Wednesday Youth Nights
High School Youth will function in a hybrid model that allows for small group independence and large group collaboration. High School students and leaders will meet on Wednesday evenings at the church, utilizing the second floor of the building. The first 15-30 minutes of the evening will be given to the value of meaningful relationships as we create space for students and leaders to connect and visit. This also allows for new students to have a place to meet other students and leaders before we move into teaching and small groups.
The rest of the evening will include times of large group connecting through activities, worship and teaching. The time is intended to build community and experience Jesus together. The remainder of the evening will be used for youth to meet in small groups. On-site small group setting allows for consistency, which is crucial for developing deep, meaningful relationships where students feel comfortable and safe having vulnerable discussions. It also helps facilitate the integration of new students in a neutral setting.
City Groups
In the event that a small group is ready and desires more independence, we will release them to become a “city group”. Our high school city groups meet once a week in homes. We view homes as a good environment for high school youth to build life changing relationships and engage in the meaningful conversations about Jesus, faith, and culture that they are seeking. These communities provide opportunity for youth to experience Jesus, grow spiritually and live on mission. Each group sets up their own rhythm in terms of what night and time they choose to meet. The goal of a city group is for the students to be peer-leading one another, and regularly engaging with the community of Cochrane through service. In a way, they will be like a home-church, committed to meeting regularly and living on mission.
Events
Youth events for the year will include a once-a-month Friday evening worship night, retreats (details TBD), and community youth events in connection with other churches. We are also going to be including in our event calendar the activities that the students themselves are engaging in outside of church, such as school performances and sporting events as these are great opportunities for small group to “do life” together.
Retreats
These are great opportunities for youth and leaders to build community. Retreats provide opportunities and an atmosphere for community building that cannot be recreated in other contexts. This is a great chance for youth to grow in relationship with each other and with God and have fun doing it! We will hold 2 retreats a year, one in October and one in March.
