Youth as Essential Members of All Saints Church

All Saints Church believes that youth are essential members of the church. Therefore our ministry to youth intentionally seeks to come alongside them and meet their unique needs without separating them from the life of the church as a whole. The spiritual formation of youth at All Saints begins on Sunday mornings as they worship God, listen to the Word, and celebrate the sacraments with the entire church body. The liturgy, corporate worship, Eucharist, and fellowship with the body serve to shape them and inform their identity as God’s children and as essential members of the Body of Christ- the church. Youth are also invited and encouraged to be involved in many areas of ministry in order that they might discern their gifts and their place in the body. It is also important for students to meet together to share life and grow closer to Jesus Christ in community and wrestle with what it means for them to live as faithful disciples of Jesus in the context of middle school and high school.

“Adolescents will rarely settle for what is artificial or trite as it relates to God. Their experiences are too raw, their souls too familiar with pain and quickened by joy to settle for a God who knows nothing of either.” –Unknown

High School Youth - ROOTS

ROOTS is a gathering of High School students who meet weekly on Sunday evenings during the school year to grow in their understanding, experience , and commitment to Jesus Christ. We spend time talking, laughing, playing, worshipping, praying, reading the Bible, and serving together so that as a community we would be growing deeper roots in Jesus Christ. 
 

ROOTS gathers on Sunday nights from 6-8pm @ the Thielman’s home located at 4303 Forest Edge Trail, Durham. For more information contact Brad Acton (brad@allsaints-chd.org or 205-873-2257). Let your roots grow deep in Christ.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.  -Colossians 2:6-7

Middle School Youth - WIRED 4:12

WIRED 4:12 is a gathering of middle school students grades 6-8 who meet weekly after worship to play games, talk, pray, and read the Bible together as we learn about who God is and experience Him together.

This middle school gathering gets its name from 1 Timothy 4:12:

Do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith, and your purity.”

Youth are uniquely wired not simply to have a relationship with the living God, but to lead! Time with middle school students, therefore, seeks to disciple and train youth towards that end, exploring how each of them can honor God through lives of faithfulness, grace, and love.

Discipleship

In addition to regular meetings with the larger group, All Saints seeks to provide smaller settings where youth can honestly engage with qualified youth ministers/volunteers about their faith and life. These smaller discipleship groups offer students the chance to offer up their personal concerns and struggles within a safe and encouraging environment. All Saints seeks not only to hear and walk alongside these youth but to equip and train these students as they grow in their faith. Both parents and students are encouraged to contact Brad Acton with questions regarding these groups (brad@allsaints-chd.org or 205-873-2257).

Service
Youth are very active in All Saints Church’s local mission projects. High school youth serve as tutors to second and third grade students at All Saints Church’s after school program called Eagles Nest. Youth take part in regularly scheduled service projects aimed at serving the community. Youth actively serve the body of Christ as well by filling crucial roles in the nursery, on the worship team, in children's ministries, and in the worship of the church as acolytes.

Acolyte Ministry
Youth are crucial to the worship of All Saints Church on Sunday mornings. Middle and high school students serve as acolytes and work directly with the priests and deacons to lead the church in worship. This important team of youth are trained and mentored and gain a deeper knowledge and experience of the richness and power of God in Anglican worship. Please contact Brad Acton (brad@allsaints-chd.org or 205-873-2257) if you would like to learn more about serving as an acolyte.

Confirmation
All middle and high school youth who are of a mature age and disposition are encouraged to consider the rite of Confirmation in concert with their parents. Confirmation is a chance to personally and publicly profess faith in Christ, renew baptismal vows, receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and to be commissioned for service in the Church. This rite of passage is central in the Anglican tradition and carries with it both significance and responsibility for students at All Saints Church. Please talk to Brad Acton (brad@allsaints-chd.org or 205-873-2257) for more information about Confirmation.

Parents

All Saints recognizes that parents are essential to youth ministry and therefore we seek to partner with them in every way possible. Scripture places the mantle of responsibility for disciplining children and youth upon parents and therefore we seek to empower parents in this task as well as accompany them in it. There are many ways for parents to get involved. Please contact Brad Acton (brad@allsaints-chd.org or 205-873-2257) to see how you might get involved and use your gifts to serve the youth of All Saints and the community.

Youth Ministry Team - Emily Acton,
Michael Parsons,
Danny Thielman

Youth Minister - 
Brad Acton
205-873-2257, brad@allsaints-chd.org

Parent Advisory Team and Youth Council 
- Margaret Thielman,
Mark Dawson, Bob Cox, Nathanial Tarlton, and Samantha Armistead