by
God In All We Do Students to His Love,
Dear Pare nts, desire is At M to nizes tha serve you. One t. Zion Baptist C hu ig t the mos t importa hty Youth Ministr rch our is their fa y recognt influen mily. Th ce in a s ank you with you tude for a to life—phy help your studen llowing us to wo nt’s life sically, in rk togeth t er tellectua grow in all areas lly, socia o f their lly, and s Our desir piritually. e place for is to build a youth students ministry to th our effort to let you mature and grow at provides a safe . This ha you for ta know ho w n king the time to lo we’re doing tha dbook is question t. Thank ok it ove s about a r. If you policy or hear from have any anything y else we suggesti ou. Questions, wo c ons are g reatly va omments, and es uld love to lued. pecially Please k now that Ia ing for yo u and yo nd the rest of ou r youth s ur studen we want ta t. You h to help y ave a dif ff are prayou in any ficult job way pos and sible. In His Se rvice (an d yours),
Jeff Hum Youth Pa e stor Mt. Zion Baptist C hurch
We desire to provide a well balanced program that will help to develop students spiritually.
Oneighty Our Midweek outreach program, Oneighty is a time for students to gather with friends, grow in their faith, and have fun in a safe, positive atmosphere.
Student Bible Study—9:45 a.m. Sundays On Sunday mornings we gather to study the Bible and encourage one another to live the Christian life. The whole family is invited to study together in a class designed just for them.
3-D (Developing Deeper Disciples) 3-D is a small group ministry designed to help students grow in their relationship with Christ. The focus is on personal Bible study, spiritual disciplines, and open discussion of issues that effect student’s lives.
Winter Retreat—Christmas break Our winter retreat is a thematic event that involves putting our faith into action. Along with a topical study, students are given a practical opportunity to practice what we preach.
Student Conferences—Dare 2 Share, etc. Each school year we hit the road for an overnight student conference. These stadium type events feature music, preaching, drama, and an opportunity for students to gather with thousands of other young believers.
Summer Camp Most of us remember our first camp. Summer Youth Camp is an experience that students will remember for a lifetime. Camp features friends, faith, and fun in a safe environment that allows them to get away from some of the regular pressures of life.
Mission Trips / Service Projects The Bible tells us to be “doers of the Word” and Mission trips and Service projects gives an occasion to do just that. Service projects are local opportunities to serve others while National & International mission trips give students a chance to experience other cultures and share God’s love with others.
Other Outings Students enjoy getting to spend time with their peers in a positive Christian environment. Concerts, Scavenger Hunts, Lock-Ins, and other kinds of events allow students to build healthy relationships in a fun environment.
Student Code of Behavior In order for us to function successfully as a Christian group, we must agree to certain behaviors: Respect for all persons and property Refrain from put-downs and bullying Politeness extended to all in our group and everyone we meet. Appropriate, modest dress—no bikinis, bare midriffs, visible under clothing or inappropriate T-shirt slogans. • No P.D.A. (Public or Private Displays of Affection) • Refrain from use of cell phones or personal electronic equipment during programs (mp3, games, etc.) • • • •
For the well-being and safety of the group, everyone agrees to: • • • •
Following Check in and check out procedures Absolutely no fireworks or playing with fire! Following Transportation Policies Observe the laws of the land
Oneighty Non-Negotiables No Possession or use of Alcohol, marijuana, or illegal Drugs No abuse of legal or prescription drugs No sexual intimacy or sexual harassment No possession of weapons Off Campus Additions • Lights out and quiet time must be respected. Drivers especially,
are entitled to eight hour’s sleep! • Students will not leave the camp, hotel, church, or group without
direct permission from the Youth Pastor or person in charge. • No one is allowed to go anywhere alone, including public rest-
rooms. • Groups of three or more will be given as directives for sightsee-
ing, athletic activities, and free time. • Everyone will be expected to participate fully in all group activities, unless ill. • Everyone is expected to follow the daily group schedule and be promptly at the designated location for each activity.
Termination of Youth Ministry Participation The Youth Pastor retains the right and responsibility of maintaining discipline during all Youth Ministry meetings. In the event a Youth Ministry member is conducting themselves in a manner that places others at risk of injury, or their conduct is extreme (as determined by the Youth pastor in consultation with Youth Staff), the Youth Pastor may terminate the right of that member to attend Youth Ministry events. The process for termination is as follows: First infraction: Verbal warning at the time of the infraction, followed up with a discussion with the member and their parents. Second infraction: Immediate dismissal from the premises along with a scheduled time to meet with the member and their parents (and if deemed necessary the Senior Pastor), which may result in termination of their attendance rights for a period of time. A letter shall be sent to the member’s parents and the member outlining the decision for termination and the right of the member to return to the Youth Ministry meetings after the period has concluded. The breaking of certain rules (non-negotiables) may result in immediate removal of a student from the premises and termination of attendance as outlined above. Off Campus Termination Any violation of a non-negotiable or behavior that is deemed disruptive to the group or that threatens the safety of self or others, will result in the offending youth being sent home immediately at the parent’s expense.
