• 9th – 12th grade students are active with various congregational leadership, educational, fellowship and service opportunities which help them explore individual next steps in their faith journey. St. Luke’s offers a weekly Sunday morning forum for high school youth from 9:45 to 10:45 am. Bible studies and current event discussions keep the forums fresh and busy for the active teens. We strive to provide opportunities to help fill their need to reach out to each other, their congregation and to the local and world communities.
• Wednesday evenings from 4:30 to 7:00 pm, we offer space for our youth to come for a mid-week break at their church home. They are able to do homework, use the gym, have dinner and socialize in order to reconnect at church during their challenging and busy week.
• Our Youth Program is one that is supported in planning and implementation by youth families, by other adult leadership and by the congregation as a whole, all in coordination with the Director of Youth Ministies. The Education Cabinet oversees the efforts of a developing Youth Team and various Task Groups who commit to both long and short term projects and events.
• A Mission/Service Trip for the coming spring break in March 2004 is currently being planned. Information for this trip and coordination will very likely be done with Lutheran Disaster Response.
• St. Luke’s works to provide the chance for all youth, grades 9-12 to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering. The next Youth Gathering will take place in July, 2006. San Antonio, here we come, with much fundraising to be done in the mean time!
• At the conclusion of our senior’s high school experience, we hold a
  “Graduate Blessing” service with a high school peer lunch honoring them and fellowship time that follows. And as our students go on after their graduation we strive to maintain contact with continued encouragement for involvement at their home church. For those who may be away from home at a college or university setting, we send holiday care packages and welcome them home with a reunion brunch in December. Email contact is a bonus in keeping current ties to our young adults.

You may contact Jeannine Oakes, Director of Youth Ministries, at youth@stlukespr.org for further information