- About Us
- Spiritual Life
- Community Life
- Impact
- Next Generation
- St. John School
The work of Cornerstone Youth Ministry is vitally important. We are watching the lives of teenagers change as they discover that they are not walking through life alone, and that there is a real purpose and meaning to their life. They are discovering that their life is a journey, and God is with them and loves them through that journey. We call it the LIFEjourney, and it's all about moving through LIFE together discovering God and His plans for us. We equip and challenge teenagers to have a personal faith in Jesus that they can live out in their church, schools, and communities with incredible courage.
We know that relationships are central to youth. They desire real, authentic friendships. Through small group ministry (6th grade "Picture This," 7th & 8th grade OASIS, and High School FastTrack and Area Bible Studies) over 300 youth meet weekly to building intentional relationships with their small group members, an adult mentor, and the God that loves them. In this environment God is unleashing His Word and the life changing Truth of Jesus Christ in a huge way for these youth. They can ask hard questions, apply the Bible to their life, and be filled with the grace and forgiveness of God's love and the salvation He gives us through Jesus Christ.
We also want youth to have an opportunity to just hang out and have fun, so we host community events every month where youth can come to an exciting environment, celebrate life, and play awesome games and activities. Many of these events center around time frames when drug and alcohol use is more prominent to provide another option for youth to have fun in a safe and positive way. The New Year's Eve Party, Bowl Mania, and Extreme Spring Break events are just a few examples. These are great, non-threatening, places to bring friends, especially if they just want to see what Cornerstone Youth Ministry is all about.
Youth want purpose. They want to change the world. They want their lives to matter. We believe that God has a plan to use youth in awesome ways to affect this community! We provide monthly opportunities to serve in the community. Youth visit Meramec Bluffs retirement community to play bingo with the residents and lead a devotion for them. Besides this organized event, there are countless other opportunities to serve throughout the year. Youth are encouraged to serve anywhere adults can! That means playing in the band, singing in the choir, leading small groups of kids in children's ministry, going on mission trips and so much more! All of the youth who serve in ministry are trained, shadowed, guided and supervised by an adult.
Cornerstone Youth Ministry values youth as the church of today. Our goal is to help youth take ownership of their faith. That means having Jesus as a best friend, knowing how to read and learn from the Bible, being an active part of the body of Christ, worshiping God, and serving in His church and the community. That way they are fully equipped to graduate from High School and go on to College with a strong personal faith foundation, and maybe even start up some ministry opportunities while they are there!
For that reason, we strive to integrate youth into every aspect of ministry. Youth study the Bible in small groups, just like adults do. Youth serve on mission trips and community service projects, alongside adults and families. Youth worship in intergenerational settings, learning from those older than them, and being role models to those younger. For this reason, we don't have "Sunday School" for youth. We see huge long term (and short term) benefits in helping youth find their place in the church. Youth serve, worship, learn, and grow on Sunday mornings, with the rest of our congregation! We take intentional steps throughout youth ministry to help youth with this transition. Through 5th grade children are taught in age specific Children's Ministry settings on Sunday mornings. In 6th grade (the 1st year of Youth Ministry) youth continue to have a regular Sunday morning meeting, but with a schedule specifically designed to prepare them for their next steps. "Picture This" sixth grade small groups meet together for a large group teaching time, and then split into their small groups for life application and discussion. Several times throughout the year, students are scheduled to serve as a group or worship as a group on Sunday mornings, instead of their regular meeting. Then, in 7th & 8th grade, OASIS small groups have the choice to meet at the day, time, and location that works best for the group. Some groups still choose to meet on Sunday mornings at church, while others meet in homes on week nights, etc. Throughout the year they are still scheduled to serve and worship as a group, and are also expected to complete at least 7 sermon summaries a year, which means they will have worshiped at least that many times, if not more. In high school most small groups choose to meet on Sunday nights, and students worship and serve on Sunday mornings.
Another thing that people notice about Cornerstone Youth Ministry is that we don't call ourselves a youth group. We are a youth ministry. We have many different ministry opportunities like worshiping, serving, Bible study, social events, and more that are designed to meet the needs of over 300 youth. Not all of these youth participate in the same ways. Some aren't able to make a weekly bible study commitment, but come to social events and service projects when they can. Others meet in weekly Bible study and worship on Sunday mornings, but don't like to come to big crazy events. We understand that every youth is different, and every youth matters to God, so we strive to have multiple opportunities for youth to engage in their LIFEjourney. We are more than a youth group, we are Cornerstone Youth Ministry.
Kathi Miller
Interim Youth Ministry Director
636.779.2358
Will Hanke
Youth Ministry Pastor
636.779.2352
Adults can serve as small group leaders, event chaperones, planning committe participants for specific events, and so many more ways. Contact Kathi Miller if you would like to help!
Designated gifts can be made to Cornerstone Youth Ministry. If you write a check, simply designate the gift to Cornerstone Youth Ministry in the memo line. You may also use the Online Giving feature. Again, simply designate your gift to Cornerstone Youth Ministry.