Washington Avenue Youth
KIDS AND PARENTS TOGETHER . . .
They are sometimes noisy, often bashful and always energetic. But most of all, they are wonderful and you see them everywhere. They are our kids grades 2nd - 5th. They are extraordinary and they are important! And they are not forgotten. In fact, we have a special place for them in the scheme of things at Washington Avenue...and we call that group KPT.
Focusing on the age appropriate needs of these children, we give careful attention to their development in learning, service and social functions. To that end, activities abound to support their particular needs. Two notable areas are:
KidSing
This activity is a learning program for children through the fifth grade. Each Sunday, 15 minutes before evening worship begins, the children in this age group gather for a period of fun, singing and instruction. The learning is evenly paced so that mentoring can occur between the younger and older children. A sheet of about 30 facts is used to structure the process. When the children have conquered each component, they seek out an elder in the congregation to demonstrate their new skills. Upon completion and certification of each accomplishment, the child is recognized and an award is given commemorating their success. Although the learning content will vary, core content places focus on Biblical facts, knowing the books of the Bible, becoming familiar with how to become a Christian (and the associated scriptures) and learning Bible songs.
KPT Activities
This structured activity also targets our children grades two through five. The focus of this activity is to bring our children and their families together in a setting that will emphasize devotion, fellowship, service and fun. Generally, there are 10 devotional sessions and 10 activity functions yearly. Examples of recent activities include boys making short talks and girls singing classes. Service activities have included "Herb's Helpers" (participating in an ALS fundraising walkathon) and providing gifts to children at the Kentucky Potters Home. This group has supported our annual Vacation Bible School through neighborhood "door knocking" campaigns. The children have made gift baskets for widows and widowers, college students and military personnel. And, as you would expect, kids in this group participate in congregational fellowship activities ranging through hay rides, movie outings and zoo trips.
Well, by now, you get the idea. Action and energy are two words that describe our Kids and Parents Together group.
There is a unique time within young people’s lives when they make that change from pre-teens to active teenagers. In assisting them in making this change our youth program has developed special activities and events that are designed just for the Middle School Age Group (Ages 11-13). The Middle Schoolers have their own service projects, devotionals, plus several fun activities scheduled throughout the year. These events offer times for fellowship plus the opportunity for them to learn to become leaders in service to each other and their God. It is our purpose to help these precious young people stay involved within the church while making that sometimes difficult life maturing adjustment.
TEENS . . .
Here we are, just a bunch of teens who love to do the work of the Lord! We do not do it out of habit, to be seen by others, or in hope of some reward. The only reward we hope to gain is that of seeing the Word of God take root, grow, and prosper. Explore more of our links to see some of our activities and to find out how to get involved with us.
We in the Washington Avenue Youth Group are devoted to Christ. Not only do we recognize this in our mind but we demonstrate and show it through our actions in everyday life. This does not stop when we walk out the doors on Sunday, but continues throughout all the activities that we do. This includes our Teen Devotionals that we hold every other Tuesday, the girls' G.E.M.S group, our Summer Youth Campaigns, our Local Evangelistic activities, and our annual Sonshine Youth Rally. In our youth group we get to serve God and fellowship with our friends and brethren at the same time.What Do We Do In Our Teen Group?
Teen Devotionals
We hold our teen devotionals every other Tuesday at either our church building or at the home of a youth group member. At our teen devotional we have a short lesson usually taught by Alan Bush, our youth minister, or by one of the guys in the youth group. We also sing and discuss issues that are affecting us, our lives, the community, and the world. It is important to us to prepare ourselves to become better evangelists and examples. For information on being a part of our youth group please visit the "How Can I Get Involved" section of our site.
G.E.M.S - Girls Enlisting for the Master's Service
Apart from the bi-weekly WACC teen devotionals the young ladies in our youth group decided they would like to hold separate devos where they could get more experience at becoming leaders amongst themselves. So....they started G.E.M.S. They have their own young ladies devotionals, and they plan and complete one service project a month for either a church member or in the community. This is just one great way the young ladies in our youth group show their dedication to God through their actions!
Local Teen Activities
We not only offer a variety of mission and campaign related activities, but we also encourage local evangelism. Sonshine Youth Rally is held locally every year and we invite you to attend! We also do door knocking, nursing home visits, assist with Vacation Bible School, and many more locally based and focused evangelistic activities.
Service is important to us and we show our love of Christ in a number of ways. In December we purchase holiday gifts for a local family. One way we give back to our Bible Class teachers is by being servers at the annual Teachers Banquet.
The weather in southern Indiana has provided us with opportunities to shovel snow for the elderly members of our congregation. Following two disasters in our area, a tornado and an ice storm, our group was able to help unload a semi-truck of disaster relief items.
As you can see, we are going about doing the Lord's work.
There are many different ways to get involved in our group. From teen devotionals, summer campaigns, youth rallies, to Bible studies and worship services. If you would like to find out more about how to get involved with our youth group the best place to start is by attending one of our teen devotionals that are held every other week. For more information call 812-479-9000 and ask for our Youth Minister, Alan Bush and he will give you more details.How Can I Get Involved In A Youth Group?