Student Ministry
Students grades 7-12 meet the first 3 Wednesday nights of each month at the church 6-8pm to fellowship (sometimes food, always ping pong, cornhole and fooseball) and to study the word.
The Student ministry is led by adult volunteers: Matthew & Melanie Westerfeld and Scott Ayres.
We also have Sunday school classes for Jr. High & High school students at 9:30am Sundays.
GBC’s Student Ministry Core Values and Vision
Below is a list of our 7 core values and our vision for our student ministry. Our core values guide all that we are as a ministry and our vision paints a picture of the future we desire God to create in and through us. If you like what you read we’d encourage you to come and be a part of what God is doing to help make this dream a reality!
Gospel Centrality
GBC’s student ministry is committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that the whole Bible tells the story of God’s plan to rescue his people from their sins through the person and work of his Son, Jesus Christ. The message of the gospel is simple: By God’s free grace, any sinner who turns from his sins and entrusts himself to Jesus Christ will be saved. This salvation is not possible through our own efforts or good works, but only on the basis of Christ’s finished work on our behalf. We believe that this message is what all people everywhere need to hear and embrace since it alone has the power to transform lives. Thus in all that we do as a student ministry our desire is to point students to the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them see how it applies to every aspect of their lives.
Changed Lives
GBC’s student ministry believes that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to transform lives from the inside out. Though there are many ways to achieve behavioral change, we believe that lasting change is possible only through a heart that has been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus in all that we do our desire is to continually bring students back to the gospel. Our passion is to see students’ affections so captured by the beauty and wonder of Jesus Christ that their lives are never the same again. Instead of living for themselves, they give their lives to Jesus Christ and seek to love and obey him in all that they do.
Gospel Community
Relationships are an important part of our student ministry because we believe that gospel growth best takes place in the context of loving and grace-driven community. Our passion is to see students involved in a variety of gospel-centered relationships. These relationships include peer to peer, intragenerational, and most importantly, involvement and integration into the local church.
Gospel Outreach
GBC’s student ministry is passionate about seeing more and more students come to know and experience the life-changing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus our student ministry strives to be a safe place for non-Christians to come and explore their questions and doubts about Christianity in a welcoming and friendly environment. We also seek to encourage and equip our students to share the good news of Jesus Christ with their lost friends.
Partnering with Families
Our desire as a student ministry is to assist parents in shepherding their children in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This means we do not see ourselves as replacing the vital role of the family in our students’ lives. Rather, our desire is to partner with families in ministering to their children.
Culturally Relevant
GBC’s student ministry desires to meet students where they are with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that the gospel is always relevant because it addresses the deepest needs of the human heart. Thus our passion as a student ministry is to help students see how the message about Jesus Christ applies directly to their lives and the contemporary issues they are facing.
Reliance on God
GBC’s student ministry recognizes that unless the Spirit of God is at work in this ministry, everything we do will ultimately be unsuccessful. It is the Spirit of God that is able to minister the gospel to students’ hearts and transform them from the inside out. Thus GBC’s student ministry is fiercely committed to praying for our students and the ministry as a whole. Our desire is to see God do amazing things in and through our students for their good and his glory.