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 March, likely from 5PM to 7PM at Zion Lutheran Church. 

If youth 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 March, likely from 5PM to 7PM at Zion Lutheran Church. 

If high school youth are considering joining us for this meeting, consider bringing a friend along as well! 

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

YOUTH FUNDRAISER: The Zion Lutheran Church youth students are once again selling discount cards to fundraise for their various events, activities, and initiatives. 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 $10, 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 returned on Wednesday, January 14th, at our usual time and classroom. Again, if the public school does decide to cancel school for any reason on a Wednesday, it is likewise our policy to cancel Confirmation classes, as well.

There will be no public school Confirmation classes for 7th and 8th grade students on Wednesday, February 18th, as there is no scheduled school on that date.

PASTRY PUFFIN FUNDRAISER: The youth students from Zion Lutheran Church will be selling Pastry Puffins again this year for $16 per frozen package until Sunday, February 15th, which is when all order forms will be due to be returned. 

For those that don’t know, Pastry Puffins are frozen filled pastries, and unlike some other varieties, these can be made directly from frozen without the need for the pastries to rise before baking. They come in multiple types of fillings, including fruit, cream, dessert, and even breakfast pizza, and they come in packages of between 6 and 12 count per package. 

For those that would like to order, we are asking for payment at the time that orders are placed, and cash and checks are accepted. All checks can be made out to Zion Lutheran Youth Group. Barring an unforeseen delay, orders will be available for pick-up in late March. Please speak to a youth student to learn more and place your order, or if you would like to place an order, Monday through Thursday, please speak with Mr. J during regular business hours. 

Another option to keep in mind, if you do not have a need for pastry puffins in your own home, but you would still like to support the youth students, you could still place an order and donate those items to the church for the purpose of putting on coffee and fellowship following our Sunday morning service. 

YOUTH EVENT: A church appropriate youth video game event is currently being planned for Sunday, February 22nd, from 3PM to 6PM at Zion Lutheran Church for all 7th-12th graders. If any youth would be interested in attending, please let me know in the next several weeks, so I can organize a meal and supplies. We will likely order pizza and appetizers.

Please be advised, if any youth plan to bring gaming supplies and/or devices to use during this event, they must be prepared to be personally responsible for those items. The church is not responsible for any lost, stolen, misplaced, and/or damaged property during the duration of this event.    

We are also asking that all games be church appropriate. No excessive violence, strong language, or inappropriate themes. 

• CONFIRMATION: Takes place every Wednesday, unless otherwise announced, at 4PM at Zion Lutheran Church
  • No public school Confirmation classes on February 18th

• PUFFIN SALE: Until Sunday, February 15th (Deadline to Return)

• YOUTH EVENT: Sunday, February 22nd, beginning at 3PM at Zion Lutheran Church

• 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. 

• This past Sunday we took 20 people, 16 students and 4 adults, to Great Bear Ski Valley in Sioux Falls, SD, for a day of skiing, and everyone had a very fun time on the slopes. It’s always sad when the day comes to an end, but when the sun goes down, and the temperatures start to drop, it’s probably a good idea to start heading for home. Weather wise, though, we probably couldn’t have asked for a better day! At any rate, thank you to the adults who helped drive and chaperone for this trip, thank you to the students who attended, thank you to the parents/guardians that helped get things prepared, and thank you to this congregation for supporting youth ministry, so we can go on amazing trips and events.