High School Ministry

HS FIRE

  • FIRE is our high school youth group; a “mini-sabbath” for our youth who live busy lives, full of demands on their time. When we gather, we remember how to rest: we play games, share highs and lows, pray together, and talk about our faith.  If the weather is nice, we even meet outside for a bonfire and outdoor games!  At FIRE, we don’t need to be funny or talented to belong; who God created us to be is enough.  

HS Events & Retreats

  • We offer a number of special events and exciting retreats throughout the year for all of our high school youth, including:
    • Halloween and Christmas Parties
    • An Annual Fall or Winter Retreat (Fri through Sun)
    • The Winter Jamboree (laser tag, downhill tubing, etc…)
    • The Spring Lock-In at St. John (overnight at church!)
    • Badger TEC (a faith retreat in Wisconsin)
    • Pool parties and more! 

HS Mission Trips

  • Our annual week-long mission trip is the highlight of the high school ministry year at St. John.  Focused on service, faith, and experiential learning, these life-changing experiences are a unique opportunity for youth to step outside their bubble and understand the world around them more deeply. Depending on the year, we might be assisting non-profits responding to poverty in urban areas, fixing up houses in rural settings, exploring God’s wilderness, or joining Lutherans from across the country at a national youth gathering. Each year is a new experience, but no matter what we’re doing, our youth always grow in maturity and spirituality. 

Taste of St. John

  • We strive to make our youth ministry accessible to everyone, no matter their financial situation.  The Taste of St. John is our youth fundraising event.  Open to all, this annual dinner is a showcase of the best recipes of the congregation.  Proceeds from ticket sales, the quilt raffle, and a silent auction go towards subsidizing the cost of retreats and camps, and providing scholarships to families.
College-Age Ministry
Ages 18-23

College-Age Check In

  • We know youth often struggle to stay connected to faith communities in their “college-age” years, whether they leave for school, stay at home, or enter the workforce. Our "College-age Check-in” meets over Zoom to offer a space to reconnect, share high and lows, explore faith, process the challenges of becoming an adult, play games, and support each other in prayer. 

College-Age Care Packages

  • To further support and care for our youth in their post-high school years, St. John sends out annual care packages filled with shelf-stable food, snacks, devotional materials, and handwritten notes from our high schoolers.

College-Age Mission Trips

  • We are committed to hosting a mission trip experience every other year for “college-age” youth.  These trips engage our emerging adults at a deeper level, asking tougher questions about the world and faith, and offering life-changing experiences that help them decide what kind of adult they want to be.