Youth
What do I believe? Does church really matter? What does the Bible say? What does God have to do with me? With the world? With anyone? How does Jesus make a difference in my life? What difference does the word “Lutheran” make in my church’s name? Can church and faith stuff be fun?
At OSL, students ask questions, explore the answers, and, yes, even have fun in three different grade-level groups.
6th Grade:
For sixth graders, it is a year of transition. They transition out of rotation Sunday school and move into a Sunday school in which their maturing brains are asked questions and challenged to think about God and faith in new and exciting ways. Using various media, 6th graders meet together on Sunday mornings as a peer group under the guidance of adults who push, prod, and invite thoughtful conversation and creative exploration. How do you join the conversation? Just show up on Sunday morning, or click here to register.
Also during the 6th grade year, two series are offered. Girls, Girls, Girls! and Boys, Boys, Boys! are offered in the winter months and provide a unique experience for this age group to talk about issues specific to their gender – the joys, the challenges, and what God might have to say about who they are.
7th-9th grade: Here We Stand Confirmation
Make no mistake: this is not your parents’ confirmation. OK, it is like your parents confirmation in that things like the Bible, the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and other important pieces of our faith are on the topic list. But that is where the resemblance ends. Confirmation at OSL is a combination of large and small group time. Large group is a learning experience filled with music, skits, games, and thoughts about faith. Small group time is all about relationships – relationships with mentors, peers, God. In small group, faith is explored through sharing life, questions, and knowledge (yes, students know stuff! Mentors might even, too!).
Confirmation happens on Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:45.
Click Here to register for confirmation
Beyond Confirmation
For 7th-9th graders, confirmation is the main thing, but there are other things! Sunday morning gatherings for each grade build on and expand the confirmation conversation while other activities like bowling, skiing, mystery night (gotta come to find out what it is!) take place throughout the year. Watch for it or you might miss it!
High School
On Wednesday nights during the school year, high schoolers gather in the youth room to socialize and connect through their common faith and exploration of it. Whatever category you find yourself in at high school, at OSL those categories fall away and youth come together recognizing that friendships that might not happen outside a community of faith are possible inside a community of faith.
What happens in the youth room stays in the youth room, so it’s best to come check it out for yourself, but usually it involves games, conversation, media, and relationships. Sometimes, high schoolers even come out of the youth room for outings or service events, like serving the Thanksgiving meal at the Bowden Youth Center.
In the summer, high school students are out on trips...mission trips, high adventure trips, and youth gatherings if it is the year for one. Warning: these trips are not for the faint of heart. Life-transforming experiences may occur.
Summer 2010: Mission trip: Check our calendar for mission trip dates.
Register for a mission trip here
What else?
Beyond Wednesday nights, students tend to be all over the place doing things like serving communion, playing and singing in the youth band, teaching Sunday school, reading scripture in worship, and getting out into the community through serving. Plugging into the regular life of OSL is just one more way students are connecting.