Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry at Hillsborough Reformed Church is made up of kids ranging from grades 6th through 12th. As in any church, our youth play a vital role in strengthening our congregation both now and in the future. Youth participate within all aspects of church life and are encouraged to utilize their many talents while serving God, our church and our community. Emphasis is placed on fellowship and developing strong bonds with one another and the church.

Our Youth have written about some of the activities they participate in:

Warwick Winter Retreat

“Warwick is one of the retreats where the youth group goes. This year we went during the month of February and it was a really great experience. This retreat brought us together and got us to work as a team. We participated in a lot of activities like hikes, scavenger hunts and competitive contests. We took first place in the Warwick competitions and had a lot of fun doing it. I think everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to going again next year.”

“Trips through church this year were a blast. Our team, The Hillsborough Sunshine, took the Warwick cup this winter. I must say, it does feel good to win, and hanging with friends is cool too. We explored the woods in upstate New York and told stories of little kiddies getting eaten by a half bob cat/half camper ‘thing’. Between the Bob-Squach and the friends, Warwick was great!”

Hoagie Sale

“The hoagie sale is an opportunity during the year that allows us to get together during Sunday School and make hoagies for people to enjoy during the Superbowl. It is a lot of fun and shows major teamwork because we all have different jobs and in the end it leaves us with over 100 well prepared delicious hoagies. Without everybody’s help and participation in the youth group, the hoagie sale would be hard to pull off in the 45 minutes before the church service is over, but everyone works together to get the job done.”

IHN

“Every year, the church hosts IHN, which allows less fortunate people to stay with the church for a week. Our guests stay in Memorial Hall where beds and rooms are set up for them. This year the youth group helped out by unloading the truck which had the family’s items like clothes, TVs and other important necessities. We also helped carry in the beds and set up each room for a family. Throughout the week, some youth group members visited the families and did all they could to make their stay at the Hillsborough Reformed Church as pleasant and easy going as possible.”

Youth Sunday

“The entire youth group works hard and dedicates their time to create a fun, creative, and appreciated Sunday church service. For one day of the year, the youth get to take leadership of the church and put our own touch on it.”

Confirmation Retreat

“Our confirmation retreat took us to a remote farm house in Frenchtown. It was all girls and one brave guy. One group got up early and cooked breakfast. Then the other group did dishes. When lunch rolled around we flip flopped jobs. The outdoors was fun too. We hiked around and explored a bunch. I hope we go back next year.”

Summer Day Trips

“The youth group tries its best to get together during the summer when there is no Sunday School or regularly scheduled youth group meetings. We try to plan activities and day trips to keep all the members of the youth group interested and active so that we can all stay in touch. One of the main things that we try to do is tubing down the Delaware River. It’s really fun, keeps you cool on the hot summer days and anyone can come and join and have a great time.”

Thanksgiving Baskets

“This year our youth group was more involved in running the annual service project for Thanksgiving. I created flyers about the project and made announcements during the church service. We then made Thanksgiving dinners for families in financial hardship. Our dinners included turkey, vegetables, fruit, and dessert wrapped in boxes for each family to enjoy. But that wasn't the end. We had extra food left over that we brought to the local food pantry, filling up over 1 full shopping cart with over 5 dozen canned products and countless numbers of pastas and other non perishables. It was great. One team of a little more than half a dozen kids collected enough food for a dozen family dinners.”

Drop and Shop

“Every year during Christmas time, the youth group hosts a day at the church where parents can drop their kids off while they do all the running around and Christmas shopping.”

“I felt that the drop and shop was an exciting event at church. The kids and the teens had a ton of fun. The activities were interesting and everyone could participate, even the adults. And later, the teens could relax while the kids watched a movie. Some activities were tag, making gingerbread people, duck duck goose, and more. There were also small snacks and drinks for the kids and teens.”

Soup Kitchen

“Every year at Christmas time we go to the soup kitchen in South Bound Brook. We ask members of our church to sign up and prepare meals so we can bring them to the soup kitchen. We meet at the church and then bring the food over to the soup kitchen and make sure everything is set up before the guests start arriving. We greet the people and make sure that everyone has enough to eat. We really enjoy working together to make sure everyone has a great Christmas dinner. Even though we only go as a group once a year, it still makes a great impact and it shows how great it is to all work together.”

Our Youth Group is always evolving and welcomes new ideas and participation from all of our church members. Thanks and appreciation is especially given to our Youth Ministry Committee members, our Youth Minister and all those who volunteer, for their dedication, time and talents throughout the year.

Contacts

If you are interested in participating in the Youth Group or would like more information, please contact the church office at (908)359-3391 or email reverendmueller@hillsboroughreformedchurch.org.