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Youth Ministries and Programs

St. John’s offers a large number of ministries and programs to help our younger members grow in their faith through quality and meaningful Christ-centered experiences.  Our youth ministries strive to achieve a balance between age-appropriate learning opportunities and making learning fun. 

Pre-School / Grade School Offerings and Activities

Sunday School meets Sunday mornings, 8:45 am -10:00 am, in the church basement fellowship hall from September through May for youth in Pre-school through the eight grade.

3^rd grade Bible Class invites young readers to open the book of faith by taking a stroll through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

First Communion Class is offered to those who will be entering the fifth grade.  This class teaches the youth what happens in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Community VBS is an ecumenical Vacation Bible School that brings youth from several churches in our community together for a week of learning the Good News of our Savior!  It's held in early June.  All children ages 3 years to 8th grade are invited - even friends and grandchildren that are here visiting for the week.  Email the church secretary or call 563-252-2355 in April-May to get a registration form.

Muppet Ministry is dedicated to telling the old, old, story in new and imaginative ways that engage children of all ages by using puppets in children’s sermons, Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.

Bike Rodeo is a fun event where children decorate their bikes and ride through an obstacle course to promote bike safety and fellowship.

Youth Carnival is a fun event for our younger members.  This activity grows in popularity and participation every year with fun games and prizes for the whole family.

Youth Choir makes a joyful noise to the Lord by singing in church the second Sunday during Sunday School. 

Hay Rides are offered each year as a fun outing for the whole family.  Sit back and watch the scenery, then gather together for some hot cocoa.

Roller Skating is another fun outing where youth can come together as an intentional Christian community living out their faith in the world.

Halloween Party is a safe alternative to trick-or-treating.  Our Halloween Party includes costume contest, fun games and prizes, and the ever-popular “Haunted House."

Christmas Program is a another very popular program at St. John’s.  Each year youth participate in re-telling the story of the Nativity through song and acting out the birth of our Savior.

Middle School Ministries and Programs

St. John’s offers several ministries and programs for our middle school youth (grades 5-8).  We place a high value on our youth ministries because we value our youth!  Listed below are just some of the events and programs that we offer.

Sunday School  (Grades preschool through 8th grade) meets Sunday, September through May, 8:45 am -10:00 am in the church basement fellowship hall.   (click here for details)

Confirmation is a two year education program for our 7th and 8th graders that teaches them about their faith and church and leads to them being confirmed as members of St. John's Lutheran Church (click here for details)

Youth retreats.  Youth enrolled in our confirmation program attend fun retreats.  These retreats include the “Dirty Feet” retreat at EWALU camp, where kids learn about faith through fun activities such as the high ropes course, and the Northeastern Iowa Synod Lock-in at the University of Northern Iowa where kids participate in a youth Bible Study and worship as well fun activities such as the climbing wall, swimming, volleyball and racket ball.

Scouting Religious Emblem Classes for those boys and girls involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls and Explorers interested in learning more about our faith. 

We offer classes for the following: God and Me, God and Family, God and Church, and the God and Life religious emblems.  These emblems will be awarded during worship so that our congregation may celebrate with the recipient in their completion of the requirements.

St. John’s J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) Session is our new Middle School youth ministry program with a focus on providing unique and meaningful opportunities for worship, service and fun.  Our goal with this new program is to help our youth find relevance and meaning of our common faith through experiences unique to their generation.

High School Ministries and Programs

Luther League

Luther League is our church group for high school aged students. Anybody who has completed confirmation can join.

We do fun things during the year like

We have meetings every month to decide what we’re going to do and coordinate the details;

We also have a breakfast fellowship every Friday morning, Lori makes delicious food.

During the summer, the Luther League members go on a mission trip; the three most recent trips were: Toronto, Canada; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

During these trips we do mission work but we also have a ton of fun. When we went to Minnesota we split up into two groups from our church and one group worked at a nursing home while the other group worked at places like the Salvation Army and other organizations. We worked at a meal site called Loafs and Fishes where we served many homeless people and others who can’t provide for their families.

We made a bunch of new friends and learned how to play the “ninja game.”

 It was a great experience and we all learned a lot from it. 

So, if you just finished confirmation join us and have fun with the Luther League. You’ll have a ton of fun while helping the community and the church. Come and check us out!

Friday Morning Breakfast Fellowship

All kids of grades 9-12 are invited to our breakfast fellowship 7a.m. Friday mornings at the church (if school is cancelled, fellowship is as well) where we feed the body as well as the soul.  It's a little bit about getting a good breakfast but more about finding out about each other, sharing of the week with each other and re-centering ourselves with God in mind for the coming days and the life stresses that teens feel.