Rush Hour is our church's youth ministry for students in grades 7-12 and 4-6 (Student Drivers)

 

At Rush UMC, we believe that teens are not the future of the church--they are a big part of God's plan for the present of the church. We are committed at Rush Church to developing Christ followers early in their Christian walk "that they may not stray from it."  How do we do this? Here are a few ways:

 

Worship

 

Each week students participate in their own youth focused service, which includes praise music, teaching/preaching, and discipleship (Sunday 5-7pm), but we also seek to integrate our youth in the celebration of our Sunday morning worship services. The youth actually lead the entire worship service one Sunday each year. Being a part of the church at large is an important part of a young faith journey!

 

Community

 

Weekly games, snacks, and conversation help us build meaningful relationships with each other. We also enjoy fun events outside of weekly youth group meetings such as overnights, drive-in movies, soccer games, costume parties, slip-n-slides, and ice cream field trips.

Discipleship

 

Our team of youth leaders is diligent to build personal relationships with our teens in which they will feel comfortable talking to us about their spiritual development. We encourage them in their personal devotions and help them work through difficult questions.

 

In terms of small groups, the entire congregation of Rush Church will begin meeting in life groups this fall, and Rush Hour will be forming groups of our own to be a part of this church-wide focus on fellowship and discipleship.

 

Service

 

We believe it is important for the youth of the church to be involved in helping the church do its ministry and in helping its members through life. Teens are encouraged to do this regularly through drama team, AV, meal planning, or setup/cleanup team. We also participate in "life support" or service projects to give free aid to families in need within the congregation.

 

Missions

 

Missions are different from service because the focus is to make the name of Jesus known through our actions. Every summer, Rush Hour forms a team and attends a weeklong mission trip to another city where we offer practical help but also practice giving our testimonies and sharing the basic truths of the gospel with people outside of the Church. In 2017 we were a part of local annual missions event Flower City Work Camp for the first time.

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