Hello from the FGS Team!

Parents, we believe the middle school and high school years are crucial in the life of every child, and we want to do our best to partner with you through this season. One way we do that is by keeping you in the loop about all that is happening in our FGS ministry. In this newsletter, you will find a look at recent events, an update on what is currently happening on Sundays, and some things to know in the coming weeks.

• MS Missional Impact X-Days: On two Mondays in June, FGS Middle served the Greenville community alongside some of our local partners including Griggs Church, Harvest Hope Food Bank, and Miracle Hill Thrift Store. We love seeing our students give up a day of their summer to serve in and learn more about our community!
• Costa Rica Mission Trip: In June, a group of 15 upperclassmen students and 5 leaders served in a small village in Costa Rica for one of our FGS Summer Mission Trips! Our group served alongside a small local church with food distribution, helped lead a VBS, and worked some construction projects on the campus. We loved hearing all the stories of how God worked in Costa Rica and in the hearts of our students!

• FGS Middle: Middle School meets Sunday mornings at 9 and 11 AM in the Student Building! Small groups have ended for the school year and will begin again in September! Ever wonder why we do the things we do in our faith? In July, Middle School will begin a new series, “WHY??”, where we will dive into the reasons behind some important practices of Christianity.
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8 PM in the Student Building! Small groups have ended for the school year and will begin again in September! This summer, High School will be in a series called "Parables" where we explore the mysterious and provocative riddles that Jesus was so famous for teaching. From studying the Gospels, it seems like these stories were His favorite way of talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus, the master Teacher, is brilliant in His way of connecting earthly truths and everyday scenarios to heavenly realities leading us straight to the heart of God. If we want to better know and understand Jesus, we have to better know and understand His teachings. A deep dive into His greatest parables will help us do just that!
• FGS Online: For our middle and high students at home, we offer our weekly service online on YouTube. This online service will be a livestream of our first hour middle school service at 9 AM on Sunday mornings. Our high school students at home can watch the livestream of the main FG service at 11 AM and keep up with our current high school series by listening to the FG Students Podcast or watching the message on our YouTube channel later in the week.

