The Student Ministries Team is now working on our second “sprint.” Each sprint is a series of tasks that we work on for a few months based on prioritizing recommendations from the Ministry Architects report. We made progress on sprint #1 and we began work on a new set of tasks (sprint #2) in March. We celebrate our completed work on:

• Evaluated currently used children’s ministry spaces on Sunday mornings and identifying new spaces that could be used
• Determined additional volunteer needs on Sunday mornings
• Designed renewed programming for older elementary children

We continue to work on the larger task of:

• Connecting with youth and families to determine their wants and needs for ministry programming.

Our new sprint #2, includes new tasks, such as:

• Recruiting additional volunteers for Sunday AM children’s ministry programming
• Scheduling regular offerings for service opportunities and fun/fellowship events for youth (grades 6-12)
• Evaluating confirmation with the assistance of the clergy/staff and input from a key group of parents
• Beginning recruitment for all regular volunteer needs for the 2024-2025 school year

In February, we joined Sean Williams from Ministry Architects for a Vision Summit to explore the vision, values, and goals for the Student Ministries.

We defined our vision statement.
The Focus of the Student Ministries Team:

• Serve as the task-accomplishing team for the renovation process outlined in the November 2023 Ministry Architects Assessment report.
• Create systems and infrastructure to ensure the student ministries’ long-term growth and effectiveness.
• Assist in the development and implementation of new ministry initiatives.
• Ensure that the student ministries team clearly and compellingly communicates its priorities and programs, especially to the church’s leadership and the larger congregation.
• Provide creative troubleshooting and support when obstacles to the renovation process arise.

And, we defined our Mission statement.
We nurture and equip children, youth, and families to grow as disciples of Christ through love, service, and inclusion, in order to deepen connection to God, self, and others, and positively impact the world.

We had a successful Easter Egg Hunt on March 31 and continue to plan and prepare VBS.

If you have any questions or feedback on our work, contact Katie (kmorris@hamlinechurch.org) or another team member: Desirae Gillis, Krista Evans, Carrie Faust, and Brittany Pennington, Lauren Scott (youth representative). Learn more about our work with Ministry Architects here: hamlinechurch.org/families/student-ministries/