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Eastridge Youth Church Overview Eastridge Youth is a part of Eastridge church, located on the Sammamish Plateau. Sunday mornings, youth grades 6-12 gather at Eastridge church’s main campus and gather in groups according to their grade level and gender. Wednesday nights, the youth hang out at the youth center and play games, socialize, and listen to a sermon given by the youth pastor. Eastridge youth also holds special events, such as “Compel nights”, “Missions Trips”, “GO Projects” and “Camps”, all of which provide students with the ability to bond with friends and grow in their relationship with God. Eastridge is an assemblies of God church, located on the Sammamish Plateau in the state of Washington, USA.

History Thad Huff Years Eastridge Youth’s first pastor was “Pastor Thad”. He taught the group of kids on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings. When Pastor Tyler Sollie took over the middle school grades (6-8), Thad only taught the high school grades (9-12). Tuesday nights, the high school met in the church’s main auditorium, and the middle school met in the modular next to the church building. Tyler Sollie Years Pastor Tyler moved up to take over middle school in 2004 (under Pastor Thad), and moved up to lead high school in 2008. Pastor Thad moved out of the scene at that time and Pastor Josh Jamison took over the position of middle school pastor. Pastor Tyler had a wife and three young children. Amber, his wife, was also involved in the youth ministry, whether it was leading a small group on Sunday or sitting in the audience during Wednesday night sermons. Many things changed at this time. One of the changes involved switching the meeting night of Youth Church from Tuesday nights to Wednesday nights. On Sunday mornings, the middle school students met in the modular next to the building during second service. The high school students met in the church’s multipurpose room during second service. No youth services took place during first service or third service, but many youth volunteered as helpers in the children’s program during the third service. In 2009, Eastridge church moved into their newly constructed main building, down the street from what was their current building. The older, smaller building became the “Eastridge Youth Center” which was used every Wednesday night for youth services, as well as a gathering place for compel nights and for camp check-in. However, the summer camp of 2011 was the first to begin at the Eastridge main campus due to the larger number of attendees. After the new building was complete, the format of the youth services changed. Where the youth used to meet as a group and hear a sermon, they now broke off into “small groups”, according to their age and grade level. This would ensure that the student ministry kept a personal touch in a rapidly growing church body. Shortly before he left, Pastor Tyler, nicknamed “PT” by the students, took a position on the worship team Sunday mornings. However, he continued to preach to the high school students during Wednesday night services. Pastor Tyler served as a Youth Pastor at Eastridge for ten years before leaving in 2012 to take an executive pastoral position at Stone Church in Yakima, Washington. Josh Jamison Years In January 2012, Pastor Josh Jamison took over both high school and middle school students. On Wednesday nights, the middle school students moved out of the modular and into the Youth Center auditorium where the high school students were. Support came from many places to encourage Pastor Josh and his wife, Carrie, as they moved into the position of Youth Pastor. The position Josh was entering would prove to be different than either Thad or Tyler experienced. When the youth ministry first started out, it was much smaller. Once it was larger, there were two youth pastors on the job. However, the step down to one pastor was ancicipated to be a challenge.

