Student Ministry Overview

Students in grades 6 through 12 are an important part of our church family. We offer a variety of ways for students to learn and use the gifts that God has blessed them with on a regular basis.

Middle School Ministry (Cornerstone, Grades 6-8)

Confirmation

Confirmation classes walk students in Grades 7 and 8 through the core beliefs of the Christian church. The topics include Prayer, Baptism, The Lord’s Supper, Forgiveness of Sins, The 10 Commandments and the Apostle’s Creed. Students are divided into small groups by age and gender, and paired with an adult small group leader. Each night includes a small group game, large group teaching and small group discussion. Confirmation classes meet on Thursday evenings from 6:30 – 8 p.m. during the school year. For more about the importance of Confirmation or to register your student, contact Pastor Jason Christ.

Events for Students (Remix)

Students in Grades 6-8 are invited to spend time together at youth events that are hosted by the church once a month! Service projects, game nights, and other fun activities encourage the building of relationships with each other and with Christ through fellowship and devotion! Some of our events are combined with the High School Ministry, so that the middle schoolers can build friendships with the older students who can come alongside them in guidance and mentorship. There are also many events that are Grades 6-8 only to strengthen the bonds built during these years! 

During the summer, we encourage students to participate in Vacation Bible School. During the school year, middle schoolers can expect events like bonfires, game nights, pajama parties, Christmas dinner, and so much more! Our usual service events include themed babysitting days, during which younger kids can come and have fun while our youth guide them in games and crafts. 

Notifications about middle school events are sent out via email to our middle school families. If you have any questions, or would like to be added to our email list, please contact Stacy DiCenso at stacydicenso@yahoo.com.

Education Hour

There are education hour classes for students in Grades 6-8. Grades 6 meet in the Lower Level Kitchen and Grades 7-8 meet in the Lower Level Lounge.

High School Ministry (Crossroads, Grades 9-12)

Youth Group

Our goal is to host one service project a month and one fun youth event a month. We combine forces with Middle School Ministry for some of our youth events. This gives our Middle School students a “sneak peek” at how fun it is to be in High School Ministry and allows them to create friendships and mentor relationships with some of our older students. We also have many youth events that are just for Grades 9-12. We host a multitude of fun youth group events including (but not limited to) bonfires, Christmas dinner parties, ice skating events, lock-ins, game nights & more! Our youth events aim to build relationships with each other and with Christ through fellowship, Scripture and devotion.

Be sure to check your email (make sure we have your updated email address) so that you can have access to all youth group event information! If you are not on the email list but would like to be please email Jen Florio at jflorio@firsttrinity.com.

Education Hour

Education Hour is our Bible Study for high school students on Sunday mornings.  It is geared toward students who already know Christ in some way and need encouragement and support to grow in their relationship with Christ and share Him with those around them (though all are welcome!).  Students will have opportunity to worship together, play together, pray together, study God’s Word together, share life together and grow in their relationships with God.  They will be encouraged to watch for God at work in their lives and be challenged each week to live out their faith away from the church building. Typically we hold small group classes within Education Hour three times a year for four-eight weeks at a time.  Small group leaders lead Bible Study classes with the students, where they get to connect with each other and other adults and grow in relationship with one another. The high school group also joins in the All Church Study each fall and gets to experience the adult classes once a year to build intergenerational relationships and help students feel and become a part of the larger congregation.

Our high school ministry is also actively involved in the FT Kids Sunday School program. We volunteer to host a welcome activity at the Welcome Table every 4th Sunday of the month. We also join them 2-3 times a year for service projects during Education Hour and in January of each year we join them for a day of FUN! The younger kids really love bonding with the older kids. It is a great way for them to see God at work through the love of our older students.

We meet in the Upper Level every Sunday from mid-September-early June from 10-11am.

Summer Trips and Missions

Summer trips are of great importance in student ministry. We see time and time again that getting away for a week from “everyday life” has enormous spiritual and relational impact that continues throughout the year.  Whenever possible, we aim to have the summer trip connect with the themes for that year, or use them as a launch into topics of the coming year. Because of that, we will rotate between Workcamp mission trips and team building experiences (meaning we will not travel out of WNY every summer).  We are working on a new rotational schedule to better help serve our communities and the students. Our goal is to grow in relationship with God and each other through good works. 

Come to our informational meeting for the 2023 trip to Hazlet, NJ (July 8-16, 2023) on October 3rd. Use the link for more information!