First Congregational Church of Ramona is a vibrant community of people seeking God, serving each other and their community, and living a life of fresh faith and courageous hope. First Congregational Church seeks to extend God’s love to the world and offers a message of hope and salvation through Christ. FCC Youth Ministry is part of that community yet we have a unique identity together as our own community. FCC Youth ministry welcomes anybody who wants to be part of what God is doing in our group through study, fun, worship, and mission. This is a safe place to ask tough questions, to struggle with difficult realities, to find a fresh perspective on life, and to learn what it means to be a follower of Christ.
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH UCC:
It shall be the mission and purpose of the First Congregational Church UCC of Ramona, California:
To seek to share with all people the reality of God’s saving love as it is expressed in the life and message of Jesus Christ.
To empower its members to grow as followers of Jesus Christ and as persons of faith.
To send its members out to share God’s love with the world through acts of faith, love and compassion.
A STATEMENT OF FAITH FOR FCC YOUTH MINISTRY:
We believe that God has not given up on the world which He created.
We believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, that He is the world’s only hope for restoration and salvation. He is to us revelation of God. His life and His teachings are to us an example, a path for us to follow, and we take them very seriously. He suffered and died on a Roman cross for the salvation of the world from the curse of sin. He defeated and exposed the power of sin, oppression, and death through his resurrection and vindication over death, oppression, and sin.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, sent to the world to dwell in the hearts of people and to give New Life, make New Creation, and give guidance and empowerment to His people. He guides us by offering to us an imagination for the world, a vision of the Kingdom of God, and a desire for it to be on earth as it is in heaven. He empowers us by giving us strength in weakness and hope in desperation so that we might participate with Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection for the sake of healing the world.
We believe in and dream of a Church that is one, holy, united, and obedient even if it does not always function as such. The Church is a community of people committed to sharing with one another in the life of participation with God.
We believe that people are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and not through gaining higher status or earning a higher position through their actions. Salvation is God’s work not Mankind’s.
We believe that Mankind, both male and female, is created in the Image of God and therefore every person, friend or enemy, is precious and beloved by God. The value of life is not determined on the basis of what it does and does not produce or contribute but was determined by God before its’ creation. Mankind can only find it’s identity in the face of God.
We believe that God will not give up on the world which he created and is making all things new, bringing a renewed heaven and a renewed Earth. Our future hope rests on God’s work of salvation and the bringing to bear upon the world of His restorative work, His love, and His imagination.
FCC YOUTH MINISTRY:
In most of life’s movements, the youth are seen as the future, always working towards a goal that they expect to meet some time in their 30′s or 40′s, but the church is unique. The youth are not merely the future of the church; they are the church – here and now. Therefore, youth ministry is not only about teaching students and preparing them for the future, it is about walking with them as they are encouraged to act and live out God’s calling on their life to participate in His redemptive work in the world just as they are. Therefore youth ministry is not just ministry to the youth but is the ministry of the youth. First Congregational Church Youth Ministry is ministry to, for and by the youth.
God has called the church to something larger than itself. We are called to participate in a revolution called the Kingdom of God. Students will be invited to get involved in more than just attendance at Sunday School and Youth Group meetings. They will be encouraged to take on the challenge of living a life dedicated to Jesus Christ, ministering to their peers, to the whole church family, and the community of God’s people in whatever way God has gifted them and called them. Join us for the journey!
