Under the leadership provided by our Youth Ministry Council and Associate Pastor, Scott Benner, Zion has active youth groups for both junior high and senior high age youth. In addition to Bible study nights, youth have the opportunity to participate in a variety of recreational activities and mission projects. For more information about Zion’s youth programs and activities, please call Pastor Scott Benner.

Junior High Fellowship

Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 are encouraged to participate in a variety of activities throughout the year. Our ministry to our junior high students is focused on giving them the spiritual guidance and support they need during these difficult years. The Junior High will meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for Bible Study and fellowship in the Youth Department. They will be studying Group Publishing’s book, The 13 Most Important Bible Lessons for Teenagers. These studies focus on the basics of Christianity and will help students gain a better understanding of God and His love.

Senior High Fellowship

Students in grades 9 through 12 you are welcome to visit our times of fellowship and Bible study on Tuesday evening from 7-9 p.m. This is an excellent time for receiving spiritual development, while building relationships with fellow students. We work on developing these relationships through Bible study and fellowship activities. Our times of study focus on many different areas and are delivered in several different medians. Over the past several years we have worked through several different contemporary books, as well as doing Bible studies through Romans and Revelation. This time of fellowship offers a wonderful network of support for our senior high students, and will challenge them in their spiritual walk. We will also have some special guest and go on some trips to destinations unknown.

Schedules

SENIOR High Activities 2010-2011

September 10-12 Annual YPU Shore Trip Senior High students will pack thier bags for a weekend retreat in Sea Isle City, NJ. Juan Marrero, Associate Pastor at Second Mennonite Church in Philadelphia and also Executive Director at Crossroads. He is always a favorite of the teens at camp.

YPU Shore Trip Flyer  

September 19      Parent’s Meeting. We will have a brief meeting with the parents of our youth following Sunday school. We will talk about the calendar, expectations and encouraging student involvement.

September 22       See You At The Pole. This is an annual event, where students gather at their schools' flagpoles to pray for their schools, teachers, students and administration. Check at your schools for gathering times and locations.

September 25      Philabundance. Philabudance is the region's largest hunger relief organization. They acquire food and distribute it through organizations serving people in need.  Our group will help by sorting food in their warehouse, so you might want to bring along a sweatshirt and closed toed shoes (they are required). We're scheduled to work from 12:30-3:30, so we will need to meet at church at 11:15 a.m., so that we can get there on time and ready to work.

September 28      Stories and Faith. We will be inviting the folks that were once a part of the Couples Class at Zion to come and share with us. We will ask them to share their stories of how God called them to do some pretty amazing things. Parents are welcome to join us for this fellowship that should be really interesting. 

October 9             Zion Fall Festival and Open House. Students will be asked to participate in this event. This is an outreach to the community and a chance to share the facility with those who come and join us for the day.  Students should plan on helping in a variety of capacities. Students will also be asked to update bulletin boards for this event.
 
October 12            Material Resource Center – Senior High students will go to the Material Resource Center in Harleysville to pack school kits. This will replace our regular meeting night, please be here around 6:45 p.m.

November 2          NO YOUTH GROUP – Parent’s Event @ Salford Mennonite – Area Mennonite youth pastors have again combined their resources to bring in a guest speaker. This years’ special speaker is Nate Stucky. Nate will be using Kenda Creasy Dean’s book, Almost Christian as a platform to challenge parents to raise their kids to become more than nice people, but faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

November 13        Keystone Opportunity Center – Sleep Out for Homelessness. This event is going to be held at Zion Mennonite Church. Although we are hosting this event, this is an event sponsored by Keystone Opportunity Center and so many others will be joining us. The evening starts with a rally on the streets of Main and Broad, and will be followed by various events and speakers.

November 20        Leadership Training Event. The annual retreat has been converted to a day event at Germantown Mennonite Church. It will incorporate special speakers, worship services, break-out sessions and service opportunities. We are excited about this one day event and look forward to getting more students involved.  

November 23        Care and Share Service – Senior High students will go to the Care and Share in Souderton to sort and price clothing. This activity will replace our regular Tuesday evening fellowship time. Try to arrive at 6:45 p.m. and plan on being done at 8:30 p.m.

December 2          Barlow Girl Christmas Concert. Barlow Girl will be coming to Zion to play an acoustic set of Christmas songs and also some of their bigger hits. We will need students to help out with the concert as well as other details connected to it. There will be a Meet and Greet time with the band for the youth group members.
 
December 17        Christmas Dinner. The Senior High will enjoy an evening of fun and fellowship as a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus. This could be a meal we make together or a formal dinner. Look for more information closer to the date.

