YOUTH MINISTRY

Grades 6-12 

Our youth ministry is multi-dimensional, supporting youth, 6th–12th grade from both the Buffalo Grove and Deerfield campuses, as they grow in mind, body, and spirit. We are committed to being inclusive and welcoming all youth. Our program provides a variety of ways for youth to stay connected so that they can grow in their love for God,  live their faith in service, and build sacred community with other youth and adults.
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Children & Youth Registration

IMPORTANT: Please register all children and youth (birth through grade 12) for the 2024-2025 school year! The form should only take a few minutes to complete.
Our goal is to provide a safe and nurturing space for all children and youth, which begins with gathering important information so we can best serve your family.

Sunday School for Students Grades 6-12

Buffalo Grove Youth Sunday School:
  • Meets from 9:00-10:00 am every Sunday.
  • During this time, we will study scripture, activate learning with hands on tasks, and discuss faith in our daily lives.
  • The first Sunday of every month, youth will participate in Communion with the rest of the church.
  • The fourth Sunday of the month is dedicated to FOOD! Youth will either help pack and inventory food for the Food Pantry or make breakfast for the group. We will all eat together at the end.

Deerfield Youth Sunday School: 
  • The first Sunday of every month in what we call, STARBUCKS SUNDAY from 10:00-11:00 am! We will walk to the Starbucks, grab some drinks or treats, and have our lesson discussion at Starbucks before walking back to the church for Communion together. 
  • For the weeks where there is no official Youth Sunday School, you are encouraged to connect with Rev. Clayton to find out ways to get involved during the 10:00 am service (A/V, reading, greeting, serving, and more).

Buffalo Grove Campus

  • November 24: Our Words Matter
  • December 1: Introducing the Grinch Advent Series: The Heart the Grew Three Sizes
    • Youth will help decorate and read in the service for the Hanging of the Greens
    • Children and youth will combine for a shortened introduction lesson
    • Youth will participate in Communion with the rest of the church
  • December 8: When Christmas isn't Christmas (The Grinch Advent Series)
  • December 15: When Light Shines and Joy is Our Song (The Grinch Advent Series)
    • NOTE: There will only be ONE service at BG at 10:00 am this week
  • December 22: Food Sunday
    • Youth will either work in the Food Pantry or help make breakfast for the group
    • NOTE: There will only be ONE service at BG at 10:00 am this week
  • December 29: NO SUNDAY SCHOOL
    • There is no Sunday School for Children, Youth, or Nursery
    • NOTE: There will only be ONE service at BG at 10:00 am this week

Deerfield Campus

  • December 1: Starbucks Sunday: The Heart that Grew Three Sizes (The Grinch Advent Series)
  • January 5: Starbucks Sunday: Topic coming soon
  • February 2: Starbucks Sunday: Topic coming soon

Upcoming Events

Sunday Night Live (SNL) Youth Group

We gather for dinner, fellowship, and fun once or twice a month.  $3 per evening (Scholarship monies available, reach out to Kate for more information).  Specific details of the night will be shared closer to each event date!

Friends are ALWAYS welcome! ALL are welcome!
Remaining 2024-2025 SNL Dates
Sunday night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Buffalo Grove Campus:
November 24: Friendsgiving at the Deerfield Campus
January 12: Special Event and Parent Life Group
February 23
March 16
March 30
SNL nights include:
Third Grade God Squad (3rd graders)
Club 45 (4th and 5th graders)
Youth Group (6th through 12th graders)
Parent Life Group (any parent, on select SNL nights--see the Parent webpage for specific details and dates)

Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

All youth are invited to attend the 4pm Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Makom Solel Lakeside in Highland Park before the 5pm SNL Friendsgiving on November 24. Please connect with Kate about this opportunity to get a ride from the service to SNL at Deerfield that night!

This is an incredible opportunity to connect with other faith expressions and share how thankful we are for each other!

Advent Wreath Workshop

Lighting candles on an Advent wreath is a long cherished Christian tradition.  

Bring your family on Sunday December 1 to learn more about what an Advent wreath is and how to use it.  
Make your own  and take it home for the Advent season.  

Our come-and-go-as-you're-able workshop will be from
10am-noon at our Buffalo Grove campus,
and 11am-noon at our Deerfield campus.

There will be a small fee for materials, but please reach out to Kate if your family needs a little help with that...no worries!!!

Christmas in Chicago

All youth 6th-12th grade are invited to join us on our annual Christmas in Chicago trip! Invite your friends and come ready for a great day!
9:00am= Meet at the Deerfield Train Station (860 Deerfield Road Deerfield, IL 60015)
Explore Chicago= Including the Chriskindlmarket and a giant ice slide at Navy Pier
3:30pm= Return to the Deerfield Train Station
Once you sign up, you will receive a detailed itinerary of the day. 
Register by December 6! 

Advent and Christmas 2024

Get Ready to Celebrate Advent and Christmas with the Grinch at Kingswood!

This season, our whole church is embracing the Grinch—and we can’t wait to share the joy with you! After all, ALL are welcome here at Kingswood, right?!
For Children and Youth:
  • During Sunday School, Advent Night, and Christmas Eve, kids and teens will journey to Whoville to explore how their faith can grow—just like the Grinch’s heart (three sizes!).
  • Don’t miss the chance to collect a set of Grinch pins—available at six special events throughout December. Check the calendar for dates and details!