Services Sunday Morning Life Groups In 2009, upon the completion of the new Eastridge building, the Sunday morning youth church layout changed. Rather than having one sermon for all high school and another sermon for all middle school, each preached by the youth pastor, students and leaders now broke off into smaller, “life groups”, led by some of the many volunteers involved in the youth ministry. Each life group had one, sometimes two, adult leaders who were there to lead the conversation and keep order in the discussion. At the time of the transition to this new style, Pastor Tyler Sollie took over the senior boys. Nate Robbins took over the junior boys. Justin Englund took over the sophomore boys, and Norm Englund took over the freshmen boys. The girls had a similar system, but with female small group leaders. During the 2011-2012 school year, junior girls and senior girls combined due to the small size of each. Each small group met in a different place in the church to ensure that students were able to feel comfortable sharing life with their small group friends. The next year, Pastor Tyler moved on to Stone Church and all the senior boys graduated or moved into positions as interns. Nate Robbins moved up with the junior boys to lead them as seniors. The junior and senior girls combined again because there was only one regular-attendant senior girl at that time, and there were more juniors. The middle school students used the exact same system, but with different leaders. Most of the middle school leaders were younger than the high school leaders. The life group leader of the sixth grade boys was an intern that had been a senior boy the year prior. in 2012, when Pastor Josh Jamison arose as the lead youth pastor, the structure of the service worked as follows. The high school students would arrive in the same place as one group. Next, they would all participate in a group game. After, they spent a few minutes reading a selected Bible verse before breaking off into their small groups. Each small group chose where they wanted to go, whether it was in the church foyer, outside in the sun, or even to McDonald’s restaurant to eat before coming back for second service. At the end of the service, students formally dismissed. Some students decided to stay and listen to the main service, intended for adults, and some students did not stay for second service. Still others hung around and left when second service started. Wednesday Night Youth Church Wednesday Night Youth Church is an opportunity for the youth and their leaders to socialize and grow stronger ties with their friends and their God. Although the service officially starts at 7:00pm for students, there is a lot that goes on before. At around 5:00pm, leaders arrive and perform a check on the sound system to make sure that the lights and audio work. They perform a levels check to make sure everything is working properly. At 5:15 or so, the worship team arrives and runs through a practice worship service. This way, if there is any confusion regarding light settings, audio settings, or song order, it can be worked out during the practice. This marginalizes errors during the actual service. At around 6:20, there is a "Leader meeting", facilitated by the pastor, specifically for the leaders. This is intended to address any issues or pressing questions that may come up or have come up, and also to coordinate how the service will work. Then there is a quick prayer among the leaders. By 6:30pm, some students arrive. Most of them enter the sanctuary for "Pre-Service Prayer". Between 6:30 and 6:45, students and leaders pray for one another, their community, the students that will attend the service, and more. Between 6:45pm and 7:00pm, students arrive and socialize with their friends in the main auditorium and out in the foyer. During this time, video games such as Rock Band and Halo are available to all students. Students can also engage in a game of billiards or in an air hockey match. There are backsetballs and hoops for students to shoot freethrows at. Christian rap music is played through the speakers placed throughout the building. Artists include Lecare, DeadMau5, and PRo among others. At 7:00pm, students enter the main auditorium. There are two active worship songs, followed by a half minute formal welcoming by the pastor. After, there are two slower worship songs. Many of the songs are originally performed by Hillsong or Planetshakers. After the fourth song, students greet each other for one minute before finding their seats. An offering is taken, Youth News video announcements are projected onto the screens up front, then the message begins. Sermons follow a theme, usually spanning four or five weeks. The message is generally twenty minutes, but may go longer or shorter depending on the message and its actual length. After the message, there is an alter call where students can accept Jesus as their savior, which is usually followed by another song. After this, students dismiss. This usually happens between 8:30pm to 8:45pm. COMPEL Nights COMPEL Nights are designed to attract new and prospective members. Such events have included live DJ's, team activities, photo booths, prizes and giveaways. Activities before the service remain fairly the same, but elements of the service itself change significantly. Usually there are worship songs, and then games for a few minutes before two students get up front and share their religious testimonies. Additional games are also brought out, as well as games played for prizes, and raffle drawings. COMPEL Nights always have a theme unique to that night. Some nights are recurrances, while others are completely new. In the past, themes have included a "Mustache Masquerade", where everyone either grew or wore a mustache of some kind, an "Out of School Bash" which occurs soon after school gets out and involves students hanging with their friends to celebrate the freedom of summer vacation. Another theme was "80's night" where students came dressed up as if they were in the America during the 1980's. There was also "Sweaters 'N Snow" where students come dressed in either the ugliest or the most unique sweater they can come up with. One of the recurring events is the famed "Battle of the Sexes", where the boys and girls compete in a number of events to decide a champion for the night. The girls won in 2010, and the boys won in 2011. In the past, summer time COMPEL Nights have included barbeques with hot dogs and hamburgers. In the cold and dark winter, there is an indoor snack shack with potato chips, candy bars, and other small snacks.