January 11           SOUPS ON!  We will be making the soup that will be served at the Table of Plenty on Martin Luther King, Jr. day. We will have a shortened time of Bible study so that we will have plenty of time for preparing the soup.

January 17           Table of Plenty.  This is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a holiday from school, so plan on being at the Table of Plenty to serve soup. Students should arrive no later than 10:30 a.m. to help set up tables, chairs and place settings. This has been an annual event that has truly been a blessing to all those that have attended.
                             
January 23           YOUTH SUNDAY. Zion's youth will put together a service. This is our day to serve and lead the congregation in worship. Students will serve as ushers, greeters, and worship leaders. If you have aspirations of being a preacher, this is the Sunday to test the waters.

February 4            Game Night. Sometimes in the middle of winter you need something to do – we have just the thing for you – an evening of playing Settlers of Catan, Wii and pool. Bring a friend and join with the rest of the group to enjoy a night of fun!

February 18-20    Winter Retreat at the Loft. Hey gang, last year we had a great year at the Loft, so grab your winter gear and a friend for another amazing weekend in the mountain! We will enjoy snowball fights, football, sledding, singing and polish ping-pong. Nate Stucky will be our speaker and song leader!

March 6                Annual YPU Volleyball Tournament.  Maybe this will be Zion’s year to be volleyball champions or maybe NOT! Either way, I am sure we will all have fun playing volleyball and visiting with friends from other Mennonite congregations.

April 3                   Congregational Auction. We will plan on serving a meal followed by the auction. Students will be asked to submit items to be sold at auction. Students are expected to help with all aspects of this activity from set-up to clean-up. Senior High students will also need to donate items to auctioned off to help raise funds for the Youth Service Fund.

April 17                 Photo-scavenger Hunt. This is definitely going to be a fun one. We might even join up with another youth group for this exciting event. This is one activity you won’t want to miss! Grab a few friends and plan on getting some seriously funny photos.

May 1                    Couch Derby.  The Couch derby allows youth to develop a wheeled couch that holds several team members that are pushed by other students.  They navigate a course and their couch design is judged for the decoration connected to the designated theme. Franconia is the host of this year’s Couch Derby! (Raindate – May 15)

July 4-9                 Mennonite Youth Convention in Pittsburg. If you have never been a part of a Mennonite youth convention, make sure that you mark this on your calendar, so you don’t miss out on this opportunity.  This is a great event that helps to train students, gives them an opportunity to serve others, and offers some of the best worship you will ever experience. This year’s theme is Bridges to the Cross.
                             
The Senior High will continue to meet every Tuesday night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for bible study and fellowship. These fellowship nights might get interrupted from time to time with service events and other special activities.

Although this is a pretty good list of activities, it is by no means the final version. You can plan on having several unscheduled activities throughout the year! Scott will try to keep you informed of any changes or updates to this schedule by sending out individual flyers for activities.  

Junior High Activities 2010 - 2011

September 7 TWG, Kick-off to Youth Group and Farewell to Martin. The Junior High will gather for worship at TWG with Nate Stucky and then spend the rest of the night celebrating Martin Wiens sabbatical and wishing him safe travels as he prepares to head to Africa.

September 17     Arnold's Family Fun Center. Students will enjoy a night go-carting, laser tag, and arcade games. The cost will be about $30.00 per person. We will meet at church and drive together to Arnold's for this fun-filled event. Students are welcome to bring their friends for this event.

September 19     Parent’s Meeting. We will have a brief meeting with the parents of our youth following Sunday school. We will talk about the calendar, expectations and encouraging student involvement.

September 22    See You At The Pole. This is an annual event, where students gather at their schools' flagpoles to pray for their schools, teachers, students and administration. Check at your schools for gathering times and locations.

October 9       Zion Fall Festival and Open House. Students will be asked to participate in this event. This is an outreach to the community and a chance to share the facility with those who come and join us for the day.  Students should plan on helping in a variety of capacities. Students should plan on helping in a variety of capacities.
 
October 29      Barn Party at the Hoover's. The Junior High youth will be going to Lori Groff's parents for a barn party. Details for this event will be given in a flyer closer tothe date of the event, but please plan to dress warm, while still being ready for fun and games!     

November 2     NO YOUTH GROUP – Parent’s Event @ Salford Mennonite – Area Mennonite youth pastors have again combined their resources to bring in a guest speaker. This years’ special speaker is Nate Stucky. Nate will be using Kenda Creasy Dean’s book, Almost Christian as a platform to challenge parents to raise their kids to become more than nice people, but faithful followers of Jesus Christ.

