Youth
Contact: Brooks Godfrey, Minister with Youth
919.828.0897, x217
bgodfrey@pullen.org
http://pullenyouth.org
The Pullen youth ministry exists to help youth and their families navigate the transition from childhood to young adulthood by introducing youth to a broad spectrum of issues and ideas that will help them to emerge as well-equipped young adults. We embrace each individual as a unique and beloved child of God. We accept people where they are and encourage them to grow in their relationships with God, their community, and themselves.
The youth ministry has a responsibility to support youth as they discover and nurture their spirituality. In true Baptist freedom, each youth is given the freedom to shape his or her own relationship with God as their faith journey grows and matures.
Sunday School
The youth ministry uses Journey to Adulthood from Leader Resources for our Sunday school curriculum.
Rite-13: The first two years (6th and 7th graders) focus on celebrating the individuality of each young person and their creative potential. Rite-13 celebrates the participants' emerging adulthood. The Rite-13 ceremony is a rite of passage from childhood towards adulthood. Pullen celebrates this passage as a part of worship on a Sunday in October.
J2A: The middle portion of the program (8th and 9th graders), engages youth with the skills and critical thinking involved in adulthood.
YAC (Young Adults in the Church): The third and final phase of the curriculum is for 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. This class helps youth understand their new roles as decision makers, stewards, and participants in the on-going life and ministry of the church.
Wednesday Nights
All of our youth meet in Room 310 at 5:15 PM for dinner brought in from a local restaurant or cooked by one of our families. Youth pay $6 each for dinner. Fellowship is an important part of this time together. We have announcements at 6:15 PM followed by our program at 6:30 PM. The program changes from week to week, but it is our aim for it to always be informative, conversational, and/or relevant to teenagers. Watch the blog for weekly updates.
Lenten Program Options
In the five Wednesdays before Easter, youth have the opportunity to select one of several program options in which to participate for five consecutive Wednesday nights. We have in the past explored religion in movies, movement as worship, and many other topics. One of the options each year is Cup of Life, which explores the ritual of baptism and concludes with youth having the option to be baptized into the Pullen congregation.
Fall Retreat
Fall Retreat is the first trip of our program year. It has come as early in the fall as mid-September and as late in the fall as the end of November. Either way, we try to capitalize on this time together by intentionally mixing up the group and giving team members opportunities to get to know others in the group they may not know so well. Of course, we also give close friends opportunities to spend time together.
Ski trip
Going snow skiing has been a long-standing tradition for the Pullen Youth Group. The target weekend for the trip is the weekend following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. In recent years, we have left Pullen on Friday afternoon and spent the night in a hotel not too far from the ski resort. We then load up our stuff, leave the hotel, and ski for the day. After a full day of skiing, we turn in our equipment and head for Raleigh.
The event does have some potential for change from year to year. We try to explore options in order to enhance the value and the experience. Regardless of the destination or how long we stay, we always enjoy spending time with one another and playing together. Come and join us!
Baptist Youth Camp
Baptist Youth Camp (BYC) is arguably the most beloved event of the program year among Pullen youth! In fact, it has been heard that the youth admitted if they could only do one activity they would want it to be BYC.
Pullen is one of the charter congregations that gave birth to BYC almost twenty years ago. It is now one of eight covenant congregations that meet together at Laurel Ridge (a camp and conference center of the Moravian Church) each summer for the week that includes July 4. Camp includes creative and relevant bible study, active and thoughtful special interest groups, inspiring and reverent worship, and new and treasured relationships.
Music Opportunities
Choir: The Youth Choir meets on Sunday afternoons to learn a variety of choral music to offer in worship and other events at Pullen. This group also participates in the annual Youth Choir Festival by the Sea in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Orchestra: Youth and adults who have played wind, string, or percussion instruments for at least one year combine to form this group that offers music and accompaniments for worship and other events.
Festival by the Sea
This regional youth choir event includes more than 15 youth choirs from North and South Carolina. The 300 youth work together with a guest clinician to refine their vocal technique and experience the thrill of singing in such a large ensemble. The result is a better youth singer and better youth choirs. The weekend of long rehearsals culminates in an inspiring Sunday morning worship service. Many Pullen adults have made their attendance at this worship service an annual event.
This event takes a significant amount of preparation. The choir must know the music before arriving so the clinician can focus on refining the sound rather than teaching the music. With this standard in mind, Larry Schultz (Minister of Music) has a strict attendance policy for members of the Youth Choir. Youth who intend to go to FBTS must attend 75% of the rehearsals prior to Festival.
Youth Choir members are not required to go to FBTS. In fact, the first priority of Youth Choir is to learn music so they can periodically lead our congregation in worship. Youth unable to commit to the 75% rehearsal standard or who don't choose to go to FBTS are still encouraged to join the Youth Choir.
Mission Trips and Activities
Youth are also engaged in missions and outreach work, including:
In Our Own Backyard, a summer opportunity in the city for middle school youth;
Summer Mission Trip to Hazard, Kentucky for all age youth and a few adults;
and Cuba Youth, a pilgrimage to our sister church in Matanzas, Cuba for older youth.