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.

• Lexington Mission Trip: At the beginning of July, a group of 24 students and 6 leaders served the community of Lexington, SC for one of our FGS Summer Mission Trips! Our group served at a food bank and thrift store, by roofing and doing yard work, constructing a ramp for a homeowner with disabilities, and in building relationships with the people of Lexington. We loved hearing all the stories of how God worked in the community and in the hearts of our students!
• HS Missional Impact X-Day: In July, a group of our FGS High School students served the upstate community alongside a couple of our local partners! In the morning, our students served at Griggs Church helping them clean and reset after their summer VBS. In the afternoon, our students learned from World Relief and the people they serve. We love seeing our students give up a day of their summer to serve in and learn more about our community!

• FGS Middle: Middle School meets Sunday mornings at 9 and 11 AM at both the Hwy 14 and Adams Mill Campuses! Small groups happen during the service and will relaunch in September! This August, our middle school students will open up the school year with a series on our student ministry vision. This vision summed up in three simple words: Belong, Believe, Become. We'll break down each of these and how we see Jesus give people a sense of belonging when he was around them, how ultimately he invites us to believe in him as the Son of God, and then begins a lifelong journey of becoming more like him. Please ask your students about what they are learning in the three weeks of this series!
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8 PM only at our Hwy 14 Campus! Small groups will relaunch in September, and they will happen from 5-6 PM! This August, our high school students will open up the school year with a series on our student ministry vision. This vision summed up in three simple words: Belong, Believe, Become. We'll break down each of these and how we see Jesus give people a sense of belonging when he was around them, how ultimately he invites us to believe in him as the Son of God, and then begins a lifelong journey of becoming more like him. Please ask your students about what they are learning in the three weeks of this series!
• 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.

• 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 $244 per student! There are limited spots, so sign up your students as soon as possible!
• Small Group Launch: Our Middle and High School small groups will launch on Sunday, September 7, 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 (only at Highway 14). Please register your students for MS Small Groups and HS Small Groups even if you have registered them for past years.
• Foundations Night: This is a brand new event for students! Are you a new believer? Are you curious about following Jesus? Do you have questions about God, the Bible, or what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life? Join the FGS Team on Wednesday, September 17 from 6-8 PM for dinner and a special event as we talk through the foundations of our faith. Register online for free!

• 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