Youth

Any of the GPUMC youth who have been part of our annual work camp to Henderson Settlement in Kentucky will immediately recognize the image at the top of this page. These crosses overlook one of the valleys in the Appalachian Mountains and welcome students every morning when they gather to worship during their week at Henderson.

Our annual work camp is a pivotal experience for our youth and for our entire church and preparation for attending begins years before through students’ participation in Sunday School, various mission activities, and confirmation.

Confirmation

Baptized infants are considered members of the United Methodist Church, but confirmation gives individuals as young as middle school the opportunity to make a public profession of faith and commit themselves to the church. Confirmation is not a sacrament in the Methodist church, but it is a significant marker in a believer’s spiritual journey.

You can learn more about what confirmations means to United Methodists here.

If you have a child who is old enough to begin confirmation classes, please contact Rev. David Eardley.

Workcamp at Henderson Settlement, Kentucky

For nearly 30 years, Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church has sent a group of high school youth and several adult chaperones to serve for one week at Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky, in the southeastern corner of the state.

Although we are veterans at doing this work, this experience never gets old and continues to provide one of the most profound learning experiences for participating youth and adults along with our entire congregation.

Our focus has been on providing our youth with the opportunity to serve in a community that is very different from the community where they live. They learn and put to use some construction skills to improve the homes of those in Appalachia, but we see a much deeper and broader effect from their time in Henderson. They develop deep relationships with each other that sustain them through the difficult years of high school. They come away with an intense awareness that they have lived privileged lives and that they are compelled by their faith in Christ to respectfully reach out to support those who have not been so fortunate.

Each summer, they return and share their stories, their learnings with the congregation in a service that is always a powerful testimony to the growth in their spiritual faith and ultimately in the faith of all of their listeners.

Students work all year long to raise funds for this weeklong summer trip. Fundraisers include monthly bake sales, bottle drives, butter braid sales, serving other church committees, car washes, a down home dinner, pancake breakfast, and more.  

If you are interested in participating in GPUMC’s workcamp mission as an adult volunteer or student participant, please email one of our workcamp coordinators, Jeff Froggett or Emily Bianchi.  

Youth group

GPUMC’s youth group serves children from 6th through 12th grade. Youth group meets on Sunday evenings during the school year for Bible study, fun, fellowship, mission outreach, and more.

The youth group strives to serve members and committees of our church as well as the Grosse Pointe community and beyond. Our fellowship and mission work brings us closer to each other and closer to God. 

The youth group is currently raising funds to support our annual weeklong workcamp mission trip to Frakes, Ky., in June.

Check the youth group’s calendar of events for up-to-date information about activities and meeting times. 

Please contact Emily Bianchi with any more information regarding our Youth Ministry activities and opportunities.