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.

• 6 Rise: On Saturday morning, August 14th, rising 6th graders and their parents attended 6Rise, where they got to meet the FGS staff and experience games, activities, and teachings all designed to help navigate their transition into middle school before they moved up. We loved hanging out with our new 6th graders!
• NextGen Leader Launch: On Sunday, August 22, our NextGen Volunteers (FG Kids, FG Students, and Family Ministry volunteers) gathered together to kick off this school year with other like-minded leaders who are willing to let God use them to influence the next generation. We loved seeing so many of our FGS Students there to serve as well!

• FGS Middle: Middle School meets Sunday mornings at 9 and 11am in the Student Building! Small groups meet during the service and will begin on September 19th. We were designed for connection, designed to belong, and designed to do life with others in a way that is authentic and encourages us to look to God in all we do. In our new Middle School series, we will be talking about community with other believers as we launch small groups in middle school. Our desire is that our middle schoolers would get a taste for community, understand what the Bible says about it, and learn how to experience community with others as they go through middle school and beyond.
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8pm in Auditorium 2! High School small groups meet before programming from 5-6pm and will begin on September 19th. The Bible opens with Heaven and Earth completely overlapping – literally it was Heaven on Earth. By Genesis 3, however, Heaven on Earth becomes Heaven and Earth. The two domains were disconnected due to humanity’s disobedience towards God. From Genesis 3 and on, the big picture of the Biblical narrative is how God is bringing these two domains back together. Our new High School series will navigate the story of Heaven and Earth and answer the questions: How is God rejoining these domains? How does that affect my everyday life? How does that affect my future? How far along is the process? Why does evil exist? Where does Jesus fit into all of this? How should this affect my relationship with God/others?
• Student CBR Journals: Student CBR Journals are a great resource for students as they read along the same books of the Bible as the Adult CBR. Sometimes students will only read part of the day’s chapter, but their booklets also include a short devotion with questions for each day. We are encouraging students to use the Student CBR Journals while also emphasizing that it’s about engagement and not achievement. Students can pick up a copy from the Student Cafe!
• FGS Online: For our middle and high students still 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 9am on Sunday mornings. Our high school students at home can watch the livestream of the main FG service at 11am 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 September 5: On Sunday, September 5th, FGS Middle and High School will not be meeting because we will be on the EPIC Retreat.
• Small Group Registration: Having each student involved in a small group is one of our main goals at FGS. Small groups allow students to dig deeper, help them build community, and provide other adults in their life to affirm them throughout the week. Please sign your student up online for Middle School Small Groups or High School Small Groups even if you've done it in past years. Small Groups will begin on September 19!
• Next Gen Stepping-In Class: On Sunday, September 26th at 11am, 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. This class is offered 3 Sundays a year during our regular service times. Register your student online here.
• FGS United Night: On Sunday night, October 3rd from 5:30-8pm, FGS invites all of our Middle and High School students to our first United Night of the school year! This is a special time to gather the entire student ministry, both middle school and high school, to laugh, worship, learn, and unite together to grow our individual relationships with God. Students can feel free to invite friends to this event!
• HS Fall Party: On Thursday, October 21st from 6-8pm, FG Students will be throwing our annual Fall Party for our High School students and their friends! Cooler weather and changing leaves is our favorite season of the year, so come celebrate with us and invite a friend! There will be dancing, fall treats, and games. Come dressed in your best fall attire. We hope to see you there! Please register online for this free event to receive the address.
• MS Tailgate Twist: On Tuesday, October 26th from 6-8pm, the FGS team is inviting all of our Middle Schoolers and their friends to Tailgate Twist, our annual fall party! The night will include a costume contest, a hayride, outdoor games, a bonfire, fall treats, and even a little line dancing! Come dressed in your best costume for a chance to win a prize. Please keep costumes fun and appropriate! We hope your middle school student will join us for a night of fun to create memories and build relationships! Please register online for this free event to receive the address.
• High School Hike Day: If you have a high school student who loves the outdoors, then FGS would like to invite them to a fun, adventurous hiking day on Saturday, October 23rd from 8:30am-8:30pm. We hope your student will join us as we reconnect with Jesus in what He has made in the mountains of North Carolina! Spots are limited, and the cost is $10. Register your student online here.
• No FGS High on October 31: On Sunday, October 31st, FGS High School will not be meeting to give our volunteers and students the opportunity to spend time with their family and friends!

• Parent Podcast: FG has just 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!
• Fall Study for Moms with School-Aged Kids: This fall, all moms with school-aged kids are invited to participate in a weekly study through the book “Your Teenager is Not Crazy” by Jeramy and Jerusha Clark starting September 2nd. As God allows us to understand the mystery and marvel of brain science, we have the exciting opportunity to reexamine our assumptions about human behavior. Perhaps nowhere does this impact our lives more profoundly than when we think about raising children--especially teenagers. Where parents often see a sweet boy or girl who has morphed into an incomprehensible bundle of hormones and angst, what we really ought to be seeing is an amazing young adult whose brain is under heavy construction. And changing the way we see our teens will revolutionize our relationships with them. This book helps parents develop compassion for their teens and discernment in parenting them as their brains are progressively remodeled. Rather than seeing the teen years as a time to simply hold on for dear life, Dr. Jeramy and Jerusha Clark show that these years can be an amazing season of cultivating creativity, self-awareness, and passion for the things that really matter. Please register for this event on the FG website and purchase the book separately!
• 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 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