Zion Lutheran Church's Youth and Children's Ministry

Our next regular Fusion Youth Group meeting for 7th through 12th grade youth students will take place in October, likely from 5PM to 7PM, at Zion Lutheran Church. 

If you are considering joining us for the fun, consider bringing a friend along as well! A meal will be served, and no money is needed for these meetings.

Our next regular high school youth group meeting for 9th through 12th grade youth students will take place in October, likely from 5PM to 7PM, in the Zion Lutheran Church youth room. 

If you are considering joining us for this meeting, consider bringing a friend along as well! A meal will be served, and no money is needed for these meetings.

COFFEE: The Zion Fusion Youth Group will continue to manage the coffee fellowship time as an ongoing fundraiser following both services on Sunday mornings. 

ALUMINUM CAN COLLECTION: The youth group is responsible for the aluminum cans, so if you would like to collect cans for the youth group, these can be stored in the fenced in area in the gravel parking lot. We would appreciate if cans were crushed, if possible, to maximize space, and we are not currently accepting any other types of aluminum products, at this time. Do not put any other type of recyclable products in the bags with the aluminum cans, and do not put any type of trash in the fenced in area in the gravel parking lot as bags are not sorted before taking them to be turned in. We appreciate your assistance! 

YOUTH FUNDRAISER: The Zion Lutheran Church youth students will be once again selling discount cards to fundraise for their various events, activities, and initiatives beginning this Sunday, September 21st. Just like last year, these cards are full of discount offers with the generous support from many local businesses from around this area. If you would like to purchase one of these cards to support both our youth students and our local area businesses, please speak with a youth student, Mr. J, or call the church office, Monday through Thursday, to inquire soon. The cost of each card is $15, they are only valid for one calendar year, and limitations and exclusions do apply. See card for details. At this time, we can only accept cash or checks, and checks can be made out to "Zion Lutheran Youth.” In addition, we are only planning to print a limited amount, so if you would like a discount card, please don’t hesitate to inquire.  

CONFIRMATION: Confirmation classes for public school 7th and 8th grade students will be once again taking place on Wednesday afternoons, from 4:00PM to 5:30PM, beginning last Wednesday, September 10th. These classes will continue at that time on most Wednesday afternoons into the spring, unless otherwise announced. A quick remember, if the public school does decide to cancel school for any reason, it is our policy to be likewise closed for Confirmation classes on that Wednesday. As of now, the 7th and 8th grade students will be learning from our DCE, Mr. Jareske, in the old 7th/8th grade school classroom. Both 7th and 8th grade students will need a copy of Luther’s Small Catechism for class each week, so if students have not yet received a copy of this resource, it can be purchased from the church for $20 a copy. Families should also work to complete a registration sheet and pick up a few information sheets at their earliest possible opportunity. For more information, please contact the church office. 

YOUTH EVENT: All 7th through 12th grade youth students and parents are invited to help paint and decorate the new youth room, formally the old Zion Lutheran School 5th/6th grade classroom, this Sunday, September 21st, beginning at 1PM. A pizza lunch will be provided, and anyone planning to help should plan to wear clothes that could get paint splattered and/or messy. In addition, if anyone has anything they think might be good in the new youth room and would like to make a donation, please let Mr. Jareske know in the near future.   

MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH GATHERING: The Nebraska District of the LCMS will be once again hosting their annual youth gathering for middle school students, 6th through 8th grades, on November 8th-9th, 2025 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska. The theme for this conference is SHOW based on Romans 5:8. 

If any middle school students would like to attend, please take some time to complete the pre-registration form included through the linked button below. For students attending, families will also need to complete and return an emergency information form for each students attending, pay the $50 registration fee for each student, and complete and return the talent show entry form, if hoping to participate in the talent show portion of the event, by, or before, September 28th, 2025. For more information, please contact Mr. Jareske by phone (402-329-4313) or email(dcejareske@zionlutheranpierce.com) at your earliest convenience.

• YOUTH EVENT: Sunday, September 21st, at Zion Lutheran Church beginning at 1PM

• In regards to youth events and activities, occasionally plans have to shift and change due to conflicts and other factors. With that being said, if you are not currently receiving updates and reminders from the youth group, please speak to Mr. Jareske as soon as possible, so you can be added to the list of parents/guardians currently receiving this type of information. 

• If any high school students, especially juniors and seniors, would be interested in taking a group college visit to Concordia University Nebraska (CUNE) in Seward during this next year, please speak to Mr. Jareske in the near future to receive information about visit costs and waivers. CUNE is one of the universities in the LCMS university system, and they have a variety of programs of study, including several opportunities for those considering church work. 

• If any youth students would be willing to assist during church services on Sunday mornings, please call 402-329-4313 to let the church office know. We are currently looking for both ushers and technology booth assistance, and training will be provided for anyone willing to serve in either capacity. We have recently begun live-streaming our Sunday morning services with our new camera equipment, and in an effort to better manage all of the moving parts within a typical service, a few additional volunteers to assist with either running the soundboard, running the camera, or managing the slideshow would be very much appreciated. 

• If any 7th grade and older youth, or parents, would like to help with Faith Weavers for this year, please feel free to let me know at your earliest convenience. 

• If there is someone who you believe should be getting update emails, and they are not currently receiving new updates from Mr. Jareske, please let us know, so we can add them to the email list.