Youth Director Archive

Youth and Family Ministry

Posted October 2, 2022 By admin

Youth and Family Ministry
Dear Church Family,
As we look forward to the rest of 2022. We look forward to what our heavenly Father has planned for our continual growth in Him. With the summer over, we will have exciting new plans for the rest of the year. The Children’s Sunday school class will start a new Bible curriculum focused on seeing Jesus Christ through the entire Bible. The youth Sunday school class will dive into their relationship with our Savior, asking the question, “Why does Jesus Christ matter to me?” Anyone who would like to participate in this ministry would be more than welcome!

Regarding the youth and family program:
We are starting a new discipleship ministry with parents as they seek to be equipped for God’s calling through scripture. And will be starting to have fun Christian events for the youth and their families to fellowship with one another, creating a safe environment for an authentic kingdom community for the glory of God.

We would love for families and the whole congregation to get involved in this ministry; please feel free to reach out to get plugged in! Thank you, and please continue to pray for the Family ministry here at St. Jacobs; if you have any questions or would like to get involved, please reach out!

Blessings,
Matt Burt
Youth and Family Director

Youth Lock-In

Posted August 26, 2022 By admin

On Friday, September 2nd St. Jacob’s youth from grades 5 – 12 are invited to participate in a lock in here at the church. Pastor David and Matt will be leading the evening’s activities. We will have plenty of snacks and games. As a ministry project, we will have materials on hand for each youth member to assemble a mercy box to be delivered to We Care of Chapin. Parents may begin dropping off their children in the fellowship hall at 7 PM on Friday, September 2nd. Pick up will be at 8 AM on Saturday, September 3rd. St. Jacob’s participants are encouraged to invite a friend to participate as well. Please contact Matt to let him know if your child will be attending.

End of Summer Lock-In

Posted August 10, 2022 By admin

Pastor David and Matt are planning a lock-in for our youth in grades 5-12. We will enjoy plenty of games and activities as well as evening and midnight worship by candlelight. Please contact Pastor David or Matt to let them know that your child(ren) will be attending. A list of items children should bring with them will be published at least one week before the lock-in takes place. One activity during our lock-in will be to engage the mission of the Church by assembling Flood Buckets for the NALC Disaster Response Warehouse. Anyone who would like to donate items for the Flood Buckets may do so. A list will be published in the Mid-August Grace Notes and also included in the worship bulletins prior to the lock-in.

St. Jacobs Congregation,
Grace to you and peace from our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise Him for all the blessing He has been in our Youth and Family Ministry over the past weeks. At the end of June, we had a wonderful VBS with our youth and the friends they invited! Over the week, we learned how much our Father loves us through His creation of each of us, the gracious work of the Son, and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. I can’t express how grateful I am to all the volunteers who cared for the kids’ physical and spiritual needs! Truly a testament to the Holy Spirit’s inward workings in the congregation’s lives.
We also had our first bi-monthly evangelism social gathering where the families of St. Jacob’s gathered to enjoy each other’s fellowship, eat ice cream, and support Pastor David’s Congo Ministry through the making of cross bracelets and necklaces with specific Bible verses written on them for the encouragement and lifting of our brothers and sisters in the Congo.
As our weekly family gatherings continue, I praise God for the growth He caused and the plan He has for it! Thank you for supporting this ministry through your words of encouragement and continual prayers.
Please continue to pray for the family ministry at St. Jacob’s. Blessings,
Matthew
matt@st-jacobs.org

Director of Youth And Family Ministries

Posted July 12, 2022 By admin

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 (ESV)
We praise God for how He has worked in our hearts for the past weeks during our Family & Youth gatherings. These past weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to dive into the different passages that make up our vision.
For families at St. Jacob’s to dive headfirst into the surpassing knowledge of the love of Christ for sinners and sufferers. And to become lights to their families and the world around them. (Matthew 11:28-30, Ephesians 3:17-19, John 6:35-40, Matthew 5:13-16)
It has been an excellent opportunity to spend Tuesday nights with the families at St. Jacob’s as we wrestled with the different promises and commands that our Heavenly Father has given us. And to see more clearly whom He says He is and how He views us. I pray that as this ministry continues, many more families will join us as we continue down this path of knowing Him and making Him known.
Starting on the 5th of July, we will be diving into a new series on “Heroes in the Bible,” not necessarily heroes for what they have done, but for how they embraced God’s plan for their lives and how God uses them for His glory. I hope to see you there as we learn more about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through different unique people that He lifted through scripture and what their lives can teach us.
Church family, would you continue to pray for the inward workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we seek to dive headfirst into the surpassing love of Christ for sinners and sufferers?
Matthew
matt@st-jacobs.org

