Youth & Family Team

Our mission is to provide opportunities for youth and their families for involvement in spiritual development, fellowship, and the sharing of their faith. Our primary objectives are to provide programs that allow our youth to grow in their relationship with God and others, to provide resources for parents and families, and to sponsor events that promote a greater sense of community among the families of Peace.

Youth and Family Team Report

Becky and I arrived in July have been having a great time getting to know as many of you as possible. We have been blessed with a great Youth and Family Team as well as super cool youth. Thank you for welcoming us to this new community of faith. We are excited to see what the future holds.
            Since our arrival we have continued some of the Senior High traditions of the past like:
Breakfast Club - Breakfast Club meets every Sunday morning in the Youth Room for food, fellowship and a time of learning. Our learning time has been done through discussions, activities, videos and even bridge building. Breakfast Club has been a highlight for Becky and I so far and it’s a blast to get together every week in this laid back environment.
Synod Youth Gathering – This year’s event was held in Manitowoc in November. Because of the death of my father I was not able to attend. Lauri Webster led our group of 5 and everyone had a great time. Singer/songwriter/speaker Peder Eide was the musician and featured speaker for the weekend. Together with the First English youth group we won the synod “Spam” award for bringing and donating the most food and canned goods to Fox valley food pantries. 
National Youth Gathering – We have 13 students and 4 adults signed up to attend this summers’ ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. The focus of the gathering is on mission and service. The planners of the event have told us that this summers gathering will have many opportunities to reach out, to serve, to listen and to care for the people of New Orleans. We are very excited about the trip and we thank the congregation your support.
Guys and Gals Small Groups – We started high school small groups in November for the youth at Peace. Twice a month I lead a small group for boys and Becky leads a small group for girls. It has been such a joy to get to know the high school youth.  They are a talented and fun bunch of people and we are so thankful for the time we spend with them. Getting to know them has definitely been a highlight of the fall. 
            Our goal as the youth leaders at Peace Lutheran is to build a youth program that is grounded in the gospel of Christ and in relationships with one another. We believe that healthy and encouraging relationships are the most impactful and long lasting ministry tool that we have available to us. We would love for you to be a part of the youth ministry program at Peace. We are always looking for new members for the Youth and Family Team, please join us!
            We feel very blessed to be called to Oshkosh and to this Parish. We thank you again for the support and for the encouragement and we look forward to getting to know you better in 2009.
            Dan and Becky

Youth & Family Team Goals for 2009:

• Support and inspire our staff Youth Director in
  programming needs. 
• Continue to create events for middle and high school youth
  that provide spiritual growth and help them build relationships with God and each other.
• To provide new programming to support parents and
  family faith-building.
• To provide new programming for family fellowship opportunities.
• To support fundraising and planning for the summer mission trip.
• Facilitate parent-focused Bible Studies and book clubs.
• Offer short-term volunteer opportunities for those who want to
  help with our youth ministry.
• Create and promote local awareness of the youth and family programs at Peace through events with other churches and
  in the community.
• Foster a sense of belonging and an affirmation of value to all
  in our church family.
• Bring new members to the team to provide fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm.