Gloria Dei Lutheran Church | Urbandale, Iowa

Youth: Junior & Senior High Youth

Our Mission

Our youth ministry is on a mission, so we will follow the GYM (Grow, Yield, Minister) acronym:

Grow in our relationship with God and others,
Yield to Jesus as Lord and Savior and
Minister to others through outreach and service.

Grades 6-12 are encouraged to join us for events that are geared toward connecting teenagers to the love of God. On Wednesdays, join us as we praise God together through music, Confirmation and The Point. On Sunday mornings, we come together for high school small groups and Castaway. If you have any questions, please contact Tim Kightlinger at 278-5544, ext. 212.

Newsletters
Get all the monthly activities in one click:

May 2012

Fellowship night: (Grades 6-12)

Friday, May 18 from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Meet Tim at 8 p.m. just inside Incredible Pizza, 3799 NW 86th St., Urbandale. The cost is $15 (includes pizza, go carts, bumper cars, mini golf and mini bowling.) Friends are welcomed.

Sign-up sheet on the youth bulletin board by May 16.

Upcoming Activities: Junior High (Grades 6-8)

Junior High Castaway Sundays
Sundays from 9-10 a.m. and 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Castaway is a high-energy, multi-sensory, active learning environment that focuses on the weekend sermon topic. Castaway will resume June 3-July 29.

Junior High Wednesday Evenings
Wednesdays, from 6-7:15 p.m. ~ resumes in the fall
Students in grades 6-8 meet in small groups discussing various topics that are relevant to their

Wednesday evenings - The Point
Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Youth Center
The Senior High Youth invite the 8th graders to join us for "The Point" beginning Wednesday, May 9. Join us on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. for praise, teaching and interactive discussions.

May Topic: " How to eat spaghetti and other important lessons."
Beginning in June there will be a group activity following "The Point" for youth in grades 8-12.

The Well
"Sacrifice a little, so someone can have a lot." The youth ministry students have been challenged to raise $5,600 to build a well in Niger, Africa. If you would like to help, contact Tim Knighting.

Junior High Café 923
Friday, from 6-9 p.m.; next date to be determined
It’s huge! It’s fun! It’s Cafe 923! What is Cafe 923? It is a night where you can hang out, have a good time, eat, play games and bring your friends. We will meet from 6-9 p.m. in the Youth Center and Family Life Center. Everyone is welcome and please bring your unchurched friends, so we can introduce them to GYM (Gloria Dei Youth Ministry) and to our God. Cafe 923 comes from Luke 9:23. Pizza $1 per slice; soda $.50 a can.

30-Hour Famine
The 30 Hour Famine is scheduled for June 8-9, 2012.
Together we can save lives.

2012 Mission Trip (Grades 8-12)
June 23-30, Port Jervis, New York
We will join about 400 teens and adults from around the United States to form work groups to perform repairs/improvements on homes of the poor and elderly. A few spots still remain; a $50 deposit is required to hold your spot.

Upcoming Activities: Senior High (Grades 9-12)

Sunday mornings - Senior High Bible Study
Sundays from 9-10 a.m.
Join us Sundays from 9-10 a.m. as we discuss the weekend sermon topic and relate it to life as a teenager. Senior High Bible Study will resume in the fall.

Wednesday evenings - The Point
Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m.
Join us on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. for praise, teaching and interactive discussions.

May Topic: " How to eat spaghetti and other important lessons."
Beginning in June there will be a group activity following "The Point" for youth in grades 8-12.

Life hurts...God heals (Grief Support)
Meets on Sundays, from 6-8 p.m. Open to all teens in grades 8-12 and their friends who have lost someone close to them. We will meet for six weeks and begin the process of healing through God's Word. If you or someone you know would like to talk or to take the session, e-mail Tim Kightlinger.

30-Hour Famine
The 30 Hour Famine is scheduled for June 8-9, 2012.
Together we can save lives.

2012 Mission Trip (Grades 8-12)
June 23-30, Port Jervis, New York
We will join about 400 teens and adults from around the United States to form work groups to perform repairs/improvements on homes of the poor and elderly. Cost is approximately $750-$800. A few spots still remain; a $50 deposit is required to hold your spot.

Wells Bring Hope Project

The youth group has set an audacious goal—to raise $5,600 to build a well in Niger, Africa. The idea caught fire when Tim Kightlinger, Director of Youth Ministry, asked three teens if they would be interested in helping. They responded quickly with a "count me in" nod and started to develop a plan. They settled on the theme “sacrifice a little, so someone can have a lot,” because they wanted to encourage sacrificial giving. So instead of eating out or buying candy, they are encouraging each other to put the money in the well.

If you would like to know more about the project, click here.

To give online today for the Wells Bring Hope Project.

Resources for Parents

We think you will enjoy this Simply Youth Culture newsletter. Nov./Dec. 2011

Photo Gallery

Click here for the recent photos of what those youth are doing (or not doing!)

Click here for the photos from the The National Youth Gathering

Listen to TK on YouTube.