Christmas Eve Services:
Join us for family-friendly worship with a fun Grinch-y twist. This year’s Christmas “pageant” will be a playful Whoville skit, but rest assured—Baby Jesus is still the star of the show!
  • 4:30 PM at Buffalo Grove
  • 5:30 PM at Deerfield

Take a look at the December calendars for events at both campuses. Be sure to sign up to join the family-focused Christmas Eve service at your preferred campus.
We’re ready to celebrate, it’ll be such a delight,
Growing our hearts like the Grinch—three sizes bright!
Stay tuned for how to sign up to participate in the 5:30pm DF Christmas Eve service!

Upcoming Service Opportunities

Holiday Giving Fair

Giving back and giving gifts never felt so great!

Sign up to sell your homemade wares: jewelry, baked goods, trinkets, toys, frames, sewing, crochet, and more! You will then donate a portion of your earnings to a charity of your choice! Help set this holiday season off right!

December 8 from 6-7 pm at the Deerfield campus
Sign up today to sell and save the date to shop!

Day of Service

MORE INFORMATION IS COMING SOON!
But for now, save the date (January 20, 2025) for Gratitude Generation's Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It's a day of service projects and connections--you won't want to miss it!
We need:
Youth volunteers (with a prep meeting on Jan. 12)
Adult volunteers
Children participants
VOLUNTEERS: To volunteer, click the following button and use the password "MLKDAY" (It says Service Squad members should put the password in, but for this event, this password works for anyone who uses it).

Ongoing Service Opportunities

PADS

Kingswood welcomes guests every Tuesday night from October through April. Youth under the age of 18 can support this important ministry every Tuesday from 6:00-7:00 pm or Wednesday from 7:00-8:00 am. Youth may not interact with the guests, but can help in many ways during set up! 18 or older can work any time throughout the night!
Email Kate for more information and to sign up  for the 2024-2025 year.

Gratitude Generation

Housed in our Deerfield site campus at 815 Rosemary Terrace in Deerfield, IL,  they do a tremendous amount of compassionate work in our community, for others, and teaches the next generation of children and families how to serve.  We've been thrilled to partner with them at events we've held, and we support their mission to  support neighbors in need while building a new generation of service-minded leaders.  Check out the many opportunities they have for kids and teens. 

Pop Tab Collection

Join Kilmer School in District 21 and the Village of Wheeling to help families of children receiving treatment/services within the Lurie Children's Hospital. We are collecting all types of tabs in Sunday School to support the Ronald McDonald House Charities!
One of our Youth Sunday School leaders, Dr. Rebecca Reynolds has a wonderful charity called Reynolds' Provisions. See how you can support this great organization that is doing good works to help fill individualized needs of educational programs for communities around the world.
Please reach out to Kate if you are in need of service hours, have a heart to serve others, or have ideas of other service-focused projects we can participate in!

Get Involved

Confirmation

Confirmation is for students 8th grade or above from both the Buffalo Grove and Deerfield campus.  
Contact Kate Lapetino for more information.

Youth Praise Band

Youth Praise Band is for ANY and ALL performers from 5th-12th grade! No matter your instrument of choice or your experience level, we have a place for you here! Check out the calendar of tentative practice and performance dates!

Questions: Contact Felicia Patton, Director of Music Ministries
One-on-one piano lessons: Contact our Organist, Dr. Michael Fritsch
One-on-one voice, guitar, or other lessons: Contact Felicia Patton

Summer Youth Mission Trip

Congratulations to this year's mission trip participants who traveled with Appalachia Service Project to Magoffin County, Kentucky from July 14-20, 2024! It was a wonderful week of service, fellowship, and friendships! Thank you to all who prayed and supported our trip!

More info about the 2025 Youth Mission Trip will be shared this fall!

Get Connected

KUMCYM Insta

Check out all of our updates and events on our Kingswood Youth Instagram page!
Connect with our Kingswood youth and share with your friends!
@kumcym

Apps, Devos, and Podcasts

Looking for a way to stay connected? Download one of these recommended apps or daily devotionals! Share any others that you enjoy with Kate to keep this list updated!
YouVersion Bible App
Big Life Devotional
Daily Bible Inspirations
Kingswood UMC Weekly Sermon Podcast

Worship Through Music

Worship always gets elevated with music. Whether we can sing in tune or not, we can all benefit immensely from singing to God with enthusiasm.
Connect through music by listening to our Spotify playlists!
Are there songs missing?
Share your suggestions with Kate to add to our lists!

Mental Health is More than a Month!

More than ever, mental health is so important in ALL of our lives.  We face each day with more input and information than ever before and it can feel overwhelming without even realizing that it's overwhelming.  You don't really know any other way, so this constant bombardment of distractions and information is "normal".  We must all find time to take a break, unplug, and seek peace.

Prayer and time with God can be a HUGE gift to our mental health, but it doesn't stop there.  God is an amazing provider and gives us many supports and resources to better our mental health.  Check out the following resources for information, support, and ways to get involved.

Looking for some parent 
tips, tricks, and resources? 
Check out our Parents page!

Ready to share your time volunteering or check your current volunteer schedule?
Check out our Volunteer page!

Our new youth room space at the Buffalo Grove campus is getting close to being done! If you are interested in contributing to this new space, please check out our Kingswood Youth Room Amazon Wish List!  
Thank you for your support and generosity!
Kate Lapetino

We are committed to being inclusive and welcoming towards all youth.

Kate Lapetino, Coordinator of Youth and Serving Ministries