The purpose of our ministry is to partner with parents as we each seek to make disciples of 7th-12th grade students in Oxford by teaching the Bible, engaging the community, and preparing for life after high school.

YOUTH WORSHIP

Youth Worship is an opportunity for students in Oxford to gather together to worship God and learn more about him through scripture.  We meet from 5:30 – 7:15 every Sunday night during the fall and spring school semesters.  Each night we enjoy a catered meal together followed by a game, worship, a sermon, and small group discussions led by our student leaders.

CORE SEMINAR

The core seminar for our student ministry (otherwise known as ‘Graceland Too’) is geared towards training our students to grow in Christ. The seminar is conversational in nature and is led by our youth interns. The material we use is more doctrinally focused and is aided by questions that seek to apply various aspects of Christian doctrine to the student’s lives.

GOSPEL CLASS

On Wednesday nights every spring, J.D. (pastor) and Skyler (student pastor) meet with all 9th grade students at Grace who have indicated a desire to develop or grow in their personal relationship with the Lord.  For six weeks we’ll go over the basics of the gospel (who God is, what sin is, what Jesus has done, and how we must respond), the basics of the Bible, and what it means to be a member of a church.  For those students that are ready, we’ll have a conversation with them at the end of the six weeks where they will go over their testimony and, if they wish, prepare to be baptized and join Grace Bible.

EVENTS/RETREATS

• Disciple Now – Every year we partner with other churches in town for D-Now at the end of the summer.  Our students stay in host homes volunteered by youth families.  While all churches gather together for the main session, the homes are organized by church, grade, and gender, and monitored and lead by our students leaders.  We bring in a speaker and worship team to lead our main sessions and have a nightly small group discussion.
• Winter Retreat – During the December – January months we take a weekend to retreat at a nearby camp.  Over the weekend we will eat good food, enjoy fellowship, engage in fun activities and study a different topic each year that is lead by staff members at Grace.  We ask the students and leaders to disconnect from electronics for the weekend as we seek to truly retreat from our hectic every day lives and into the Bible.
• Monthly events – Throughout the year, we try to have an event each month where we do something as a group.  This is either service oriented or an event designed to simply have fun.  These are often planned only a month or two in advance so please refer to the bulletin, newsletter, or weekly email to parents for information.
• Operation Life Vision – OLV is a non-profit organization that serves the needs of students (1st-12th grade) in Lafayette County.  A main function of OLV is an after-school tutoring program that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at our office building.  We encourage our youth to come alongside this organization and serve the community.

MEET SKYLER

Skyler was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and attended the University of Mississippi. Skyler earned an M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL, where he served as the Director of Student Ministries at Orlando Grace Church. His wife, Brianna, is originally from Memphis, TN and teaches 3rd grade at the Regents School of Oxford. Skyler also serves on the Rooted Steering Committee and contributes to the As in Heaven podcast. 

SAFETY DOCUMENTS

The following safety documents are meant to inform the students and the parents of all of the steps we take at Grace Bible Church to ensure that this is a safe environment for students. It is our belief that maintaining rigorous policies that pursue safety and accountability is necessary for the continued spiritual, physical, and mental health of the students and their families. Please review these documents and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.