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 July, likely from 5PM to 8PM, 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.

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

LCMS YOUTH GATHERING MEETING: Our next meeting for those attending the LCMS Youth Gathering taking place in New Orleans this summer will take place next Sunday, June 22nd, beginning at 5PM in the Zion fellowship hall. This meeting will be for Adult Leaders and students, and because this will be one of the last meetings before the trip takes place, attendance is strongly recommended. Also, if you are still working to complete paperwork, please plan to return all of these forms, completed, by this meeting, as well. For more information about this process, and any other needed information, please contact Derek Jareske as soon as possible. Food will be provided for anyone who wishes to eat during this meeting. 

ALUMINUM CAN COLLECTION: For those registered to attend, our next planning meeting will take place in the church fellowship hall today, February 23rd, beginning at 5:00PM. We will be discussing our plans for our extra time while in New Orleans, so if you would like to have an opinion on this subject, I would highly recommend attending this meeting. Pizza will be served for those who wish to eat. 

YOUTH FUNDRAISER: The youth students attending the LCMS Youth Gathering will be hosting a fundraiser to take place on Sunday, June 29th, from 1PM to 4PM at Zion Lutheran Church. For the purposes of this fundraiser, individuals can nominate someone from the community to be arrested for $50, and then the youth students will serve the warrants to let those nominated people know they have been nominated for arrest in the lead up to our fundraiser date. Those people can then either report to Zion Lutheran Church or “be arrested” between 1PM and 4PM on June 29th. Arrested individuals must then work to "raise their bail amount” while they wait to be let go. Individuals can nominate someone for arrest by stopping by the church during regular business hours or by contacting Derek Jareske by phone (402-385-8381) or by email (dcejareske@zionlutheranpierce.com), and funds can be brought to the church Monday through Thursday between 9AM and 4PM. All funds raised will go to support the youth students as they work to fundraise for their various events, activities, and initiatives. 

YOUTH EVENT: Vicar and Mr. J are currently planning to take a group to the Wild Water West water park in Sioux Falls, SD on Tuesday, June 24th, barring a weather cancellation. Prospective 7th - 12th graders will need to bring at least $30 (for food and $10 to assist with costs), a church appropriate swimsuit (in addition to street clothes to be worn before and after swimming), a towel, sunscreen, and any other necessities. Because the group will plan to leave by 11AM, everyone should meet at the church by 10:30AM with either a sack lunch or additional funds to eat lunch at the water park. After swimming, the group will eat in Sioux Falls before returning to the church by about 9:30PM. 

Any interested youth must have a parent/guardian fill out the online RSVP on this website by Friday, June 20th, at the absolute latest, so Mr. J can organize tickets and find extra chaperones, if needed. Youth must provide a completed permission paper by the event date to attend, but if they have already attended another youth activity during this year, Mr. J should already have a permission slip on file. 

Parents, if you would be interested in driving/chaperoning for this trip, please contact Mr. J through email (dcejareske@zionlutheranpierce.com) or phone (402-329-4313) as soon as possible. 

• ACOLYTE AND USHER TRAINING: Sunday, June 22nd, beginning at 9AM at Zion Lutheran Church 

• LCMS YOUTH GATHERING MEETING: Sunday, June 22nd, beginning at 5PM at Zion Lutheran Church

• YOUTH EVENT: Tuesday, June 24th, leaving at 11AM from Zion Lutheran Church for Sioux Falls, SD

• 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 either Vicar and/or myself, please let me know, so I can add them to the email list. 

• 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.