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 Park Day: At the beginning of June, our middle school students gathered for a Park Day at Adams Mill! We loved playing a variety of games, eating together, and hanging out in the summer sun!
• MS Missional Impact X-Days: In June, two groups of our middle school students served the Upstate and learned from our local partners! On one of the days, we served alongside Griggs Church helping them prepare for their kids camp, cleaning their building, constructing a swing set, and passing out church newspapers in the community. On the other day, we served at Harvest Hope Food Bank by sorting, packing, and distributing food and at LEAD Collective by cleaning their facilities. We loved learning how each of these partners cares for our Upstate community.
• Costa Rica Mission Trip: In June, a group of 16 high school students and 5 leaders from FGS traveled to Costa Rica for a mission trip partnering with Praying Pelicans Missions! While in Costa Rica, our team ran VBS, helped with food distribution, and completed some construction projects for the church there! Our team loved connecting with and serving the people of Costa Rica!
• HS Pool Party: At the end of June, our high school students gathered for a fun evening of swimming, grilling out, playing outside games, and hanging out with other students! We love celebrating summer with a good pool party!

• FGS Middle: Middle School meets Sunday mornings at 9 and 11 AM at both the Hwy 14 and Adams Mill Campuses! Small groups have ended for the year, but we will relaunch groups in September! In July, our student ministry interns will be taking our Middle School students through a new series, “Making Faith Your Own.” In this series, students will be encouraged to make their faith personal and live it out in their everyday lives. We will be leaning into the topics of prayer, making faith exciting, and considering the content you consume.
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8 PM only at our Hwy 14 Campus! Small groups have ended for the year, but we will relaunch groups in September! In July, we will finish our series “Deeper.” What if we consecrated all of our summers to pursuing depth with God and others? What if we chose depth instead of distraction? Summer can sometimes be a vacation not just from school but from our faith. But what if Jesus' invitation for our souls... is to come deeper? What if He wants greater closeness and greater relationship with us than we've ever had before? This summer is an invitation from Jesus into the depths.
• FGS Online: For our middle and high students who can’t be here on Sunday, 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 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 1! Over the summer, Middle School will meet weekly (except on July 6), and High School will meet most Sunday nights (except June 15, July 6, and July 20) from 6-8 PM. Small groups do not meet over the summer.
• 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 15, from 5:45-7:45 PM. No registration is required.
• 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 21 learning and serving alongside some of our local partners. Students will meet at FG, ride in vans together, and return to FG that afternoon for pickup. The cost is $15 per student to cover transportation and food. There is limited space so make sure to sign up online as soon as possible!
• MS Park Day: On Monday, July 28 from 11 AM - 1 PM, all Middle Schoolers are invited to join the FGS Staff at the fields at our Adams Mill Campus 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!
• HS Pool Party: High School students are invited to cool off from the summer heat with us on Thursday, July 31 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 3: FGS Middle and High School will not meet on Sunday, August 3 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 3 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 9 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 10 is Rise Sunday, the day that all grades will move up to their grade for the 2025-2026 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 10 at our Highway 14 Campus 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: FG Students 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, our theme will be “Battlegrounds.” Every day, we face fights—between who we’re called to be and what pulls us away, between what’s real and what’s fake, between hope and despair, between going it alone and standing together. God calls us to step into these spiritual battlegrounds, not unarmed, but equipped with His strength and truth. Jesus didn’t just talk about the fight—He won it, and He invites us to join Him in the fray. We’d love for your Middle and High School students to come to EPIC 2025 as we dive into Scripture to uncover some of the key battles we face. 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 for this retreat online now to pay $224 per student. The price will bump up to $244 per student on August 1! There are limited spots, so sign up your students as soon as possible!

• 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.
• Parent Podcast: FG has launched our parent podcast, Parenting for a Change, with former 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