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.

• FGS Middle: Middle School meets Sunday mornings at 9 and 11 AM at both the Hwy 14 and Adams Mill Campuses! Middle School small groups happen during each service, and new students will be placed in a group on Sunday morning! In the month of February, Middle School will be talking about relationships. But don’t worry, not the dating kind. Middle school will be in a series called "The Circle" where we will talk and think about those who are in our circle of closest relationships and what it looks like to relate in healthy ways. We’ll look at what the Bible says about our relationship with God, with friends, with parents/authority figures, and with ourselves. We are praying that the Lord helps our Middle Schoolers better understand what it means to love those in their circle and beyond.
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8 PM only at our Hwy 14 Campus! Small groups meet at Hwy 14 from 5-6 PM before High School Programming. Students wanting to join a small group should show up by 5 PM on a Sunday night to be placed in a group! In February, High School will have a quick, 2-week series called “Relationship Goals” where we'll be exploring how to create and build healthy relationships as disciples of Jesus Christ. This series will cover topics like friendship, desires for dating, and the meaning of marriage. We want our students to know God's building blocks and boundaries for our most meaningful relationships in life!
• Serving Needs: FGS Staff could not care for all of our students without so many volunteers giving of their time, energy, and gifts. Serving with FGS could look like greeting students with the Connections Team, facilitating discussions as a Small Group Leader, playing instruments or singing with the Worship Team, or running lights, sound, or slides with the Tech Team. If you are interested in learning more about what it looks like to serve with FG Students, please fill out the online Serving Interest Form! Our greatest need right now is for Small Group Leaders, especially for High School girls on Sunday nights. We are in need of two High School girls Small Group Leaders at Highway 14 as well as two 9 AM and one 11 AM Middle School guys Connect Leaders at Adams Mill.

• CANCELED United Night: Unfortunately, the FGS United Night scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to the snowy weather conditions. Because of other upcoming events, we are unable to reschedule this event. However, we will still have two more United Nights for Middle and High School this spring! One will be at the end of March, and the other will be in the middle of May.
• RESCHEDULED Understanding Your Student: Due to the snowy weather conditions, the Understanding Your Student event set for tonight must be rescheduled, and the event will now take place on Sunday, February 22 from 5-8 PM. This parent event will not be paired with a United Night like normal, but instead, this Understanding Your Student will happen at the same time as a regular High School Sunday night. From 5:00-5:30 PM, parents will be given a pizza and salad dinner in Room 232 while having time to meet & greet with the FGS staff and other parents. From 5:30-8:00, parents will join Student Pastor Dallas Greenaway and Executive Pastor Rob Marks for content, Q&A, resources, and some intentional collaboration time with other parents. The topic for the evening will be mental health, and we will have two professional counselors that attend FG share their expertise. We will be sending a parent email soon with details on registering for this event and for childcare if needed.
• No HS on Feb 8: FGS High School will not meet for small groups or programming on the night of Sunday, February 8. We know many of our students and leaders enjoy hosting and attending Super Bowl parties, and we want to encourage our students to spend time with family and friends!
• MS Girls Night: We are inviting all of our Middle School girls to a special girls-only event with FGS on Friday, February 13 from 5:30-8:30 PM! We will be getting together for a movie and game night at FG complete with pizza, popcorn, soda, and candy. This will be a fun night as we spend some time getting to know each other, watching Disney’s Zootopia, and playing games together. We can't wait to spend some time building deeper relationships between our Middle School girls and their small group leaders! Please register online for this free event. 
• MS Guys Night: If you are a Middle School boy and enjoy playing games with your friends, then FGS would like to invite you to a fun guys-only game night at FG on Friday, February 13 from 5:30-8:30 PM! We will be playing video games and board games while eating pizza and snacks and having fun with other middle school boys and leaders. Come ready to compete in the Mario Kart tournament! Make sure to register online for this free event!
• HS Girls Day: On February 28 from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, the FGS staff invites all 9th-12th grade girls to our annual High School Girls Day! Each year, we gather together to hear teaching, have discussions, and worship together all led by the amazing female staff and leaders at our church! Throughout the morning, we will have snacks, group activities, and time for crafts and fellowship! Put this date on your calendar and invite a friend! Registration is just $10 per girl!
• HS Guys Day: On February 28 from 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM, the FGS staff invites all 9th-12th grade guys to our new High School Guys Day! Come join us for a day of fun games, competitions, and sessions centered around Biblical Manhood and teaching on what it means to become a man like Jesus. Put this date on your calendar and invite a friend! Registration is just $10 per guy!
• Spring Break 2026: This year, Greenville County Public Schools’ Spring Break is March 16-20 while other schools like Southside Christian School will have Spring Break April 6-10. FGS will have identical Spring Break events for both of these Spring Breaks!
• FGS Park Day: Middle and High School students are invited to join the FGS staff over Spring Break at our Adams Mill Campus to play some games on Monday, March 16 from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Students can invite a friend and bring a packed lunch and water! No registration is needed for this event.
• FGS Student Lunch: Middle and High School students are invited to join the FGS staff for lunch over Spring Break on Tuesday, March 17 from 12:00-1:30 PM at Maple Street Biscuit Company at Five Forks. The first 10 students to arrive will win a free lunch! No registration is needed, but the address can be found on the website.
• MS Missional Impact X-Day: Over Spring Break on Wednesday, March 18, FGS Middle will spend the day serving the upstate. To foster growing hearts and minds focused on serving, students will have the opportunity to learn and serve alongside some of our local partners. Students will meet at FG at 8:15 AM and return to FG at 5:00 PM. The cost is $15 per student to cover transportation and food. Registration will open for this event in the middle of February, and there will be limited spots available.
• HS Missional Impact X-Day: Over Spring Break on Thursday, March 19, FGS High will spend the day serving the upstate. To foster growing hearts and minds focused on serving, students will have the opportunity to learn and serve alongside some of our local partners. Students will meet at FG at 8:15 AM and return to FG at 5:00 PM. The cost is $15 per student to cover transportation and food. Registration will open for this event in the middle of February, and there will be limited spots available.
• Next Gen Stepping-In Class: On Sunday, March 29 at 11 AM at Hwy 14, we will have another Next Gen Stepping-In Class. Stepping-In is a fun and interactive 60-minute class that will help your student understand what baptism is, discover exactly what the Bible says about it, and build their confidence in sharing their faith with others. Students will need to attend this class before participating in NextGen Baptism in May. This class is offered 2 Sundays a year during our regular service times, and the next class will be in the fall. Register your student online here.
• United Night of Worship: FG Students invites all Middle and High Schoolers to join us for a night of fellowship and worship with other youth groups in the Upstate! Join us Sunday evening, March 29 for a United Night of Worship from 5-8 PM at Mauldin First Baptist. The night will begin with games and time to hang out while eating from a lineup of food trucks. This is a great chance to hang with friends and meet students from other churches. Later in the evening, we will gather together for worship and teaching. Invite a friend and bring cash for the food trucks! Please note that this event is not at Fellowship Greenville!

