Middle School Ministry
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”
– 1 Timothy 4:12
Living, Serving, Giving
Middle School 6th – 8th
Life in middle school is tough – emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually. But, middle schoolers are capable of having a strong and lasting faith, knowing that Jesus will see them through all the storms that life will bring their way. To equip our middle schoolers in this, our student ministry will revolve around the following:
Sunday Morning Bible Study +
Weekly Youth Group +
Confirmation +
Fellowship Events +
Servant Events +
National Youth Gathering +
We believe that when students are engaged in those experiences, as well as regular Sunday worship, they will be connected to other students, their families, the Church at large, and (most importantly) God as they grow in their faith, serve others, share the Gospel, and live life together.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
What is The Ark?
The Ark is the name for Our Savior’s middle school ministry. Its mission is to build a safe space and community for students in middle school where they can be fully known as they build upon their foundation of faith, ask questions, apply God’s word to the world around them, and become a more engaged member of God’s Church as they transition into a new stage of life and prepare to exit the Ark.
Just like Noah and his family had to leave the ark (the place that God used to keep them safe and grow their faith), our students will move on from middle school. We want them to be prepared for all the storms that life will bring them and to be equipped to share that faith and hope with others.
Sunday mornings
9:30-10:30am – We offer a variety of options for students on Sunday mornings! Please contact Celia Walkowicz for more information.
LIVING. SERVING. GIVING.
Sunday Morning
Youth Bible Study
We are building on the foundation of our faith every Sunday morning. We will be offering a Sunday Morning Youth Bible Study for our middle school students to dig deeper into God’s word and its application in their lives. This summer, we will be digging into the topic of apologetics, or the understanding and communication of our faith.
Confirmation
Confirmation is a one-year program for 6th grade students and older that meets on Sunday mornings at 9:30am throughout the school year.
Our goals are to help young people articulately confess their faith in Jesus, develop life-long habits in worship, reading the Bible, and prayer, and to empower parents in their role as the #1 influence on their child’s faith!
The content will focus on the Lutheran Christian Doctrine as we study Luther’s Small Catechism written by Martin Luther, and the overarching story of God’s redemptive plan as we read and discuss The Story written by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee. For more info, please contact Matt Fischer, Director of Family Life Ministries, at matt.fischer@oslcnashville.org.
The Ark
Every week, our middle school students will have the opportunity to come together (and bring friends) to play games, win prizes, eat snacks – and most importantly, participate in a large group devotion and small group discussions that will build on their foundation of faith, allow them to ask questions, and help them to apply what they’re learning to their lives. This isn’t surface level spirituality – this is looking at challenges that our students are facing everyday, from injustice to temptation, and equipping them to stand strong in their faith no matter what life brings.
Servant Events
Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus also said in Mark 25:35, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…”
Throughout the Bible we are reminded that faith in Jesus leads to active service to others done in love. Our goal is to provide opportunities for students to live out their faith through a variety of service projects and events throughout the year.
Please contact Celia Walkowicz for more information on upcoming service events!
National Youth Gathering
With the 2022 Gathering behind us, we’re starting to plan for an awesome adventure of joining 25,000 youth and their adult leaders in the GREAT City of New Orelans, Louisiana in 2025! We hope to bring as many youth and adults as we can on this awesome week of studying God’s word, praising our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through raising our voices in song, and serving the residents of New Orelans through great servant event opportunities!
What can you do to help us? If you have a son or daughter who is currently going into the 6th grade through youth who are going to be Sophomores come speak with Matt Fischer! We would love to have you included in our planning, and fundraising efforts. It will cost around $2000 per youth to attend, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. With our fundraising efforts we are hoping that each of our families will only have to pay the registration fee which is around $400.
Spring Retreat
Last year, the 6th through 12th graders took a trip to see the Ark!
Students got to sleep overnight on the ark as well as explore the ark with a private tour to experience what it would have been like to sleep in the ark like Noah and his family. They also had an opprtunity to worship together, have a private animal encounter, and explore the Ark more before heading home.
Events like this allow us to bond as a group as we witnessed the sheer wonder at work through the lives of Noah and his family! Stay tuned for future events!
Have any questions about our middle school ministry?
Or interested in helping with our events?Contact Matt & Celia. We’re happy to answer any questions.
1 Timothy 4:10
Nashville, TN 37220
churchoffice@oslcnashville.org
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Our Savior Lutheran Church is a Missouri-Synod Lutheran Church along with Our Savior Lutheran Academy.