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If children are the future of the church, then Augustana’s Youth are not only the future, they are also the present in many ministries of the church. Youth and family ministry are vital ministries of the whole congregation. Augustana youth engage in a variety of ministries, from assisting in worship to acts of service, to fun meetings and outings. Youth help lead Augustana worship, first as acolytes beginning in the 5th grade, and then as assisting ministers in the High School years. Youth are encouraged to attend the various prayer and peace vigils of the congregation, and assist with specific ministry efforts as well as learning what it means to be a Christian in today’s culture. The Confirmation program (learning about Christianity and Lutheranism) is for 7th and 8th grade students, with an additional high school track for those not yet confirmed. It is held at 9:50am each Sunday through the school year. Since fall 2009, confirmed high school students have been planning servant activities, fundraisers and other outings. There are many monthly gatherings planned for high school students. These include visits to the an Invisible Children fundraiser in March, a youth trip in May to Holden Village, holiday lock-ins, serving an Easter breakfast and hosting a Run-for-the-Youth fundraiser to support youth group activities. More than twenty young adults from Augustana are currently attending college or are serving in the military. Augustana members support them with emails, cards and packages from home and annual scholarships. Augustana is committed to being their “home” church, no matter where in the globe they might be. They are also able to listen to the weekly Sunday sermons on the Augustana website. Check out the Evangelical Lutheran Church web site: www.elca.org/youth to see the resources and programs of the larger church in support of our youth. The tri-annual ELCA Youth Gathering of 45,000 teenagers was held in July 2009 in New Orleans, making the statement to everyone that the Lutheran church and its youth are supportive of the on-going efforts in New Orleans.
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