Camps Every year, there are two camps. Appropriately named, there is a "Summer Camp" during the summer, and a "Winter Camp" during the winter. Students leave their homes for a weekend to bond with friends and God. Cell phones, iPods and most other electronics are prohibited during camp because they cause a distraction during this time, however, watches and devices for medical pruposes are permitted. Each camp has a theme, such as 2006 Winter's "Upward" and 2012 Winter's "Awaken". It is not uncommon to see newcomers as well as returning past members at camps. During each camp, a number of inside jokes are developed among the students. During youth events following the camps, students will often bring up the inside jokes. One such joke is enticed when someone says "arise!" The joke has to do with a student sleepwalking one night during the 2012 Winter Camp. During the camp, students have a fair amount of free time during which they bond with their friends. There are designated times where students are required to be at the mess hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as mandatory time in the chapel for services. Each camp has a guest speaker that preaches to the students for at least one of the night services.

Ways to Serve There are many ways to serve in the youth ministry at Eastridge. Whether its full-time or part-time, there are a variety of positions and people that participate in activites to make a difference in others' lives. Dance Team The Eastridge Youth dance team is made up of a few female students that love to dance. On occasion, they will make an appearance on stage, dancing to a Christian rap song. The Eastridge Dance Team is taught by students Shayna Wilson, who is on the Skyline High School Dance Team. Go Projects The GO Projects involve a limited number of students and leaders teaming up to help a needy person within the community or communities nearby.Community service tasks such as picking up trash, working at food banks, and yard maintenance are not uncommon tasks. Internship Program Interns are leaders that have certain special privelages. There are a wide range of interns, including both first year interns and eighth year interns. Not all leaders are interns, but all interns are leaders and have certain special requirements and expectations put on them while they are in that position. A few interns have gone on to be pastors at other churches. KidZone Students in both middle school and high school are able to volunteer in the children's programs both Sunday mornings and during other events, such as Eastridge VBS during June, and the Fall Festival during October. During Sundays, volunteering students become team leaders and help by keeping students actively engaged in the service. They encourage cheering during the game time and give students prizes for listening well during the services. Middle and high school students also run the "KidZone Store" where elementary school students can use "Bible Bucks" (which they are awarded during serice) to buy trinkets and toys of various kinds. There is also a snack bar run by middle and high school students, which involves selling popcorn to the elementary school students. Once students graduate the youth program, they can still serve in the Children's ministry, but they are usually assigned a more mature role than team captain. Most volunteers are middle school students as the high school students prefer to listen to the adult sermon during second service. Missions Trips Mission Trips are like Go Projects in that they assist people in need. However, where Go Projects serve the communities nearby, Mission Trips involve much farther-reaching locations. One of the favorites among the students are trips to the Dream Center in Los Angeles, California. Students ride over on an airplane in a group and serve within the Dream Center as volunteers. Worship Team Leaders and students alike have the ability to serve on the worship team during the worship portion of Wednesday night services. There is a keyboard player, an electric bass, two electric guitars, one lead vocal and two or three backup vocals. The drums keep everybody together during the songs. There are three drummers that alternate each Wednesday. Youth News Video Crew The Eastridge Youth Video News crew is a fairly recent idea compared to some of the others. It involves a small group of students and interns that make a three-minute video each week to play on the screens at youth church on Wednesday night. They give students brief information about upcoming events and news. The point is to give the students fun entertainment, while being informative at the same time. Many of the older videos can be found online on Eastridge's Vimeo site.