Real life student ministries

We are glad you’ve come this far!  If you’re reading this, you are probably searching for the answers to questions we all ask: who am I?  Where do I belong?  What is the meaning to this thing we call life? And if there is meaning, how can I find it for myself?  How can I make my life meaningful?  We are a community of followers of Jesus, learning the answers to these questions as we walk with Him and with each other through this life.  We would love for you to join us as we find answers together from the One who alone holds all the answers!  There are many ways to get involved, but most of them fall into one of two categories: weekly activities and monthly events.   

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

WORSHIP at 9:00am or 11:00am

Come worship alongside your entire family with your entire church family!  There is no greater influence in a teen’s life than their parents, and the things that usually “stick” are those that are caught more than taught.  They need to see us what it looks like to live a life of worship, and this is one opportunity to do just that.  So come, join us as we worship the One who is worthy!

 

WEDNESDAYS at 6:30pm

Join us for a community dinner with the rest of our church every Wednesday night at 6pm.  Then join with students in 7th-12th grade for youth group.  We come together with our youth group family for fun and fellowship as we worship and learn how to be open and honest with each other, seeking to become fearless disciples of Christ.   


MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

RETREATS

Every year, we “retreat” from our normal schedules and set aside entire weekends to focus on our relationships with the Lord and with our community of believers. We do a Summer Retreat in August at Pioneer County Park in Muskegon, MI.  We spend time at the beach, come together for worship and short messages around the camp fire or as we watch the sunrise, and just enjoy fellowship around the campsite.


Then in November, we do a Fall Retreat at Starwood Ranch near Kalkaska, MI.  We have a special speaker and a band from Olivet Nazarene University lead us in worship as we

Finally, every other year we do a retreat in the Spring that is held right at our very own Perry Nazarene Church.  Sometimes when we go away to connect with God, we get this false idea that we can only connect with Him when we are away from “real life.”  That’s why we do Spring Retreat: to help us connect to God right here where we live, and to connect with each other as well.

CELEBRATE LIFE

Celebrate Life is an event where students can display and hone their God-given gifts in order to better glorify Him in the future.  There are team sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer and dodgeball as well individual sports like tennis and ping pong.  Then there are the arts like singing, dancing, music, and drama as well as drawing, painting, sculpting and photography.  Other events include creative writing, chess, and video editing, among others!  As you can see, no matter your gift, there is a place for you at this event.  We love to see and celebrate each other’s gifts and help each other improve.  This is a two part event with the first happening on the district level in January with around 200 students from Michigan coming to Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, MI and the second happening at a regional level with around 2000 students from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin converging on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University.

 

RIGHT AT HOME

Right at Home is a once-a-month get together at someone’s home who goes to our church.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy snacks and fellowship with other teens and your hosts.  Activities range from kayaking and outdoor games to movies or board games.  The point is that we are getting to know each and our hosts a little better as we share life together. 

 

While those are our main events, we also do many others, some every year and some on a rotating basis, including concerts, Messy Night, and ways to serve like 30 Hour Famine, Christmas Caroling, and the Fall Food Drive.