Hello from the FGS Team!

Parents, we believe the middle school and high school years are crucial in the life of every child, and we want to do our best to partner with you through this season. One way we do that is by keeping you in the loop about all that is happening in our FGS ministry. In this newsletter, you will find a look at recent events, an update on what is currently happening on Sundays, and some things to know in the coming weeks.

• United Night and Understanding Your Student: At the beginning of October, FG Students had our first United Night and Understanding Your Student of the school year! We loved seeing all of our Middle and High School students playing games and worshiping together! Our FGS Parents got to hear an update on FGS, how discipleship happens in the home, and from a guest speaker on technology safety. Our next Understanding Your Student event will be in February!
• MS Fall Fest and HS Fall Party: In October, FG Students had our annual Middle School Fall Fest and High School Fall Party! We loved seeing everyone’s costumes, sitting by the fire making s’mores, line dancing, and more! These events were great for building relationships with students and leaders!

• FGS Middle: Middle School meets Sunday mornings at 9 and 11 AM at both the Hwy 14 and Adams Mill Campuses! Middle School small groups happen during each service, and new students will be placed in a group on Sunday morning! In November, our Middle School sermon series is “Upside Down Kingdom” where we will be exploring what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. In this most famous of sermons, Jesus turns our usual way of thinking upside down. Each week, we’ll look at how following Jesus means living differently: finding blessing in unlikely places, shining light in dark spaces, loving even our enemies, and building our lives on a strong foundation. Our hope is that students begin to see how God’s “upside down” way is actually the best way to live.
• FGS High: High School meets Sunday nights from 6-8 PM only at our Hwy 14 Campus! Small groups meet at Hwy 14 from 5-6 PM before High School Programming. Students wanting to join a small group should show up by 5 PM on a Sunday night to be placed in a group! In November, our High School sermon series is "Uncomfortable Jesus" where we will be exploring some of Jesus' most controversial teachings and sayings that often ruffle feathers, challenge people, and offer deeper insights into God's heart and our own. We pray this series will be both comforting and challenging as we pursue deeper life in our Lord Jesus Christ and the, at times, uncomfortable discipleship that He invites us into. Topics that we'll be covering include: comparison, lust, hypocrisy, forgiveness, humility, and wisdom.
• FGS Online: For our middle and high students who can’t be here on Sunday, we offer our weekly services online on YouTube. Our Middle School service will livestream at 9 AM on Sunday mornings. The main FG service will continue to livestream at 11 AM on Sunday mornings. Our High School service will livestream at 6:30 PM on Sunday evenings. Our FGS services will stay on YouTube with the full service, but the messages will also be available on Spotify as podcasts soon. 
• Serving Needs: FGS Staff could not care for all of our students without so many volunteers giving of their time, energy, and gifts. Serving with FGS could look like greeting students with the Connections Team, facilitating discussions as a Small Group Leader, playing instruments or singing with the Worship Team, or running lights, sound, or slides with the Tech Team. If you are interested in learning more about what it looks like to serve with FG Students, please fill out the online Serving Interest Form! Our greatest need right now is on the Tech Team, and our Next Gen AVL Specialist can teach volunteers how to use the tech booth equipment! We are also still in need of two 9 AM Middle School guys Small Group Leaders and two High School girls Small Group Leaders at Highway 14 as well as two 9 AM and one 11 AM Middle School guys Connect Leaders at Adams Mill.

• FGS Summer Mission Trips: Applications are open for our two FGS summer mission trips from November 2 through January 11! Our Lexington, SC trip is open for all current 7th-10th graders to apply, and our Costa Rica trip is open for all current 11th-12th graders to apply. Even if your student applied for one of these trips last year, please complete the application again! These trips are not “first come first serve.” In January, the student team will go through the applications and build teams for the trips.
• Next Gen Baptism: On Sunday, November 2 at 2:00 PM, we will be celebrating baptism with some of our Next Gen kids and students in Auditorium 1!
• No FGS on Nov 30: FG Students Middle and High School will not be meeting on Sunday, November 30 because of Thanksgiving weekend. We encourage our students to sit with their family or friends in the main FG service on that Sunday!
• Christmas United Night: FG Students invites all Middle and High School students to join us on Sunday, December 14 from 5-8 PM in Adams Mill for our annual Christmas United Night! We would love all our students to invite a friend and come enjoy a night of food, games, worship, and community. Dress in your best or tackiest Christmas outfit. This is a free event with no registration, but students should bring cash for the food trucks.
• No FGS Dec 21 or Dec 28: FGS Middle and High will not be meeting on Sunday, December 21 or December 28 due to the Christmas and New Years holidays. Students can join their families for the FG main service on Sunday, December 21 and the FG Christmas Eve services on Sunday, December 24! There will be an online-only service on Sunday, December 28.

• Books for Parents: “Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon” by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock gives parents insight on how to raise the next generation with a resilient faith. “Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World” by Sissy Goff is a great resource for parents of daughters struggling with anxiety and worry. This book helps parents understand what contributes to anxiety and worry and how to empower their daughter to overcome those fears. “The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims” by Rebecca McLaughlin gives parents insight on some of the current claims and beliefs of culture and helps parents have conversations with their students about these topics.
• Parent Podcast: FG has launched our parent podcast, Parenting for a Change, with former Next Gen Pastor, Matt Densky, and Executive Pastor, Rob Marks. How do we parent our kids well in the midst of all kinds of change? How do we change as parents so that, in turn, our kids change for the better? Our hope and prayer is that parents would grow in their own faith in Christ and then pass on that kind of authentic faith to the next generation. This first series of podcasts will break down 5 principles of what it looks like to pass on our faith. Listen on Spotify or the FG Website!
• The Culture Translator: This is a weekly email from a group who focuses on helping parents navigate the changing culture and news that keeps coming at us at a rapid pace. Each Friday they send an email that takes five minutes to read but keys you in on three major culture/news happenings along with questions to discuss with your students. A lot of us on staff have subscribed and have found it very insightful. We hope this helps you stay in the cultural loop and gives you strategic ways to keep speaking into the lives of your children!
• Past FGS Messages: Check out our online library of past Middle School and High School Sunday messages. This is a great resource for parents and students wanting to hear sermons on specific topics including relationships, spiritual disciplines, anxiety and depression, community, doubt, the life of Jesus, and more.
• FGS YouTube Channel: Here you can find videos from FG Students including Middle and High School messages, FGS vision, training for small group leaders, volunteer highlight videos, and insights on adolescent culture.

If you ever have any questions about our ministry or about navigating life with a middle schooler or high schooler, feel free to reach out to the student staff at students@fellowshipgreenville.org.

The FGS Team