Tuesday Evening Family Ministry

Posted May 25, 2022 By admin

Matt, our Director for Youth and Family Ministry, has begun a new Family ministry here at St. Jacobs. Families share a time together exploring the depths of the Christian faith and growing in their relationship with Christ as his disciples. We gather on Tuesday evenings at 7 PM in the Fellowship Hall, enjoying games, music, snacks and learning more about how we can grow together as children of God. Please plan to join us. You can reach out to Matt via email at matt@st-jacobs.org or speak with him on Sunday morning.

Vacation Bible School

Posted May 25, 2022 By admin

Sparks Studios 2022

VBS is back! Kids for Pre-K to 8th grade and their friends are invited to join us for a week of fun games, music, snacks, lessons, crafts, and much more. This year we will be diving into the awesomeness of God the Father, our Creator and Designer. The overwhelming joys of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit as He helps us throughout our lives.

VBS will begin with a light supper served at 5:45 PM and will conclude each evening about 8 PM. Be sure to invite your friends and neighbors as we offer praise and thanks to God for all he continues to do in the lives of his people. Mark it on your calendars starting on Monday, June 20th to Thursday, June 23rd at 5:45 PM.

We are currently seeking volunteers for a variety of roles, including:

Games coordinator

Lesson teacher

Meal provider

Craft makers

Volunteers for each age group Pre-K, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-8th,

If you are interested in helping us or have any questions, please reach out to: Matt, Sherrie McTeer or the Church office,

In Christ,

Matt Burt

Director Of Youth and Family Ministries

Posted May 1, 2022 By admin

Dear St. Jacob’s Families,
I want to share the Holy Spirit’s burden on my heart. Let us look to the calling our heavenly Father has given us through Christ Jesus. To make disciples of all nations, teaching them all He has taught us. (Mt 28:18-20).
That vision I have for families at St. Jacob’s is to dive headfirst into the surpassing knowledge of the love of Christ for sinners and sufferers. And to become lights to their families and the world around them. (Mt. 11:28-30, Eph 3:17-19, Jn 6:37, Mt 5:14-16)
My goals are for the families, with the power of the Holy Spirit:
• To learn from the Son that they may see and glorify the Father. (Mt 11:28-30)
• To endlessly search for the riches of their identity in Christ. (Eph 3:17-19)
• To rest entirely in the never-ending promise to never be cast out. (Jn 6:37)
• To go into the world and be a light that draws others to Christ. (Mt 5:14-16)
With that as the foundation, I would like to invite families, both parents and their children, to join us for a weekly meeting where we might allow Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith, being grounded in love—comprehending with all the saints of God what are the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that the Holy Spirit would fill us with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17-19)
Would you join us for a night of worshiping our Father through songs, teaching, fellowship, games, and more?
Brothers and Sisters, how wonderful would it be if we as a church might come to desire and delight in the calling of Christ Jesus. Our Friend, our Elder Brother, our Lord and Master, our Savior and Redeemer.
We will be meeting every Tuesday night from 7 PM—8:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall, starting on May 10th . If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to me and I can get you plugged in!
In Christ,
Matt Burt
Youth and Family Director
matt@st-jacobs.org

Welcome Matt and Kailey

Posted April 29, 2022 By admin

St. Jacob’s welcomed our new Director of Youth and Family Ministries, Matt Burt and his wife, Kailey, on Sunday, April 3rd with a reception following the service. We are so blessed to have Matt and we look forward to what God has in store for our youth and family ministries as Matt begins his ministry with St. Jacob’s.

Welcome Matt And Kaily Burt

Posted March 31, 2022 By admin

St. Jacob’s will welcome our new Director of Youth and Family Ministries, Matt Burt, on Sunday, April 3rd during our Sunday service of worship. Matt is a graduate of Columbia International University with a degree in Youth and Family Ministry and Culture. Kaily is a teacher who has specialized in teaching English as a second language. Matt and Kaily have previously served as missionaries to China. We look forward to welcoming these two newest members of our family of faith here at St. Jacob’s. Be sure to attend worship on April 3rd and warmly welcome Matt and Kaily. Immediately following the worship service we will have a reception in the Fellowship Hall.