UPC Middle School Ministry PARENT/GUARDIAN INFORMATION

UPC Middle School Ministry PARENT/GUARDIAN INFORMATION

YEAR AT A GLANCE 2018 WEDNESDAY NIGHTS: Sep 19 Dec 12 & Jan 23 May 29 SMALL GROUPS: Various times & places, contact Bianca or small group leader (pg. 3) for details. MISSION AND SERVE: Experience Mission Sunday opportunities. Serving Families, Nov 17. FALL RETREAT: Warm Beach, Nov 2-4 ZOMBIE TAG: UPC, Dec 14 2019 INTERGENERATIONAL MISSION TRIPS: Dec 26 31, 2018 & June 30 July 5 OVERNIGHTS: Girls Overnight: Feb 1-2 / Guys Overnight: Feb 8-9 INVITE NIGHTS: Wednesday, Sep 26 8th graders serve at University Food Bank Wednesday, Jan 30 7th graders serve at University Food Bank Wednesday, Mar 27 6th graders serve at University Food Bank Wednesday, Apr 17 BIG Games around the church! ROCK AUCTION WORK PARTY: Saturday, Feb 16, 10:30am-12pm YOUTH MISSION AUCTION: March 3 Visit upc.org/youth for registrations and any questions you may have! CAMP SPALDING: July 7-13 2

MEET THE ROCK TEAM BIANCA QUEZADA Middle School Ministry Director // biancaq@upc.org KEVIN GROW Middle School Ministry Intern / 6th Grade Guys // keving@upc.org RITA BUYCO Family Ministries Missions Coordinator // ritab@upc.org KEVIN GROW 6th Grade Guys keving@upc.org ELLA SHARP 6th Grade Girls/Worship ella.k.sharp@gmail.com CAMILLE FAIN 6th Grade Girls camfain@gmail.com EMILY PIERCE 6th Grade Girls emily.brinham.pierce@gmail.com KAITLYN ANDERSON 7th Grade Girls andersonk19@spu.edu JULIA SHETTLER 7th Grade Girls julia_shettler@msn.com MATTHEW LAUDER 8th Grade Guys mwlauder2@gmail.com JON McCUISTION 8th Grade Guys jonathanmccu@gmail.com LISA CAIRNS 8th Grade Girls alisacairns17@gmail.com JULIA GMEINER jmgmeiner397@gmail.com MATTHEW BUYCO matthewbuyco@gmail.com MADELINE PATTEN pattenm@spu.edu We are always looking for mature Christian adults to walk alongside our middle schoolers. Youth thrive when supported by many adults in their lives. Consider your friends, family members, or yourself to join this important ministry! Contact Bianca to share names of potential volunteers. Frequently Asked Questions about Small Groups: When & where does my student s group meet? Every group meets after Sunday school, 11:30-12:30pm and has their own, consistent small group room. Families make a plan on where & when you will meet after small group. Which group is my student in? There are six groups based on grade and gender. There is one 6th grade girls group, 6th grade guys group, etc. Each group has two leaders, although we are working on having three adult leaders per group. How do I connect with my student s small group leader? Expect an email from your small group leader every week to let you know if small group is meeting that Sunday. Use these emails to contact one or both leaders. If you don t receive an email, let Bianca know. 3

PROGRAM INFORMATION INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION ALWAYS AT www.upc.org/youth WEDNESDAY ROCK: Meets Wednesdays 7:00 8:30, in Geneva Hall Join the Rock as we gather to play, worship, grow in faith and build community. Invite Nights are special nights to bring churched and un-churched friends to, although friends are welcome to all Rocks. These fun nights may be a good start for some. Some Wednesdays we serve at the University Food Bank and other community locations. Rock will meet every Wednesday throughout the Fall except for October 31st (Halloween) and November 21st (the day before Thanksgiving). SUNDAY MORNINGS: Meets Sundays, 10:00 11:15am, in room 270 SUNDAY ROCK meets over the 10am service, drop-off and pick-up in 270. Sunday morning Rock is a time to learn more about our faith and how we can trust God with our entire lives including our school life, our home life and with friends. SMALL GROUPS: These are gender and grade based groups that meet from 11:30am-12:30pm at UPC. This is the best time for students to connect with fellow Rockers, contribute to the Rock and study the Bible together. Parents will be alerted if the group decides to go off-campus to get a treat on the Ave or play on UW campus. MIDDLE SCHOOL FALL RETREAT: November 2 4, at Warm Beach Join the Rock on a crazy weekend of growing closer in community and with God. Drop-off at 6:00pm in Calvin, pick-up at 12:15pm on 15th ave NE. Arrive early on Sunday for some post-retreat tips, 11:45am in Calvin Lounge. $150 per student, contact Bianca if your family requires financial assistance. If you have not filled out a yearly waiver for your student, please complete the waiver form before check-in. Register online. 4

