our student Sunday School classes meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 - 10:00 am. Junior High meets in the Shenandoah Room (202), and High School meets in the Glacier Room (201). These classes are designed to walk students through the Bible and show them how all Scripture points to Jesus. All of our Sunday School classes, 2 years old to adults, teach a unified curriculum so every member of the family is learning about the same topic, in an age-appropriate way.
Called Out Conference
Called Out is a conference for teens that aims to confront students with the truth of the Gospel and compel them to live radical lives for Christ. Called Out aims to glorify God by boldly confronting students with the most glorious truth in the world: that Jesus heroically rescued them from eternal suffering and has called them to live radical lives that bring His truth to the world. For more information click here.
Twin Lakes Camp
Each year we take a group of students to summer and winter camp at Twin Lakes Camp. During these times we encourage our students to get away, and focus on God and what He is teaching them, and then to come back home and put into practice what they have learned.
This year, our Ablaze students are encouraged to go Twin Lakes Summer Camp the week of June 18-23. John Mlagan will be taking one day that week to visit students!
Below is a recap video from our trip to TLC Winter Camp! We hope you can join us next year!
Student Safety
Parkside Bible Church has established policies and procedures to assure a safe and secure environment for each of the students to whom we minister. Maintaining this high level of safety and security requires the cooperation of parents, staff, and volunteers. All of our youth workers have undergone criminal background checks and regularly receive training about our child and youth protection policy. Feel free to contact John Mlagan with any questions you may have about this area of utmost importance.