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 June 6 and 13, a group of our FGS Middle School students got to serve the Greenville community. Students had the opportunity to learn and serve alongside some of our local partners including Harvest Hope Food Bank, Piedmont Women’s Center, Griggs Church, and the Poe Mill area of Greenville. We loved serving with our students and seeing them grow in their faith!
• Jackson, Mississippi Mission Trip: In June, 13 of our High School upperclassmen and 5 leaders went to Jackson, Mississippi on one of our FGS Summer Mission Trips! Our team led a VBS at a local church, worked with a care center by painting a woman’s home in the community, and served food and prayed for people in the city. We loved hearing all the stories of how God worked in Jackson 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 take a break from meeting weekly during the summer. Our Middle School series for the month of July will be brought to students by some of our FG interns! The series will focus on the attributes of God.
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8 PM in Auditorium 2! Small groups take a break from meeting weekly during the summer. Our High School summer series for 2022 will be called “Run it Back” and will be a collection of some of our favorite sermons from years past. Every now and then there’s a message that just seems to stand out and become memorable. We have asked around and have chosen some of our student’s favorites from years past.
• FGS Online: For our middle and high students at home, we will continue to offer our weekly online service on YouTube Live. 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 5! Over the summer, Middle School will meet weekly (except on July 3) and High School will meet on select Sunday nights (about every other week).
• HS Summer Schedule: High School will meet from 6-8 PM on June 5, 12, and 26, July 10 and 24, and August 7. High School will not meet on June 19, July 3, 17 or 31, or August 14.
• Senior Sessions: All graduated seniors are invited to join our summer Senior Sessions after High School Programming on Sunday nights from 9-10 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, and all dates can be found online here.
• No FGS on July 3: We will not be having Middle School or High School Programming on Sunday, July 3. Many of our students and volunteers will be out of town for July 4 Weekend. We encourage students to sit with their family in the main FG service!
• 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 Thursday, July 7, from 5:45-7:45 PM.
• HS Worship Night: On Sunday, July 10, FGS High School will have a Worship Night in place of regular programming. We will still meet from 6-8 PM, but we will be back in the Student Building instead of Auditorium 2!
• HS Pool Party: High School students are invited to join the FGS Staff on Monday, July 25 from 7-9 PM at another HS Pool Party! Join us for a fun evening of swimming, playing outside games, and hanging out with other students and leaders! Invite a friend and register for this free event on the website to receive the address.
• MS Park Day: Need to get out of the house? On Tuesday, July 26 from 11 AM - 1 PM, all Middle Schoolers are invited to join the FGS Staff at Southside 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 visit our website for the address.
• HS Missional Impact X-Day: On Tuesday, July 26, our high school students will have the opportunity to spend the day learning from our local partner SWITCH and to tangibly serve together in our community. Students will meet at FG at 9:30 AM and be picked up from Fellowship Greenville at 5:00 PM. The cost is $15 per student to cover transportation and food. Registration for this event is full, but please let us know if your student would like to be placed on the waiting list!
• 6 Rise: FGS invites all rising 6th graders and their parents to 6 Rise on Saturday, August 13 from 9 AM - 12 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!
• 9 Rise: FGS invites all rising 9th graders and their parents to 9 Rise on Sunday, August 14 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!
• Rise Sunday: Rise Sunday is the day that all grades will move up! This year, Rise Sunday is on August 21. Until August 21, your student is still considered to be in the grade they finished in the 21-22 school year.
• EPIC Retreat 2022: 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 Reset! We’ll unpack a case study on the life of Peter while learning that the continuing grace he experienced is just as available to us today. 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 17 to receive the early bird discount cost of $180 per student.

• Parent Podcast: FG has launched our parent podcast, Parenting for a Change, with Student Pastor, Matt Densky, and NextGen 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!
• Parent Cue: This resource offers content for parents that is specific to your students’ phases and can be accessed on the Parent Cue website or with the Parent Cue app. Available content includes parent resources, discussion prompts, and blog articles written by parents with relevant topics that matter to parents. We hope this resource provides you with encouragement and helps you disciple 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