Grades 5-12. We gather around God’s Word, eat together, serve our neighbors, and have a lot of fun doing it. Bring a friend — you don’t have to be a member to come.
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12
When and where we meet
Who — Grades 5-12 — members, friends, and anyone curious
When — Monthly, on Wednesday evenings
Where — Church fellowship hall, 518 Dexter St., Wray, CO 80758
Food — Yes — supper is provided most meetings
Cost — Free. Trips and camps have their own cost, and no student is ever turned away over money — just ask.
Bring — Yourself, a Bible if you have one, and a friend
Join the GroupMe
GroupMe is how we announce meetings, ride schedules, weather changes, and last-minute plans. One group for everybody — students, parents, and leaders together, so nobody misses a message.
Under 13? GroupMe accounts require age 13 or older, so younger students should join through a parent’s phone. No smartphone? GroupMe also works in any web browser at groupme.com.
What is coming up
Add this calendar to your phone once and every meeting, event, and trip shows up automatically.
Or paste this address into any calendar app: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/8e60c329f95e8d3e3643d080875b02c46dd2ae958fa9d7710fe82ccde551c10f%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
Heads up: subscribed calendars can take up to a day to refresh on a phone. Same-day changes — rainouts, time changes — always go out on GroupMe.
Young Adult Sunday School
“Your Questions Answered” — Sundays at 10:45 a.m., after fellowship time, taught by Michelle.
Big questions deserve straight answers. Our young adult class is working through Life’s Big Questions, God’s Big Answers by Brad Alles — thirteen short chapters on the questions people actually ask. Where the world came from. How Christians talk about creation and evolution. The Flood. Dinosaurs. Whether the Bible we have has been changed along the way. Whether Jesus turns up in the historical record outside of Scripture — and what to make of His death and resurrection.
This study is written for middle school through college, and Michelle found it worth the time as an adult too. Come whether you are in high school, home from college, or just curious.
The series is already under way and you can join any Sunday — each chapter stands on its own. You do not need the book to take part. If you would like your own copy, it is available from Concordia Publishing House.
Beyond Wray
Some of the best things our youth do happen alongside other Lutheran young people. We fundraise for these to defer individual costs.
Higher Things “Torah” — Fort Collins, CO
June 29 – July 2, 2027. Four days of daily worship, catechesis, and a few hundred Lutheran teens on the CSU campus — about a 3.5 hour drive. Registration details expected fall 2026. higherthings.org/torah
Lutheran Valley Retreat — Pike National Forest, CO
Each summer. Our Rocky Mountain District’s own camp, in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. Summer camp, family camp, and Kinder Kamp. lvr.org
YouthLead — St. Louis
Registration opens October 2026. Leadership training for high schoolers who want to help lead youth ministry here at home. Spring 2027 sessions. lcms.org/youth-ministry/youthlead
Who to talk to
Audrey Rock — Youth Group Leader
Pastor Ben Vanderhyde — Pastor, Calvary Lutheran Church
What parents should know
You are always welcome at youth group, on our trips, and in our GroupMe. Nothing here is closed to you.
Forms we need on file
Two forms per student, once a year: a medical consent and emergency contact form (required for any event off church property) and a photo and media release — we post no picture of your child without this on file. Overnight trips and camps add their own permission slip and deposit.
How we use GroupMe
- One group, everybody in it — students, parents, and leaders all see the same messages. That is on purpose.
- All youth communication happens in the group, never adult-to-student one-on-one.
- The group has at least two adult admins and is set to approved members only, so a shared link does not let strangers in.
- GroupMe does let any member privately message any other member, and that cannot be switched off. Please talk with your student about it, and tell a leader right away if anything seems off.
Cost, fundraising, and scholarships
Youth group meetings are free. Camps, retreats, and Higher Things cost real money, and we raise it together. No student misses a trip over cost — talk to Audrey or any youth leader confidentially and we will work it out.
Youth group vs. confirmation
They are different things. Confirmation class is instruction in the Small Catechism — grades 5-7, taught by Pastor on Wednesday afternoons starting at 4:30. Youth group is fellowship, service, and study open to grades 5–12 whether or not you are in confirmation.
Devotions and resources
Free, Lutheran, and worth your time — for students and parents both.
- Higher Things — Daily Reflections: a short daily devotion written by LCMS pastors for young people. Email or podcast.
- Higher Things — Bible studies: free downloadable studies for a small group or on your own.
- youthESource: the LCMS youth ministry library — Bible studies, devotions, discussion guides.
- youthESource for parents: conversation guides on anxiety, phones and social media, dating, and doubt.
- LCMS Servant Events: week-long service trips across the country.
- LCMS Youth Ministry: the national office — Gathering info, leader training, safety resources.
Calvary Lutheran Church LCMS 