PROGRAM INFORMATION MISSION AND SERVICE: Contact Rita Buyco for questions or if you want to serve! Throughout the year we provide opportunities for students to put their faith in action. We love having middle school students serve on Sundays in Children s Ministry, Hospitality, as greeters at the electronic check-in kiosks, as ushers, and more! Contact Bianca or one of the other departments that your son or daughter would be interested in serving for more information. Other service opportunities: EXPERIENCE MISSIONS is an all-upc initiative that plans ongoing opportunities for students and families with a variety of local service projects around Seattle and with people of all ages. Parents can attend the gatherings each Sunday, 11:45am- 12:45pm in Geneva. SPRING MISSION FOCUS. Every Spring we raise awareness and funds for an organization that serves throughout the world. Examples: Blood Water Mission & World Vision. SUMMER MISSION, City Splash, alternates between a locally based experience of service and a week of urban ministry outside of Seattle. ZOMBIE TAG: December 14 Although this event sounds like pure mayhem for mayhem s sake (which it mostly is) - this is also a great event to invite friends to a night of fun. Students will also hear a talk on God s vision of peace in the world and how gun violence contradicts the Kingdom of God which we contribute to every day through our actions of peace, understanding, and wisdom. All proceeds from Zombie Tag go to support Youth Missions throughout the year. 5

WAYS YOU CAN ENGAGE/SUPPORT THE INTERN SUPPORT TEAM Sign up to: help connect interns with families and provide prayer support, set up a time for interns to have dinner with a family from YMM, or get to know an intern well enough to know when they need extra support outside of office life. VOLUNTEER LEADER SUPPORT TEAM Sign up to: be proactive & creative about ways to support and thank our volunteer leaders, provide grocery store gift cards that will go toward snacks for our twice a month meetings, coordinate your student s small group to have a families party so they can meet parents, invite a sponsor over for a meal, host an end of year appreciation party, Christmas party, etc. MISSION & SERVICE TEAM Sign up to: help out with service activities, drive and/or join in on Wednesday night serve events, monthly YMM days of service and quarterly Family Missions all-ages days of service like Experience Missions. WEDNESDAYS HOST TEAM! Sign up to; welcome students, keep an eye on hallway safety, help to flip rooms in between activities. 1-2 parents per week are needed. Be an extra support through the evenings as needed. DINNER CHECK-IN TEAM! Sign up to welcome families to dinner, host the sign-in table and collect money. Arrive a little before 6:00pm. COORDINATOR OF TEAMS VAST Check-in with team members from all parts of our generous parent volunteer teams! Make sure we are covered from week to week and provide support throughout the year. 6

YOUTH MISSION AUCTION PARENT SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES The Auction supports all YMM Missions throughout the year including City Splash, weekly service opportunities, our Spring Mission focus and more! Along with the Holy Spirit, the YMM Auction is the number one reason the Missions portion of the youth ministry thrives from year to year. Although it is a one-day party with major all-church involvement, it takes months to make the auction a success. Consider helping to make this the best auction ever by volunteering for one of the categories below. We appreciate any involvement! AUCTION ITEM PROCUREMENT COMMITTEE Start now! Help find good items for both the silent and live portions of the auction, help students put together their baskets, coordinate the Easel Events. We would like 5 parents for this committee. AUCTION PREP DECORATIONS: There will be Work Parties for high school students, parents and friends to serve - Thursday afternoons in February 4:00-5:30pm. We will be working on item organization and auction decorations during these parties --- come to one or all! The Rock Auction Party is Saturday, February 17, 10:30am-12pm. DATA ENTRY: This can be done at home or during the Thursday auction work parties. Enter item numbers and bidder information online. 1-2 hours / week starting in February. AUCTION WEEKEND: MARCH 1 MARCH 2 Shifts for Auction set-up are throughout Friday and Saturday prior to Auction Sunday. Sign-up for one or more of these shifts! POST-AUCTION Parents are needed for two weeks after the Auction to help with item pick-up and statement preparation. 7

YMM LEADER SAFETY POLICY THE FOLLOWING IS THE ABUSE PREVENTION/RESPONSE AND APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR POLICIES THAT EVERY ADULT VOLUNTEER AGREES TO WHEN THEY BECOME A YMM LEADER. Volunteering with YMM is a fantastic opportunity to play a significant role in the lives of young people at UPC. However, it is extremely important that you know that stepping into this role puts you in a vulnerable spot. You are being asked to build relationships with students and that can often be risky. In order to protect you and also cultivate a ministry environment in which students are safe and protected, it is important that you agree to the following policy. 1. All policies and procedures apply to all students served by the Youth Mission and Ministries Department at University Presbyterian Church. 2. Volunteers and staff for the Youth Mission and Ministries Department must complete a formal application process prior to their participation in children's programs. This process will include: Verbal interview including the question: Have you ever been arrested, charged or convicted of any offenses involving children? Voluntary completion of the Washington State Patrol Request for Criminal History Information Child/Adult Abuse Information Act form. Forms will be immediately processed through the WSP system and kept on file in the YMM office. Completion of a Sponsor Application Form 3. Volunteers who 1) refuse to comply with the application procedure or 2) have reason to answer yes to question (2-a) as stated above or 3) have a previous record of offense involving children or youth documented by the criminal identification process (2b above) will be excluded from participating in Youth Mission and Ministries programs. There will be no exceptions to this policy. 4. At least once a year, all YMM staff and volunteers who work with youth must review the YMM policies and procedures regarding the prevention and recognition of child abuse. Documentation of this review will be filed in the YMM office. 5. The following safeguards are in place within the UPC building to prevent the opportunity for abuse and to protect you: A student is not to be alone with a sponsor, leader or YMM staff member in a closed or private space. All classes and small groups are led by teams, or in open and/or public spaces. (Two Adult Rule) All rooms have windows in the doors so that activities can be monitored from the hallways. Students cannot drop by a private resident unless another YMM approved adult is present. One-on-one meetings with students should always be in a public place with others present. 8

