Reid Memorial is dedicated to challenging our youth to grow in faith and community with one another, learning with humility from Christ’s commandment to love God and love your neighbor. The Youth Ministry, Reid Youth, is dedicated to the Christian education, inclusion, leadership, mentorship, and fellowship of its youth.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH
Reid Youth are invited to participate monthly in PYC, which is the traditional model of youth gatherings: games, music, a discussion topic, and small groups. Sometimes these are themed.
Reid Youth is dedicated to serving with local partner like Turn Back the Block and GAP Ministries; regionally with Thornwell Children’s Home; and internationally with Porch de Solomon in Guatemala.
Reid Youth has regularly scheduled “framily” (friends & family) fun nights for youth to bring the people they love to the place and community they love. These gatherings have included Chopped Cooking Challenges, Game Nights, Painting Class, Kayaking trips down the Savannah to name just a few.
Youth Sunday School begins at 9:35am in the Alan Fuqua Center (youth building), however, the building opens at 9:15am for a time of games, fellowship, and conversation. Sunday School classes are led by a dedicated team of teachers who facilitate and teach based on the scripture of the day.
Confirmation meets on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:30am in the Alan Fuqua Center (Youth Building). All students 6th grade through 8th grade (and older youth who have not yet been confirmed) are invited into a year-long process of exploring their faith and beliefs that culminates in claiming and proclaiming their baptismal vows.
Each year Reid Youth are invited to join in one or both semester-long book discussion groups. These discussions focus around a biblically-based theme explored in a secular book and evolve into discussion on how we as people of faith can better interact in and with our world. Previous discussions have included topics like (in)justice, profound friendship, loyalty, fear, rivalry, and love.
Annually our youth are invited to participate in a variety of trips that give them opportunities for fellowship, fun, community, and mission. Youth Winter retreats are intentionally designed to be a place for relationship growth with our own community and the world around us, and to be able to find God in and above the noise in the culture that surrounds us. As winter trips are limited in participation, they are planned to be an overflowing of the community that is being developed throughout the year, not the only time that youth engage with each other. These include:
- Fall Presbytery Youth Retreat: for Middle and High School Youth in September that includes White Water Rafting.
- Winter Retreat: President’s Day Weekend Retreat that includes 3 days at Universal Studios. Our challenge and goal for our youth is to find God in the mainstream, in the noise and above the noise, and in the culture that surrounds them. In light of this we will be looking the gospel according to Harry Potter, one of the worlds that exist within the realm of Universal Studios.
- High School Montreat: June 4 -10, 2023. It is for rising 9th grade through graduated 12th grade students. Montreat offers an incredible unique opportunity for our High School Youth to grapple with Gospel Truths and realities of the world we live in, in spiritually transforming and refreshing ways. Each morning begins with ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM: energizers, biblical interpretations, uplifting music and singing, videos, announcements and keynotes get our youth moving and thinking. Through engaging in new spiritual practices, unpacking of keynotes and having hard conversations with openness and care, small groups compose a large component of the day. The other large component of the day is Recreation, which is looked at through the lens of both Re-Creation (mission, art, reimagining of the world around in light of the gospel) and Recreation (play). Finally, each day closes more contemplative with worship, music, interpretations of scripture and preaching.
- Local Mission Trip: June 18th – 24th 2023. Urban Ministry with Cross missions in Charlotte, NC. This trip is open to rising 7- completed 12th grades. We will be staying in the youth space at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.