Youth Ministries

A group of NEUMC youth members, with Revolution 2023 shirts on, pose for a picture in front of the stage at Township Auditorium
NEUMC youth logo
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A group of NEUMC youth members, with Revolution 2024 shirts on, pose for a picture in front of the stage at Township Auditorium

NEUMC Youth Ministries is available for students in grades 6-12. Our focus is to develop our youth into disciples of Jesus through three simple principles:



Love God



Grow Together



Impact the World 

A group of youth members pose during the 2023 Confirmation Retreat. Behind them is a large body of water, mountains, and trees.

Fellowship

Our Youth Group meets Sundays at 6:00PM throughout the year, aside from holidays. 

Sunday School for youth is at 9:00AM on Sundays, in the NEUMC Education Building.

Our youth regularly have events to spend time together and grow in their faith; details for these are listed below. Exact dates and times will be listed in our calendar here.

A picture of the NEUMC youth group on the steps outside Township Auditorium, taken during Revolution 2024.

Special Programs and Activities

A picture of the inside of township auditorium, taken during Revolution 2024.

Revolution

Revolution is an annual, three-day concert event hosted in downtown Columbia in January. Revolution features worship and spiritual growth, and attendees come with their youth groups from all over South Carolina.

Please see the UMC site here to learn more.

The youth group gathers for a picture at a white water rafting park.
A group of youth members play the human knot game in the education building

White Water Rafting

A group of youth confirmands poses for a picture in the church sanctuary

Confirmation Class and Retreat

Confirmation is the act of confirming your faith and membership in the United Methodist Church. During Confirmation, youth group members will learn more about the denomination and their faith. Confirmation includes a class and learning retreat, and then finally Youth members will affirm their faith during a Sunday worship service.

A picture of the patch featuring a lot of pumpkins

Pumpkin Patch

The NEUMC Pumpkin Patch is our primary fundraising program for our youth group. 

Our youth volunteer for the patch and assist in greeting customers, selling pumpkins, and general cleanup. At the beginning and end of October our youth also help in unloading the pumpkins when they are delivered, and assist with setup and teardown of the patch. Other members of the church are invited to volunteer. The patch is a fantastic opportunity to meet people from around the local area, and earn some volunteer hours.

The youth group also determines how money from the patch will be spent; generally, they determine any local programs or charities that they would like to donate to. Patch funds are also used to support the costs of our youth program, including special events and salaries for workers.

Please see our patch page here for more information on the patch.

A group of youth members dressed in black stands for a picture after the Good Friday service. In front of them, there is a wooden board propped up on sawhorses with a bunch of nails in it.
A few youth group members play handbells during the Christmas Eve 2023 service.

Student Led Worship

Youth group members are regularly encouraged to participate in church services, including sharing in activities such as our weekly scripture reading.

Traditionally, our youth group plans and leads our Good Friday service during the Lenten season.

Contributions in previous years have included acting, creating art, performing music, and other methods to convey the message of Good Friday.

A picture of a Salkehatchie volunteer looking down at debris cleared from a roof.
A picture of Salkehatchie volunteers working on a roof. They are installing new framing materials on the roof.

Salkehatchie

During Salkehatchie, youth groups from around the state visit various counties and restore the homes of those in need.

Salkehatchie is a one-week experience and youth members will pick a site to serve on while growing in their faith and becoming closer to God.

More information about Salkehatchie can be found on our page here.

4 Salkehatchie volunteers pose for a photo.

Our current youth director is Weston Cheatham. Weston is a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church and has been working with youth for more than two decades. He has a passion for sharing the gospel with teenagers.

Please visit our Instagram to see what our youth group is doing!

Safe Sanctuary Policy



Each United Methodist Church in South Carolina is required to have a Safe Sanctuaries Policy which is reviewed annually by the Church Council. The purpose of the policy is to ensure congregations are safe places where children, youth, and vulnerable adults may experience the abiding love of God and fellowship within the community of faith.

Our Safe Sanctuary Policy can be viewed here.