Check-In Policy All Youth attendees must complete an attendance form and are required to check in at the reception desk upon entering the CLC. Once a student arrives at a Oneighty event we will assume that parents intend for them to stay for the entire program. Students coming and going during Oneighty is disruptive to the program and students will not be allowed to leave without parental permission.
Transportation Policies Mt. Zion’s Youth Transportation policy is motivated by our commitment to safety, trust, and stewardship. All youth, counselors, and parents are expected to adhere to these policies. The Parents: • Will discuss all driving and traveling expectations with their child. • May allow their child to drive to and from church events. • Shall inform counselors if someone other than themselves is to drive their child home. • Shall be on time for departures and pick ups. All Passengers: • Will wear seat belts when required. • Will be cognizant of how their actions, noise level, etc. can affect the driver’s concentration, and will act accordingly. • Will keep church vehicles clean. • Will be on time for scheduled departures. • Will follow group policies during all stops. All Youth: • Shall go directly to church and home when driving, unless parents have given permission to do otherwise. • Shall never take other youth in their car without parental permission. • Shall never leave an event early without parental permission.
Cancellation of Programs—If the school has a weather closing then we also will also cancel programs. All other emergency cancellations will be announced on our answering machine or website.
Counseling of Students The Youth Minister and other Youth Ministry Staff must give special consideration to their daily involvement with the teenagers in the 7-12 grade youth group. Special situations involving counseling, giving advice, talking with students, etc., is a vital part of youth ministry. A big issue here is the confidentiality of students in regards to their parents. A student wants to feel that they have a safe place to open up and parents have a right to know what’s going on in their child’s life. Working with parents and families is extremely important to us. We always want to help bridge the gap between the parent, their child and us. We always encourage open communication between students and their parents. When a student shares something with us we also encourage them to share it with their parents. Parent’s are rightly concerned about others who counsel with their teen. What we typically try to communicate to a concerned parents is, “I am your son/daughter’s pastor and want to help in any way I can. I want to encourage you as the parent to remember that it is a GOOD thing that your teenager has someone outside of the family to talk openly. When/If a concern surfaces which is considered harmful to them or someone else or in a case of abuse, you will be the first person notified. Here is my phone number if you need to chat, but please know that I want to honor the relationship I am trying to build with your growing child. My hope is like yours, to do all that I can to help them grow in maturity. Thanks for being a concerned parent.” If you have any questions or concerns please contact Jeff to discuss this issue.
Cost of Events Most of the events we hold in our youth ministry are free to attend. Our goal is to provide a safe, fun, environment for any student who wants to come. On occasion we provide other opportunities that have a cost attached. Often the cost for the students is actually less than the actual cost. We budget monies to help defray event costs so our students can attend without it being a hardship. Some larger events (camps, retreats, mission trips) may have a larger cost due to housing, food, etc. We carefully choose those events that we believe are most beneficial to our students and limit the number of these higher cost events. Students are encouraged to plan early and save for these. Scholarship monies are available for most youth retreats and mission trips. If you need assistance, discuss this with Jeff Hume. We ask you to pay what you are able and to assist with any work projects or fund raisers. We want to provide resources for ALL youth to participate in our programs. Scholarship requests are kept confidential.
Turning Students to God so they can Return and change their world!
Forms and Paperwork For any event outside of the church building students are required to have two forms in order to participate.
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Ministry Participation Form This form must be filled out once per year and is kept on file. It contains up to date medical information, permission for medical treatment, and emergency contact numbers. We have these forms with us on all youth activities.
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Permission Slip These forms are filled out prior to each event we attend. The purpose of the permission slip is so that we know you are aware of the trip details.
For safety reasons we cannot allow students that do not have proper paperwork to attend an off property activity. Ministry participation forms are sent home with the parent handbook after a student attends a church event. They can also be picked up during any of our regular youth ministry programs. While students can attend most on property events without a ministry participation form on file, we encourage parents to keep a current form on file.
For any question or concern contact: Jeff Hume, Youth Pastor Oneighty Youth Mt. Zion Baptist Church 790-3168
Hume.jeff@gmail.com
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