• Books for Parents: “Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon” by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock gives parents insight on how to raise the next generation with a resilient faith. “Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World” by Sissy Goff is a great resource for parents of daughters struggling with anxiety and worry. This book helps parents understand what contributes to anxiety and worry and how to empower their daughter to overcome those fears. “The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims” by Rebecca McLaughlin gives parents insight on some of the current claims and beliefs of culture and helps parents have conversations with their students about these topics. “Practing the Way: Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did.” by John Mark Comer is a great resource for parents, students, or whole families wishing to grow in spiritual formation.
• Raising Boys and Girls Resources: Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan have been sitting with children and families as therapists at Daystar Counseling Ministries for over three decades. Through their counseling, podcast, books, and speaking, they've made it their life’s work to offer practical help and hope to families through their resources and experience. Check out their website to explore all the resources including books, newsletters, podcasts, and online parenting courses!
• 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!
• The Bible Project: The Bible Project offers free, high-quality resources to help people understand and experience the Bible as one unified story that leads to Jesus. Many of their resources come in the form of engaging videos that provide overviews of each book of the Bible, explore key themes across Scripture, and explain difficult to understand concepts in Scripture. In addition to videos, The Bible Project offers podcasts, study guides, articles, and online classes that make the Bible accessible and transformative for students, parents, and families. If your student is interested in digging deeper into Scripture or if you are looking for content to go through as a family, this is a great resource!
• Past FGS Messages: Check out our online library of past Middle School and High School Sunday messages. This is a great resource for parents and students wanting to hear sermons on specific topics including relationships, spiritual disciplines, anxiety and depression, community, doubt, the life of Jesus, and more. Our more recent FGS messages (both Middle and High School) are available on Spotify as podcasts.
• 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 our student staff! You can find all of our contact information on the website!

P.S. We’ve added a few new resources to the Parent Resources section above! Check out one of the books or websites we are currently loving!

Brentley Sheehan

Student Connections and Development Coordinator