Not Youth Group

Weekly Meetings

Both guys’ and girls’ Not Youth Group meetings take place at 7pm at Sojourner’s Café, 1406 White Bear Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55106. Guys meet with Pastor Chik Chikeles and girls meet with Pastor’s Wife Kimberly Chikeles.

Events

Permission Slips are needed for each event. Find them HERE.

VISION

NYG In a Nutshell:

Not Youth Group is the youth ministry of Calvary Chapel Saint Paul, for young men and women ages 13 through 15.

So why is it called “NOT YOUTH GROUP?”

We believe many of today’s Christian youth groups share certain characteristics. On a typical night, boys and girls focus on impressing each other, leaders design games and activities to keep them stimulated, and the youth are given lessons that meet them at their age but may not get at what lies ahead in their adult lives. At Calvary Chapel Saint Paul, we believe in following a different model for youth ministry. Importantly, just because we believe in doing things differently does not mean the traditional model for youth group is wrong – it’s just different.

Our youth ministry is designed around the vision of building up youth to “follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).

We believe that to follow this vision means to do things differently. Where other youth group programs have guys and girls meeting together, for our weekly meetings, we have guys and girls meet separately. Where other programs may plan activities and lessons to cater to the young, we plan our meetings believing that teens want to know what God says about being adults, and what it means to have a Biblical worldview.

As a result, much of our ministry looks and feels like the ministries that these guys and girls will be joining once they turn 16 years old. We want to come alongside parents and support them in getting teens ready to be godly men and women. And of course, there will be a lot of fun things to do as well!

Why do you meet separately?

For one, this helps to minimize the distractions, but more importantly, we recognize that men and women are most effectively ministered to in different ways. As Paul advised Titus (Titus 2:7 – “In everything set them an example by doing what is good…”), we believe that the older men and women in the congregation are examples to the younger – older men are role models to younger men, and older women to younger women. We seek to reserve that weekly meeting time for learning about what God’s Word says to them as men and women, without the pressures that naturally occur when young guys and girls get together.

So what do you DO at NYG?

Groups meet weekly in a “Home Fellowship” format. We meet to discuss the message taught on Sundays and how it applies to our lives. We study what it means to be a godly man or woman. This is also a place for getting to know each other, encouraging one another, and just hanging out.

We also meet regularly as a whole group (guys and girls) to get out and have some fun. We will go on “bigger” trips a few times a year. These may last several days and can be either about serving others or just getting away to learn more about God. Please see the Calendar for more detail on some of the upcoming events.

Finally, we promote getting young men and women involved in service, which not only builds godly character but is a direct command from Scripture (Galatians 5:13). NYG members are involved in serving not just on mission trips once a year, but regularly within their home church, from serving in the Children’s ministry to running the video camera on Sundays.

E-mail Not Youth Group questions: ccsp@ccsaintpaul.org