6. Any suspected incident of child abuse occurring within the Youth Mission and Ministries Department of University Presbyterian Church will be immediately reported to a YMM staff member as outlined in the document titled "Procedure for Handling Suspected Abuse" as accepted by the Youth Mission and Ministries Department. Any department staff or volunteer suspected of abuse will be relieved of their involvement in YMM programs until and unless the Department of Child and Protective Services agrees there is no evidence of abuse and the Pastor/ Sr. Director of Family Ministries agrees to reinstate that staff member or volunteer. 7. When anyone working with youth at UPC believes there is reasonable suspicion of child abuse having occurred outside of UPC the person must immediately contact a YMM staff member, who will take appropriate action. 8. Driving students: it is best not be alone with a student in a car. No adult will be alone with a student of the opposite sex in a car. If for some reason it is unavoidable to be alone with a student in a car (emergency or other such extenuating circumstance) leaders will contact the appropriate ministry director and the parents of the student. 9. Avoid any form of social media, calls or texting a student after 10:00 at night (high school) and 9:00 at night (middle school). Avoid private conversations through social media, calls or texting students. If you find yourself beginning a text conversation of a personal nature notify the students leader and check in with the appropriate ministry director. Only contact students of the opposite gender when it s informational in nature (such as letting a member of your mission team know about a meeting, etc). Be aware of the items you post (facebook, instagram, twitter, snapchat, etc); especially if you know students can see your posts, albums, pictures, etc. Do not post pictures of students on any social media site without parent approval. 10. Adults will not participate in watching R rated movies (high school) or pg-13 (middle school) or playing Mature rated video games with students (all grades). 11. Every adult leader will meet regularly with the director of the ministry they re volunteering with or a qualified member of the church, and participate in a small group for spiritual mentoring, support, growth and accountability. Whenever an incident of abuse is suspected, the following is necessary: 1. Whenever any person believes there is reasonable suspicion of sexual abuse, it must be reported within 24 hours. Contact a YMM Director (Scott or Bianca) or Family Ministries Director, who will take appropriate action. 2. The staff member will discuss the situation with the person who suspects the abuse. If both agree that there is reasonable suspicion of abuse, or if after discussion one individual remains convinced that there is reasonable suspicion of abuse then reporting becomes mandatory. If you have any questions about any of the above guidelines, please talk with the appropriate YMM Director. Contact the appropriate YMM Director in advance of making any exceptions. 9

ROCK LEADER ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES EVERY ADULT LEADER AGREES TO THESE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. Since we all have different commitments in our lives and live different distances from UPC, we want to be flexible and help leaders find a commitment that is right for you AND for our ministry. Here are some roles and responsibilities that are important to consider: Commit to growing in your faith. We cannot disciple students if we are not growing as disciples of Jesus ourselves. This includes being connected to a worshipping community outside of the youth ministry for growth, community, and accountability. Regularly attend the program(s) that you have committed to. The Ministry Director assumes if you could be at the expected program, that you would be there. Attend leader meetings for planning, training and support. Stay in communication with YMM staff. Notify staff in advance when you cannot make it to a program commitment. Notify staff if commitment changes throughout the year. Prioritize trips like retreats, camps, and mission trips (at least one a year). Relational time be in contact and intentional with students outside of program. Be invested in the whole leadership team, taking time to build relationships with the other leaders so that we can become a community ministering together. Model behavior in your own life that reflects values we are teaching in YMM. 10

PARENT RESOURCES MONTHLY YMM PARENT NEWSLETTER: Arrives monthly to your email inbox! Each month YMM emails highlights and important information for the upcoming month. We will automatically put you on the list according to your primary email address listed in your contact information. If you are not already receiving these monthly email, please let your ministry director know. WEB SITES: In addition to www.upc.org/youth www.fulleryouthinstitute.org/category/parenting www.theparentcue.org/ BOOKS: Parenting Beyond Your Capacity by Reggie Joiner and Carey Nieuwhof Sticky Faith by Dr. Kara E. Powell and Dr. Chap Clark When Helping Hurts Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert PARENTS IN PRAYER: Weekly during Wednesday night programs Join a group of parents who gather to pray for students and leaders of YMM. Contact Kristen Beers (skbeers@comcast.net) for location & time information. 11