General Information

Weekly Events

We aim to incorporate each of the Beacons at least once during each month.  Some events are geared toward furthering Christian experience, some are geared toward service, and some are simply for fun and fellowship.

Staffing

This program takes the effort of many dedicated individuals.  Along with our 2 full-time Youth Ministers there are 8 part-time adult Advisors who work with the Youth Ministers to nurture and attend to the needs of each member of the youth group.  All staff members receive training in ministry, are background checked and are in compliance with the church’s Safe Church Policy.  A copy of the church’s Safe Church policy is available from the church office.

Service Projects

As we strive to answer Christ’s call to serve, service is a main element to our yearly program.  During the 2010-2011 year YG made meals for the Norwalk Emergency Shelter, delivered 150 Thanksgiving dinners to families in need and served the homeless in New York City shelters for a weekend.

163 high school students gave up a chance for relaxation and spent their February vacation in Chicago, Illinois working with the Bethesda Christian Center and Casa Central to refurbish 11 apartments for transitional housing for homeless families.

Teams

Since YG has grown over the years, we create teams of 15 to 20 youth which are each led by an adult Advisor.

Our teams draw kids into community regardless of grade, gender and social groups.  Each team has an Advisor who plans weekly activities for the team members to have the chance to get together outside of the larger group of YG and have quality time with each other.  The teams enable youth to make close friendships and strengthen their sense of community and connection.

Worship Team

Worship Team is a group devoted to exploring the art of worship music and is designed to be an accompaniment to the YG experience.  Taking youth who are interested in singing or playing in a band, they lead contemporary worship services for many YG events throughout the year.  Worship Team is open to all high school students and welcomes anybody who is interested in being a part of the group.

YG Pictures

The goal of YG Pictures is to give youth an outlet to convey what the YG experience is like.  Through video and other media, YGers strive to tell the story of each YG year.  Youth who are interested, learn about story telling and video editing as they examine the YG experience and focus on creating a movie about the mission trip.