LiveLove
Every Sunday morning 9th-12th graders will have the opportunity to give and serve others in different ministries in the church. Instead of Sunday mornings just being a time of participating in worship or attending Sunday School, Sr Highers are giving back.
We read in scripture that we are called to love God with all we have and love our neighbors. In Gen. 12:2 God tells Abram "I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing." We, like Abram, receive blessings from God not just to be blessed, rather so we can be a blessing... so we can bless others or "be God's channel of blessing to the rest of humanity."
9th-12th graders have the opportunity every Sunday morning to serve, to give, to volunteer, to LiveLove in lots of different ministries of HPUMC. Fill out the form below and we will help you connect with areas that need your gifts.
If you have questions, please contact Ani Barrington.
Ani Barrington
LiveLove Coordinator
barringtona@hpumc.org
214-535-8911
Youth Ministry’s LiveLove Program
Senior High Students living out the Great Commission
Roughly six months ago an announcement was made in our Youth Ministry introducing a new program called LIVELOVE. This inspiring program kicked off on Promotion Sunday, August 28. Since then, almost 200 of our Senior High Youth (freshman-seniors) have signed up to participate! LIVELOVE is not just a name. LIVELOVE is a way of life! Through this program our senior high youth get to live out the Great Commission —to go and DO! Every Sunday these youth wake up, put their bright yellow t-shirts on (maybe you’ve seen them buzzing around on Sunday mornings) and arrive at 9:15 ready to serve. Some of them are brewing coffee in the Cornerstone Cafe, others are leading small groups in Children’s, Confirmation and with the Junior High. We have greeters, youth working lights, sound, others serving with the Children’s Choir. It’s an amazing thing walking around this church on Sunday morning and watching the wonderful ways our Youth serve their church. LIVELOVE is a gift—and watching them make the commitment to serve, is a beautiful thing!
As you might expect, those serving are getting a lot out of it too. Read on…
“My name is Payton Stewart and I am a senior at Highland Park High School and participate in the Live Love program. I work with the second graders by helping them come in the classroom and sit down, stay focused during the group lesson, and help lead a small group. I love being able to help these kids grow in and explore their relationships with God as well as trying to provide a good example for them. If they can see how a teenager makes time for God in her schedule, maybe they will remember this when they get busy, now or in the future. I also like getting to know kids I would otherwise never get to know. It is so joyful to have a kid ask me to sit with them, be in my small group, or even simply remember my name. They teach me as much as I teach then. They help remind me that sometimes the simple answers are the best answers. I truly love being with these kids every Sunday morning. While sometimes it is hard to keep the kids on track, I know they have learned something new about God or their faith when they leave church.” Payton Stewart, Senior, HPHS
“When I was fresh out of Confirmation and on my way to becoming a part of the Jr. High program at HPUMC, I was so intimidated by the older kids and the youth leaders and the church in general, that my faith began to weaken. I didn’t go to church very often, I didn’t pray very much, and I never really thought about God. About a year after confirmation, my friend Emily told me to sign up for the spring break mission trip, so I decided I might as well go. On this trip, I was able to get to know some older girls who led my small group, and they helped me turn everything around. They showed me God’s love and they helped me to grow stronger in my faith all the way throughout my junior year in High School, and now that I am a senior I want to do the same. Livelove is a great way to be a role model in the church, whether it’s leading a 7th or 8th grade small group, or helping out with elementary kids, or even working in the sound booth. It is a way to give back to the church, as well as help others. I don’t know where I would be now if I had never met those girls, and I know Livelove will provide great role models, just like them.” Caroline Nelson, Senior, HPHS
Don’t hesitate to stop one of these great kids in a bright yellow LIVELOVE shirt on any given Sunday morning and thank them for their great love, commitment and service to our amazing church. Every single one of them is making a difference. HPUMC Youth LIVELOVE. Do you?
