West Raleigh Presbyterian Church  seeks to offer a variety of opportunities for youth in grades 6-12 to experience a relationship with God, the Church and the world that is reflected in the goals for youth ministry.

These opportunities include

• youth-adult partnerships for Bible study,
• exploration of issues of faith,
• intergenerational friendship among the people of God,
• mission beyond the congregation,
• mission trips,
• youth conferences,
• participation in denominational ministry, and
• vital expression of faith through music.

Youth serve God through

• church leadership,
• kitchen brigade,
• children’s worship,
• Sunday worship leadership,
• children’s library and
• a host of other callings.

Some of our youth have served on Presbytery Youth Council, Summer Conference Leadership and International Youth Triennium.

Our youth enjoy spending time in worship together, often sitting together during the 11:00 AM worship service.   We encourage these young people to use their gifts in leadership, whether serving as liturgsts or musicians. 

Clearly there is a lot, and each individual youth will discern his or her place in it all. It is our hope that youth will participate in as many of these activities as will feed their own spiritual growth. We strive to find a place in the life of the church for each individual.

Using the Youth Mission Statement and prayerful discernment, the Youth Committee of WRPC has identified five specific goals for youth ministry, which serve as the foundation of our programs. These are:

• Connecting youth with the Church and World
• Discipleship
• Inclusiveness
• Meeting the needs/interests of youth
• Youth and adult partnership

As a result of our youth ministry, youth will be nurtured by their church family, will be challenged to study and understand God's Word in the Bible, will realize how unique they are, how much they are loved and how they are created in God's image, as they grow closer to God.

They will become actively involved in the church community, where they are accepted and feel free to discuss, question, explore and finally, embrace their faith, as God's Word challenges them to think, feel and act outside their comfort zone.

Our youth are called to be faithful Christians throughout this diverse world, to hold God's Word in their hearts while sharing it and serving others.

Our youth will know, share and model love as revealed in God's Word as they express their faith uniquely throughout their life journey.

Adopted 1998

Middle and High School Youth Fellowship meets Sunday evenings from 6:00-7:30 PM and other times for retreats and projects.  This is the relationship part of youth ministry devoted to playful and recreational exploration of Christian faith and community.  Included in the annual program are retreats at Camp Don Lee or Camp Albemarle, summer conferences at Massanetta or Montreat, opportunities to serve on Presbytery Youth Council, to attend Youth Triennium at Purdue University, summer mission trips at home and abroad, camping and recreation.

Confirmation Class is a two year course of study led by pastors, in partnership with the church elders, that helps youth (often in Grades 7 & 8) prepare for a deliberate and mindful affirmation of Christian faith.

The curriculum takes students through a complete survey of the Bible and immersion in the confessional tradition of the church. Participants will be guided to write and present their own statement of faith.

Confirmation is a voluntary covenant on the part of each participant. A person's decision to participate or not to participate will not in any way, prevent participation in other parts of youth ministry.

Classes take place each week beginning in October and lasting through May of each year on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM  in Room 201.

To read Wyatt Grant's sermon click here

West Raleigh is a church who serves Jesus by serving others.  Bagging lunches, serving soup, gleaning sweet potatoes... there are so many ways to serve God!   

Mission Trips

Our youth join with many adults to serve God in many ways and many places throughout the United States.  Their 2013 trip took them to Inez, Kentucky where there worked through Appalachian Service Project fixing up three homes. 

Past trips have taken the youth to Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, on an I-40 road trip to Tennesee and Arkansas, to Swan Quarter in Eastern North Carolina, and to Chicago.

Middle School Massanetta Youth Conference 
A 4-day immersion in Christian community.  Youth travel each summer to the Virginia skyline along with hundreds of youth from around the country. In addition to fun and fellowship, Middle Schoolers are exposed to the mission of the wider Church.  

High School Montreat Youth Conference 
A week-long immersion in Christian community.  High Schoolers travel to western North Carolina along with over a thousand other youth from around the country and world. In addition to fun and fellowship, high youth are exposed to the mission of the wider Church.

Triennium
An international youth conference held every three years at Purdue University. Six thousand youth come from the USA, Canada, Ireland, the Caribbean, Korea and a host of other locations. Participants are selected by the Presbytery of New Hope to be part of its delegation.  Three West Raleigh youth attended Triennium in 2010.

Youth Group Handbook (pdf)

Volunteer Forms

• Safeguarding the Children & Youth Policy (pdf)
• Children/Youth Volunteer Application (pdf)

Youth Forms

• WRPC Covenant Release Form (pdf)

The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:4b-7)

We are challenging the youth, families, leaders, and anyone else to pray for 40 days straight! This is the formula not so much to learn ‘how’ to pray, but that praying means ‘showing up’. Just show up for time with God, and you will form the habit of prayer for a lifetime. Challenge yourself for Lent or start any time!

If you are ready for the 40-Day Prayer Challenge, fill out the form below.
Sign up before Tuesday, February 13 to do this practice for Lent!

The Prayer Process

Download a printable Prayer Challenge card. Or pick one up at the church.

Choose a time and place that you can make a 5- 10 minute appointment with God every day, and stick with it for 40 Days! This is the formula not so much to learn ‘how’ to pray, but that praying means ‘showing up’. Just show up for time with God, and you will form the habit of prayer for a lifetime. 

STEP 1  GRATITUDE
Begin by thanking God for whatever you are most grateful today.

STEP 2  AWARENESS
Revisit the times in the past 24 hours when you were and were not the best version of yourself.  Talk to God about these situations.  What can you learn from them.  What might God be trying to say to you?

STEP 3 PEACE
Ask God to forgive any wrong you have committed or experienced (against yourself, another person, or God) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace.

STEP 4 OTHERS
Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today.  Here is a list with one petition for each day of the month. Ask for God’s blessing, guidance, and help.

1 - all 6th graders
2 - all 7th graders
3 - all 8th graders
4 - people who are homeless
5 - all 9th graders
6 - people who are hungry
7 - all 10th graders
8 - parents
9 - people who live on a SNAP budget
10 - all 11th graders
11 - people who live in the presence of war
12 - children and youth in schools who are hungry
13 - all 12th graders
14 - the pastor and staff of WRPC
15 - the Session of WRPC
16 - the Diaconate of WRPC
17 - all college students
18 - the staff of New Hope Presbytery
19 - WRPC leaders and teachers
20 - the youth and their leaders of St. Giles and Trinity Presbyterian Churches
21 - the people who come for lunch with WRPC's Bag Lunch ministry
22 -the leaders and staff of Massanetta and Montreat Youth  Conferences
23 - all those who work, volunteer, and eat at “A Place at the Table”
24 - the teachers of children, youth, and college students
25 - people who are ill or hospitalized and their caregivers
26 - people who are in prison
27 - all children
28 - the first person you see outside your home today
29 - your neighbors
30 - anyone you know who is grieving
31 - open minded, accepting conversations with others

STEP 5 PRAY THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen