Middle School Ministry
Empower, Encourage, and Prepare
The mission of Zion’s Middle School Ministry is to empower, encourage, and prepare youth for a deep life of faith and active engagement in the Body of Christ.
Support and accountability are provided in this partnership, with shared expectations for Sunday worship, Wednesday night learning and small group, and fellowship gatherings. Youth will have the opportunity to explore the Christian faith, ask tough questions, and see what it means to be a part of a faith community as preparation for their Affirmation of Baptism service.
Zion Confirmation
Confirmation is an important milestone in your son or daughter’s faith journey that began at their baptism. It is our joy to partner with you in helping you fulfill the promises you made at baptism and help your child grow in their relationship with God.
Confirmation is grounded in the basics: weekly worship, worship involvement, weekly learning on Wednesday evenings, faith growth, and community service. In addition, students are expected to attend a retreat in their 6th and 7th grade years and spend a week at Camp Wapo in June after their 8th grade year before participating in the Affirmation of Baptism (Confirmation) Service the fall of their 9th grade year.
If you have questions about Zion’s Confirmation Ministry, contact Pastor Mike Rueckert.
See What It’s All About – Confirmation 101
| Wednesday Schedule Afterschool (optional) 3:30-6:00 p.m. Pizza Dinner (optional) 5:00-5:40 p.m. Confirmation 6:00-7:20 p.m. |
Confirmation Time Announcements 6:00-6:10 p.m. Large Group Lesson/Small Group Time 6:15-6:45 p.m. Large Group Lesson/Small Group Time 6:50-7:20 p.m. |
After School – Optional
On Wednesdays when we have confirmation or Lenten worship services, we will open up the Youth Room and gym for confirmation youth to hang out, play/run in the gym, and even get some homework done before confirmation begins. Having this option makes it very convenient for families whose youth attend Anoka Middle Schools as they can come to the church right after school and don’t have to worry about transportation between school and confirmation.
• Youth who don’t attend Anoka Middle Schools are welcome to join Afterschool
time, so feel free to drop off your youth at church anytime after 3:30 pm.
• Youth must be registered with Zion Confirmation in order to participate with
Afterschool.
• It is expected that once a youth has signed into Afterschool that they remain in the
building until after Confirmation ends.
Pizza Dinner
Dinner is available for all members of the family and served from 5:00-5:40 pm on the Wednesday nights of programming. In keeping with our child safety policies, children birth to 5th grade will need to be accompanied by an adult.
There are 3 ways to pay for the dinner:
1. At the door = $5 per person, $3 kids ages 3-5, free under 3
2. 10 Meal Punch Card (6th-8th graders only) = $40
3. 30 Meal Family Punch Card = $120
Punch cards can be purchased online at any point in the year. Cards transfer from one year to another can be transferred to a younger sibling, or be refunded at the end of the program year. Contact Pastor Mike or the church office for more information.
Confirmation Time
The confirmation time from 6 pm-7:20 pm is split between a large group lesson (1-2 grade levels as a time) and time with a small group. Each grade level is split up into small groups of 6-10 youth with 1-2 mentors. These groups are set as 6th graders and remain together during the 3 years of confirmation.
Most small group times will be spent connecting together through sharing highs and lows and talking about the night’s lesson. Occasionally, the small groups will have the opportunity to play games in the gym, do a service project, or help with our Wednesday night elementary program.
For more information about Middle School Ministry at Zion contact Pastor Mike Rueckert.
Make sure to check out our Middle School Ministry blog for news and announcements about upcoming events and opportunities!
Announcements for Middle School Ministry, and Children, Youth & Family
Click on the image to read full announcement.
Envelope Fundraiser
Support Zion high school youth and their upcoming summer trip to Nashville. Envelopes can be purchased online or on Sunday mornings April 2 through April 30.
Summer 2023 Kids Camps
Join us for a variety of camps for kids birth through Grade 5. All interested children can attend Zion Kids Camps. Invite your neighbors & friends! Registration is now open!
Camp Registration
Registrations for Camp Wapo and Ox Lake are still being taken on a first come first served basis. Register now to guarantee your spot during Zion’s week/weekend.
Summer Intern Openings
Zion is hiring interns to assist with summer programming. Applicants should be young adults who have completed high school or 1+ years of post HS education. Apply now!
HS Nashville Mission Trip
Join other Zion youth on a mission trip to Nashville, TN. We leave July 8 and return July 16. Open to all current high schoolers in 9-12th grade.
Preteen Ministry Has a Name!
Zion’s preteen ministry, Joiz–n–Noiz, meets from 6-7:20 p.m. on Wednesdays and features activities created especially for kids in grades 4-5!
Meet Srimathi and Dinesh!
CYF ministries is sponsoring two children through Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry, Srimathi (age 7) and Dinesh (age 9). Click for more information on how you can help!
CYF Programs – Register Now!
Registration for CYF 2022-23 continues throughout the program year! This includes Kid City and Holy Shenanigans Sunday School and Wednesday night programming.
