We are all about youth
St. Paul’s has traditionally had a large and varied program of youth ministries overseen by staff and volunteers. We continue to explore how to reimagine the youth group at St. Paul's. Anyone with specific ideas or willing to be part of our youth group leadership team is invited to email Pastor Sheridan (sallmond@stpaulsk.org) or Pastor Joey (joeyhm@stpaulsk.org).
SCROLL DOWN to find upcoming events, registration forms, and youth news.
Registration Forms
We are saving paper and making it easier to send in info anywhere, anytime.
Please click to button to go to our secure registration form!
SPY Meeting:
Middle School & HIgh School
Sundays
7:00-8:30 PM
Multi-Purpose Room & Youth Lounge
We are excited to announce that St. Paul’s Youth (SPY) will be reinvigorated this fall for Middle School and High School students!
Generally the Middle School group (grades 6-8) will be led by our parent volunteers in the Multi-Purpose Room and the High School group (grades 9-12) will be led by Pastor Sheridan in the Youth Lounge.
Each night will include an activity designed to help us grow in faith and time for fun, fellowship, or service. Here are some upcoming plans - but please note all activities are subject to change...!
Sept. 15 - Game Night
Sept. 22 - activity TBD
Sept. 29 - Movie Night
Oct. 6 - Campfire
Oct. 13 - Game Night
Oct. 20 - Pastor's Choice
Oct. 27 - Halloween Party
We continue to need adult volunteers to help lead SPY sessions during the year. If you have it on your heart to lead a few SPY meetings (curriculum and plans provided), please contact Rachel Stalcup directly or reach out to the church office.
CONGRATULATIONS,
CLASS OF 2024
Congratulations to these graduating high school seniors from the St. Paul's community for reaching this milestone. We wish you all the best as you move boldly into the next chapter of your lives!
CLASS OF 2024
Nathaniel Binantoro
Ryan Cooper*
Lucy Dahl*
Grace Denny*
William Mollenauer*
Grace Morford*
Jonah Richmond
Ivy Ruskin
Shannon Ryan*
Brian Paul Schwartz
William Simpson*
Daphne Wegner
Sofia Woldeab*
* Recipients of the 2024 Educational Award
Confirmation Class
Each year, youth in Grade 7 or above who have not been confirmed are invited to join Confirmation Class.
Confirmation Registration
Registration for the 2024 class runs November 12-19. If you have not received an email from Pastor Pat with information about confirmation and you have 6th -12th grade child you would like to be confirmed, please contact Pastor Pat at pallen@stpaulsk.org by Nov. 19, 2023.
If you missed the info session or have questions, please contact Pastor Pat (pallen@stpaulsk.org) or Pastor Joey (joeyhm@stpaulsk.org) to ask about joining the class!
Confirmation Class 2024
Our next confirmation class will begin Sunday January 7, 2024. The 2024 Confirmation Class will be led by Pastor Pat and Pastor Joey.
OVERVIEW
Confirmation is a serious commitment requiring regular attendance, study, service, and participation in certain worship services. Classes introduce important concepts about our faith, church history, and our membership vows, and build connections across generations within our faith community.
JOINING THE CHURCH
Participants who complete confirmation classes and choose to become full church members will be received into membership during the 10:30 AM worship service on Pentecost Sunday, or another Sunday.
MEETING SCHEDULE
The exact series of dates and courses can vary year to year.
SIGNING UP
The online signup form will be available when it's time to create the class roster. In the meantime, you can contact one of the pastors to express an interest in joining! Find our staff contact info at the Meet the Staff page.
PLANS FOR CONFIRMATION 2024
Our next confirmation class will begin Sunday January 7, 2024. The 2024 Confirmation Class will be led by Pastor Pat and Pastor Joey.
Youth Ministry
Community Zoom Meeting
A community conversation to discuss the vision for our Youth Ministry was held on July 25, 2023 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. Parents, youth, children, and potential volunteers were all encouraged to share their thoughts and perspectives. You can click the button to open and read Pastor Pat's summary of the meeting.
This YouTube video from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Seminary is still available to stoke the fires of your imagination:
If you have questions, suggestions, or wish to be involved, please contact Pastor Pat at pallen@stpaulsk.org
Youth Forms
For your convenience, we've moved sign-ups, registrations, applications, & payments online! Below you will find registration or sign up forms, information for events which require payments, surveys, and permission slips for events.
There are no current events requiring registration.
St. Paul's Educational Award
THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
St. Paul’s, through its Council on Youth Ministries, provides an Educational Award annually to one or more graduating High School Seniors to help cover expenses for their next stage of life, whatever that may look like! Award funds are made available through our generous donors and youth programming budget. Thank you!
Award amounts vary and are dependent on several factors, including available Educational Award funds and student responses to the application, which include academic and extracurricular achievement, need, and service to and engagement with the St. Paul's community.
Applications are made available each year in May. Only those who apply can be considered!
To contribute to this fund, make checks out to St. Paul's UMC with "Ed Award" in the memo line, or go to the Giving page and scroll down to use the Additional Contribution Options, then type "Educational Award" as the designated fund or cause.
Since 1989, over $80,000 has been distributed to 120 college-bound students who have attended over 55 different college campuses in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
Questions about the Educational Award? Contact Dr. Meg Baker at mbaker@stpaulsk.org.
SPY News
Updates and news-to-know can be found right here. Be sure to sign up for the email newsletter, too!
Campership Financial Aid
Did you know...
We do a lot of great things here at St. Paul's Youth, and many are free or fairly inexpensive. However, we do have some events and trips that can cost quite a bit.
We never want a youth to be left out because of money. St. Paul's has a scholarship/campership fund available to help individuals and families cover part or all of the costs associated with youth fellowship, retreat, camp, or service activities.
These events we attend can be life changing experiences and we don't want anyone to miss out! Don't let an activity's price tag hold you back. Contact Micah Smartt (msmartt@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext. 111) to discuss scholarship/campership financial aid needs confidentially, one-on-one.
Youth CHoir update
Our Youth Choir is looking to return... but not this fall.
Experienced youth singers may find a good fit in the Sanctuary Choir, which rehearses on Sunday mornings and sings each week for worship. For questions or more information, visit our website or email Tom Pedersen, Director of Music, at tpedersen@stpaulsk.org.
you've got (less) mail
In an effort to cut down on some costs, streamline our flow of information, and to be a little more environmentally friendly, we've made the decision to stop production of the stand-alone printed SPY Briefing newsletter.
From now on, we'll be putting all of our youth information into the pages of the church's monthly newsletter: The Epistle from St. Paul's. If you would like to be added to the Epistle mailing list, you can email Erin Steele in the church office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org and a copy will magically show up in your real snail-mail mailbox about once a month.
We'll also be revising and updating this website regularly so it's up to date with more info and links to things.