• FGS Summer Programming: Our Summer Programming for Middle and High School will launch on Sunday, June 2! Over the summer, Middle School will meet weekly (except on July 7), and High School will meet on select Sunday nights (June 2, June 9, June 23, June 30, July 14, and July 28) from 6-8 PM. Small groups do not meet over the summer.
• FGS Small Groups: Our Middle and High School small groups will launch on September 8, after the EPIC Retreat. We place a very high value and emphasis on our small groups and the transformation that happens within community. Middle School small groups meet during Sunday morning services at either 9 or 11 AM. High School small groups meet from 5-6 PM before HS Programming on Sunday nights. Please register your students for MS Small Groups and HS Small Groups even if you have registered them for past years.
• Senior Sessions: All graduated seniors are invited to join our summer Senior Sessions after High School Programming on Sunday nights from 9-10:30 PM during June and July! We will meet in the Student Cafe as we spend time worshiping together and discussing a variety of topics about your next stage of life. These Senior Sessions are free to attend with no registration needed, and all dates can be found online.
• Discovery Island: FGS invites all Middle and High School students and their immediate families out to Discovery Island Waterpark for a fun evening of water sliding, flo-riding, and enjoying summer with our FGS families! This free event is on Tuesday, July 16, from 5:45-7:45 PM.
• HS Missional Impact X-Day: To foster hearts and minds focused on serving others locally, our High School students will have the opportunity to spend the day on Monday, July 22 learning from our local partner JumpStart and tangibly serving together in our community. Students will meet at Fellowship Greenville at 8:00 AM and be picked up from Fellowship Greenville at 5:00 PM. The cost is $15 per student to cover the cost of transportation and food. There is limited space so make sure to sign up online as soon as possible!
• MS Park Day: It’s time for more fun in the sun! On Monday, July 29 from 11 AM - 1 PM, all Middle Schoolers are invited to join the FGS Staff at Pittman Park to play some games and hang out. Feel free to invite any of your Middle School friends! Make sure to bring your own packed lunch. Registration is not required, but the address can be found online.
• HS Pool Party: High School students are invited to cool off from the summer heat with us on Thursday, August 1 from 7-9 PM at our HS Pool Party! Join us for a fun evening of swimming, smores, playing outside games, and hanging out with other students and leaders. Register online for this free event to receive the address!
• No FGS on August 4: FGS Middle and High School will not meet on Sunday, August 4 because of Next Gen Sunday. We would like all our students to be a part of the main FG service that morning!
• 9 Rise: FGS invites all rising 9th graders and their parents to 9 Rise on Sunday, August 4 from 6-8 PM, where you will get to meet the FGS staff and experience dynamic games, activities, and teachings all designed to help navigate this transition into high school. This event is a great way for students to begin the transition into FGS High and feel more comfortable about coming to their first High School Programming on Rise Sunday. Register for this event online!
• 6 Rise: FGS invites all rising 6th graders and their parents to 6 Rise on Saturday, August 10 from 1:30-4:30 PM, where you will get to meet the FGS staff and experience dynamic games, activities, and teachings all designed to help navigate this transition into middle school. This event is a great way for students to begin the transition into FGS and feel more comfortable about coming to FGS Middle on Rise Sunday. Register for this event online!
• Rise Sunday: Sunday, August 11 is Rise Sunday, the day that all grades will move up to their grade for the 2024-2025 school year! On Rise Sunday, FG Students will kick off a new year of FGS Programming!
• Next Gen Leader Launch: Next Gen Leader Launch is for those who have served, are serving, or are interested in serving within any of our Next Gen ministries (nursery-high school). Join us Sunday, August 18 at 12:15 PM (full schedule on the website) for lunch, celebration, intercession, and introduction. Help us kick off this next school year with other like-minded leaders who are willing to let God use them to influence the next generation. Register online now!
• EPIC Retreat 2024: FGS is offering an amazing experience for your students on Labor Day weekend—our annual EPIC Retreat! Students can escape for a weekend at Woodlands Camp in Cleveland, GA. This year, the theme for EPIC is The Way! The life Jesus models for us in the gospels is meant to be adopted as our new way of living. In fact, early Christians were referred to as followers of The Way. Our Middle and High School students are invited to EPIC 2024 as we study The Way of Jesus in the book of John and consider what it looks like to live like our 1st century rabbi in a 21st century world. This is an incredible opportunity for physical and spiritual rest, loads of fun, and a unique opportunity to jumpstart our students’ faith as they enter into the new school year. EPIC is also a great way for students to build relationships with other students and leaders that could be in their small group! Register online by July 31 and pay $219 per student. The price will go up to $239 in August as long as spots are available.

• Parent Podcast: FG has launched our parent podcast, Parenting for a Change, with Next Gen Pastor, Matt Densky, and Executive Pastor, Rob Marks. How do we parent our kids well in the midst of all kinds of change? How do we change as parents so that, in turn, our kids change for the better? Our hope and prayer is that parents would grow in their own faith in Christ and then pass on that kind of authentic faith to the next generation. This first series of podcasts will break down 5 principles of what it looks like to pass on our faith. Listen on Spotify or the FG Website!
• The Culture Translator: This is a weekly email from a group who focuses on helping parents navigate the changing culture and news that keeps coming at us at a rapid pace. Each Friday they send an email that takes five minutes to read but keys you in on three major culture/news happenings along with questions to discuss with your students. A lot of us on staff have subscribed and have found it very insightful. We hope this helps you stay in the cultural loop and gives you strategic ways to keep speaking into the lives of your children!
• FG Students Podcast: Each week, we upload our Middle School and High School Sunday messages to our FG Students Podcast. This is a great resource for parents wanting to have further conversations with their students about what they are learning on Sundays! If your student misses a week, they can also go back and listen to past messages. Our podcast is available on Apple Podcasts or on the FG Students page of our website under Resources.
• FGS YouTube Channel: Here you can find videos from FG Students including Middle and High School messages, FGS vision, training for small group leaders, volunteer highlight videos, and insights on adolescent culture.

If you ever have any questions about our ministry or about navigating life with a middle schooler or high schooler, feel free to reach out to the student staff at students@fellowshipgreenville.org.

The FGS Team