ACCESS (5th – 8th Grade)
Middle School Access is run by Director of Family and Young Adult Ministries Amber Scovell with help from the middle school parents. Access is a three-year program for grades five through seven (eighth grade confirmands are welcome, too!).
Access meets for one hour, which is divided between an interactive lesson digging into the structure, origins and purpose of the Bible; social time; and a snack. Using differentiated methods of learning, students move through stations that interact with the day’s material in different ways. Throughout the cycle, we touch briefly on orthodox Christian beliefs and perspectives on the Bible including: authorship and genres, comparative myths, Hebrew/Jewish history, and important biblical themes. The students often ask about angels, miracles, the creation story, and the incarnation, so we usually spend some time there, too. Access’s main goal is to get students asking real questions about what they have grown up thinking about the Bible or Christianity, and to learn together that sometimes we won’t find a satisfactory answer…but we can still have a robust and joyous faith.
Access is a pre-confirmation class.
Contact ascovell@uccdarien.org for more info.
Teleios (High School)
In Greek, the word “Teleios” means “fully mature, complete, fully grown.” This word appears in the Bible multiple times, referring to individuals with spiritual maturity. In a society that doesn’t always view teenagers as mature or complete, our aim in this Youth Group will be to reclaim this word for ourselves as a group of individuals whose opinions matter. We will lift each other up and respect one another’s gifts and leadership. Youth Group will be a time to connect, encounter God, and have fun. We will recognize that maturity does not always mean serious or boring. TELEIOS is about being ourselves and embracing one another as we are.
For our high school & college grads:
Come to our bi-monthly game night. Contact ascovell@uccdarien.org for info!
Meet Amber Scovell
Amber looks forward to providing a safe, secure, and fruitful environment for learning and fun among our church family. Contact Amber here!