Join us and support us in our events! Donate to Youth Ministry Fundraising Week NOW! For more details and donation links, visit: https://firstbaptistgreenville.com/youthministryweek/ to help us reach our goal.
Sunday, February 23–Sunday, March 2—$1 to $200 Envelope Fundraiser: Two bulletin boards are in the Narthex, each filled with envelopes numbered from $1 to $200. Grab an envelope, place the corresponding amount in the envelope.
Wednesday, February 26, Noon-8pm—Barberitos Profit Share Fundraiser: Visit the S. Pleasantburg Barberitos and tell them you’re with “First Baptist Greenville.”
Friday, February 28, 6pm—Parent Social & Dinner Party at the Johnstone Home: ALL parents and friends of FBG children and youth are invited to RSVP and purchase a ticket for $40, which includes dinner and a variety of beverages. We hope to see you there!
Here are some stories from our youth on why they love our FBG Youth Family!
During our Fall Retreat last year, I was injured. I had just had surgery on my hand and was worried about going to camp and not being able to do anything fun. I soon learned I was wrong, I participated in so many activities, and the ones I didn’t, I cheered on. I don’t think I would have felt as included with any other group of people. I swam in the lake on my back with my arm stuck straight up, and I tucked it close into my chest when I rode the zipline. Even though I couldn’t play volleyball, basketball or football, I had a great time with my friends. My favorite part of Fall Retreat is personal devotions. Everyone gets a pamphlet and spreads out across the campus; I always sit on the dock by myself. We are meant to be silent and quiet spending time with God, some people don’t follow that rule. I love being in my thoughts looking at the lake and writing down my feelings and prayers. I don’t usually spend time at home worshiping like I do on retreats. All of this is made possible by our Youth Committee and the donations everyone here makes to our Youth Family; we are so grateful.
—Miriam Rieder, 8th Grade
I love the Youth Ministry at First Baptist because of the friendships. Since I first joined the youth, I’ve seen my brother and sister have great times with their friends and are still friends with those people. I could have talked about how fun and awesome our trips are, which is true, but without my great friend group they wouldn’t be the same. From times when we were in middle school playing around in our rooms at night, then realizing it’s 3am, and we have to wake up in 3 hours, or now being super tired around 11pm but still playing cards until 3am, knowing sleep would be nice, but memories are better. Without the Youth, many youth wouldn’t come to church or have a safe place on Sundays and Wednesdays where they can have fun and a meal and forget about other stuff in their life bothering them.
—Ford McDonald, 12th Grade
My favorite memory in youth group was the mission trip to Belize two summers ago. I feel that the most memorable parts of the trip for me were the new connections and friendships I created over the week. I really enjoyed getting to know the children who played while we were helping to lead a Kid’s Camp at a local church. It was extremely rewarding to build new relationships and help teach them about God’s love. This trip also gave me the opportunity to not only strengthen my relationship with people who are already my friends but also to create new friendships with people I had never really connected with. Spending the week together allowed everyone on the trip to grow closer, and I made friends who I otherwise would not have spent the time to connect with. I’m extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to go on such an amazing and impactful trip!
—Wells Shelley, 12th Grade
My youth group is like a second family. We laugh together, have fun together, and support each other through thick and thin. We’re all different, but we come together and learn and grow in our faith. We’re a community that loves and accepts each other, no matter what. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing group of people.
—Nolynn Carter, 7th Grade
The youth group is important to me because we go on trips where I get to have fun with my Youth Family and learn about God. One of my favorite memories of being in the youth group is when I went on the ski trip. It was so much fun to spend time getting to know other youthies and learning to ski better. One of my other favorite things about being in youth is getting to go to Unidiversity Youth Camp. We stayed at Maryville College for a few days in the dorms, signed up for classes, and participated in camp-wide worship. We got to go to classes to learn about God and got to choose electives that were just plain fun. In the classes, we studied scripture and learned different ways to pray. This was a special trip for me because it helped me feel closer to God and my Youth Family. I’m thankful for Mary Carol and the youth staff that help us have fun and grow together.
—Ainsley Murphy, 7th Grade