Dear church family,

Over the last two months our church staff, elders, and youth volunteers have been reflecting and praying together about how to more effectively reach students who come through our doors each Wednesday night with the good news of Christ, and we’re eager to announce some significant changes in our Wednesday Night Youth Program, which will kick back off on Wednesday, February 7th:

• A one-hour Wednesday program allowing for a greater focus on Christ
• A new format that allows our church family to gather in worship alongside our students once a month
• Better accountability for students to create a better learning environment
• New ways for you as a member of our church family to be on mission for the youth of Lexington

Time

To provide a more simplified and sustainable Wednesday Night Youth program, we're shortening our program time from three hours (5-8 PM) to one hour (6-7 PM). By cutting out the Wednesday night meal and streamlining our schedule, youth leaders with be able to keep the focus on reaching students for Christ.

Format

To more effectively engage students with the truth about Jesus, we're carving out more time for youth to gather in small groups to unpack the message of the gospel. Here's how: on the first Wednesday of the month, students will gather in the sanctuary alongside our church family for "First Wednesday Worship" with music led by our FBC praise team and a message from Scripture. 

The following three Wednesday nights students will gather in small groups to dig deeper and apply the sermon they heard during First Wednesday Worship. This allows volunteers to build stronger relationships with students as they engage the gospel message more personally.

Accountability

Finally, because it's our deep desire for every student to have an opportunity to hear about the good news of God's grace in Christ, students who prove to be disruptive and disrespectful so as to impair the ability of others to listen and learn will be giving one warning, and then be asked to leave. The student can only return to future Wednesday nights after they and their guardian have met with Pastor Chris or another elder to address the behavior.In addition, at least one elder from First Baptist will be present each Wednesday night to help with accountability.

Church Engagement

We're also calling on our entire church family to make a greater investment in reaching our students in Lexington for Christ. While our church is committed to reaching the unreached beyond our borders in places like Malaysia, we also need to recognize that the Lord has positioned our church across the street from two school campuses full of students who don't know Jesus. Here's a few ways you can help reach these students for Christ.

First, commit to pray for our students and youth leaders each Wednesday night when they gather. Set an alarm on your phone or put a note on your calendar -- whatever you need to do to remember to pray for the Lord to open students’ hearts to the gospel.

Second, join us each month for First Wednesday Worship! This is a great way for students to experience the presence and love of our church family by seeing a room full of adults who care about them enough to worship with them one hour, once a month.

Finally, some may feel called to serve on a weekly basis with various volunteer roles such as check-in, small groups, or just being the face of Christ among students when they gather. For more information, contact Christian Brandon.

However the Lord is calling you to get involved, we are excited for the new ways our church will be able to invest in the next generation!

Grace upon grace,

Chris Bruce - Lead Pastor

Christian Brandon - Youth Pastor