November 7     Disc Golf at Morwood Park . Students will pack their lunches and bring them to Branchcreek Park off of Camp Road in Morwood. Scott will provide the discs. This is a GUYS ONLY event.

November 7     Color Me Mine. –The Junior High Girls will be meeting at church at 1 pm and then will head down to Montgomeryville to paint a piece of pottery (good chance to do something for Christmas). There is a $9.00 sitting fee, which includes the materials (paint, glaze, firing), plus the cost of the pottery piece (chich ranges from $10- $50). Plan on pick up at 3:30 pm at church.

December 2      Barlow Girl Christmas Concert. Barlow Girl will be coming to Zion to play an acoustic set of Christmas songs and also some of their bigger hits. We will need students to help out with the concert as well as other details connected to it. There will be a Meet and Greet time with the band for the youth group members.
 
December 11    Christmas Dinner and Party. The Junior High will be traveling to the Gunden's home for their Christmas party. Students will share a meal together, play some games and have a gift exchange (students will need to bring a $5.00 gift with them- please no gift cards -get creative). After the gift exchange we will enjoy some Christmas treats!

December Winter Retreat. We are still working on this. We are looking to join another group to enjoy a weekend away. Pastor Scott will communicate information as it becomes available.

              
January 23     YOUTH SUNDAY. Zion's youth will put together a service. This is our day to serve and lead the congregation in worship. Students will serve as ushers, greeters, and worship leaders. If you have aspirations of being a preacher, this is the Sunday to test the waters.

February 12   "Best Friend's Tea Party" The GIRLS should plan on inviting a friend or two for this fun filled event. We will have tea sandwiches, scones, desserts, and more. We will gather at Zion at 12 pm and the students can be picked up at 2:30 pm.

February 12    Winter Blues Release. The Junior High guys will get together to hangout. The options will wide open as to how we will spend out time together. It could be that we take in an IMAX movie, to going ice-skating to disc golf in the snow. We will discuss our options ahead of time, so we can be prepared.

March 11-12   Junior High Lock-in at Christopher Dock.  They don't get any bigger or better than this one!Last year there were more than 300 junior high youth gathered in the Longacre Center at CD. Activities include basketball, soccer, group games, movies, karaoke ~ all topped off with a special speaker and a concert. If there is one activity you don't want to miss, it id definitely this one! There are also some sick and twisted games that you won't want to miss!.

March 28  MCC Meat Canner. Junior High students will leave school early to help pack, label and box meat for the Mennonite Central Committee. Scott will send out forms asking permission from the schools to allow students to leave at 2 pm. Parents should plan on picking up students at 5:30 pm from Christopher Dock High School.

April 3  Congregational Auction . We will plan on serving a meal followed by the auction. Students will be asked to submit items to be sold at auction. Students are expected to help will all aspects of this activity from set-up to clean-up. Senior High students will also need to donate items to be auctioned off to help raise funds for the Youth Service Fund.

 April 29   Friday Night Out. Students will get together for a nice dinner and then spend some time playing games and watching a movie. As the date of this event gets closer look for flyers with greater details about what will be happening.

May 21   Cooking 101 The Junior High GIRLS will get together to learn how to bake or cook something new. Details of this event will be sent out closer to the date.

May 21 Goin' Fishing' Ya'll. The Junior High GUYS will be going fishing.This will be an early rise event-sorry mom's and dad's, but we want to be on the water by 6 am. Students will gather at Zion with fishing gear in hand (if you don't have any - no problem). We will drive up to the lake and enjoy some fishing and boating.

Iron Pigs Game The Junior High will travel to Lehigh to see the Iron Pigs play at the new Coca-Cola Park. We will enjoy some good food and fun! A date will be decided as we near the end of the school year.

Camelbeach The Junior High and Senior High Youth Fellowships will be traveling together to the Pocono's for a day of wet and wild fun! We will plan to meet at Zion in the early morning hours (8 a.m. to be exact). Please plan on bringing $10.00 to cover your cost and any spending money you think you'll need for snacks or lunch. There are sign-up sheets in both youth rooms.

Sailing and Picnic at Lake Nockamixon. This will be a fun afternoon on the lake and sitting and enjoying a picnic lunch. Students will meet at church and drive to the lake together. Please plan on wearing clothes that you don't mind getting wet.
                             
Meetings will be held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for bible study and fellowship in the Youth Department.. This fall and throughout the year, students will look at different Bible stories about Junior High life and how they can influence the world for Jesus.

Although this is a pretty good list of activities, it is by no means the final version. You can plan on having several unscheduled activities throughout the year! Scott will try to keep you informed of any changes or updates to this schedule by sending out individual flyers for activities.