Ignite (Grades 7-12 Youth Group)
At the Calgary Church of Christ, our teenagers are a priority. There are many different events and activities throughout the year that are designed to connect new teens to the group, build relationship & community within the group, grow an understanding of scripture & Christian faith, and/or engage the teens in their faith.
Friday Nights
The majority of our youth program takes place on Friday evenings from September through May. Our teens gather in the fellowship hall at the Church building each Friday night from 7-9pm. Most Friday nights include Games, Activities, Snacks, and Small Groups. The main purpose of this evening is to build relationship & community and is open to all youth between grades 7-12. From time to time we have special activities designed to help connect new teens to our community such as Laser Tag, Bowling, Movies, Halloween parties, and Christmas parties. There is usually no Ignite on long weekends.
Missions
Every 3 years, the grade 10-12 students in our youth group have the opportunity to join a missions team and go somewhere in the world to share their faith and help others who are in need. The Fireside Café located in our Church building is a ministry run by the teens in order to raise funds for this trip. Our most recent youth mission trip happened in July of 2017 where 19 teens and leaders went to the country of Estonia in Eastern Europe for 15 days. You can learn more about their trip at the Mission Trip Page.
Throughout the year we provide other great opportunities for our youth to engage in mission opportunities and social justice projects. Some examples of these opportunities are Operation Backpack (stuffing backpacks full of useful items to be given to homeless youth at Christmas time) and a spring mission trip to Regina, SK.
Special Events
- Teen Bible Camp- Every year in July, the teens are invited to attend Jr. High or High School Camp at Pine Lake Christian camp near Red Deer
- Fall Camping Trip – Each September to kick off the year, the teens head west of Calgary to Kananaskis to camp together.
- Fire & Ice Retreat – Every February our teens make a trip up to Pine Lake Christian Camp for a winter retreat.
- Youth Conferences – In October and March we attend PYPA and Emerge, youth conferences which bring together teens from throughout Western Canada.
Spark (Grades 4-6 Youth Group)
As a way of reaching out to and connecting with the younger youth of our Church and community, we have formed a ministry for those in Grades 4 – 6. The main purpose is to help them create healthy friendships, have a lot of fun, and learn about Christ while doing it. Another purpose for this ministry is to help these youth connect to our Church at a younger age in order to help with their transition into Ignite.
Friday Night Parties
Once each month throughout the school year we hold a Friday Night Party for this age group where we gather at the building for crazy games, crafts, drama, bible stories, food, and most importantly, to build friendships.