Youth ministry at Mount Vernon

Youth are involved in all aspects of ministry at Mount Vernon Church. The goal of our youth ministry is to provide a supportive fellowship for young people to live and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We seek to provide opportunities for service, fun, fellowship, worship, and study.

During the school year we meet every Sunday night in the Fellowship Hall. Unless otherwise noted in the Youth Newsletter, meeting times are:

5:30 P.M. - Younger youth meeting
6:30 P.M. - Snack supper - Fellowship Hall
7:00 P.M. - High school youth meeting

. . . WORSHIP . . .

The youth of Mount Vernon Church assist in worship by serving as acolytes, crucifers, lay readers, nursery volunteers, handbell ringers, and choir members.

In addition, we have creative worship as part of our retreats and mission trips and on other occasions.

. . . SERVICE . . .

Our main mission project is the annual Appalachia Service Project, which repairs homes of low-income families and builds relationships with both the families served and among members of our team. Team members participate in preparation sessions and fund-raising projects.

Our ASP '08 team traveled Claiborne County, Tennessee, where our work included rewiring a house with a dangerously inadequate electrical system, hanging windows and doors and sheet rocking, a room addition on a trailer, replacing a tin roof, adding two porches, finishing a porch and ramp, adding siding, and painting.

A team of 35 people from Danville and Chatham traveled to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi during spring break to help with hurricane repairs. We were assigned to Waveland, where a 44-foot storm surge destroyed 70 percent
of the homes. One homeowner remarked, "People around here think the rest of the country has forgotten about us. Your coming here gives us hope."

In addition, we seek opportunities to serve in our own community. We visit homebound members of our church family. Our youth participate in Mount Vernon's Carpenter's Project to provide home repairs to needy families in Danville. We volunteer at the Homeless Shelter and God's Storehouse and send care packages to our college students.

The goal of our Sunday evening programs is to help youth apply the Scriptures and teachings of Jesus to everyday living. Recent topics have included peer pressure, suicide prevention, the growth of gangs in Danville, poverty in our community, and a critical look at popular music and other media.  We enjoy having speakers who share their faith story with us. We frequently discuss current events and how these issues are informed by our Christian faith.

Retreats provide an opportunity for in-depth study and spiritual growth and many hours of fellowship and fun. In addition, we have a Wednesday night Youth Bible Study in October, February, and March.

. . . FUN AND FELLOWSHIP . . . 

Fellowship activities help us to get to know each other better and give an opportunity for visitors to join us in fun settings: parties and cookouts, ski trips, an annual bicycle trip in the mountains, whitewater rafting, ice skating, and more.