Youth Ministry
OUR MISSION
SCAPC Youth Ministry provides students from 6th-12th grade with a safe and affirming atmosphere to explore their unique relationship with God, to build friendships based on trust, authenticity, and grace, to examine and embrace their own gifts and imperfections, and to develop a deeper sense of justice and open-mindedness for and with individuals and communities different than their own. Rather than being seen as passive conduits of knowledge, our youth are recognized for the wisdom, creativity, and strengths they bring to this world here and now and are empowered to be leaders for one another and for the church community.
It is our hope that students who invest time into SCAPC's youth program will not only develop a stronger sense of self, a more tangible understanding of how they can worship God and embody love in their own way, and a deeper acumen for serving and listening to others, but they will also have a network of compassionate, authentic relationships around them – stemming from their peers and their youth director yes, but also from our volunteer team, SCAPC college role models, and from congregational mentors.
Youth Group
Youth Group takes place every Sunday evening in the third floor Youth Room. Each evening consists of downtime for pure fellowship and dinner together, as well as organized games, activities, and discussions around a theme of the day.
Sunday School
Sunday School is offered for all 6th-12th graders between Labor Day and late May before Sunday worship in the 3rd floor Youth Room and occasionally through our @SCAPC_Youth Instagram.
Retreats & Trips
Fellowship and growth with God and neighbor are often most powerful when youth can “retreat” from their everyday surroundings and pressures. SCAPC sponsors a fall high school retreat, a trip to the Senior High Conference at Montreat in North Carolina, and other retreats throughout the year.
For information on currently planned retreats and trips, visit our trips page (click here).
Service Saturdays
Part of our youth ministry mission is to develop in our youth a deeper sense of empathy and justice for those suffering in our local community. To that end, a crucial part of our ministry happens on the first Saturday of most months, where we offer to our 6th-12th graders a volunteer opportunity with one of our community ministry partners.
Small Groups
Small groups are available for youth who prefer more intimate settings than our bigger Sunday night youth group atmosphere. SCAPC currently offers two youth small groups:
A Dungeon & Dragons group on Saturday afternoons
and a Senior High Small Group consisting of occasional off-site events.
Meet Our Team
At SCAPC, we pride ourselves on providing our youth with the individualized support and care they need. To us that means surrounding them with a network of loving, Christ-centered adults who can nurture them and speak to their diverse interests and personality types.
Chris Hazlaris, Youth & Young Adults Director, graduated from Yale Divinity School with a specialty in Youth Ministry. He is a New Orleans native and graduate of Jesuit High School.
Chris Hazlaris, Youth & Young Adults Director
