M25 – Youth Group
M25: [verb] 1. Worship. 2. Grow. 3. Serve. 4. Share. 5. Give. 6. Make a difference!
M25 is short for Matthew 25. In Matthew 25:35-46, Jesus is telling the parable of the sheep and the goats. The challenge is before us to help feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, visit those in prison, and to clothe the naked. These Bible verses embody what our youth group strives to accomplish, to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world, to make a difference.
M25 is an active group of young people in grades 6th – 12th setting out to make a difference locally, nationally and internationally. Representing many different middle and high schools in Chesterfield and Powhatan Counties, M25 youth enjoy meeting together as the Body of Christ at New Life Church. Gathering twice a month, M25 gives local youth a place to hang-out and have fun with one another as well as engage in mission projects that help others.
New Life believes that our youth are the church of today, not tomorrow. M25 engages with our congregation through Worship, Sunday School, Youth Group, and Missions. If you are looking for a place to belong, a place to make a difference, a place to be who you are, then M25 is for you!
Missions
M25 participates in a monthly mission project throughout the year in addition to a Summer Mission Trip. We have participated in Stop Hunger Now events, Nursing Home visitations, Church Workdays, wheelchair ramp construction & clean-up after a fire for one of our congregation members, stocked & organized a food pantry, worked with children during Vacation Bible School, helped out at the Richmond Animal League, raked leaves of the elderly and many more mission projects.
M25 Summer Mission Trips
*2008 – Mountain T.O.P. – This is a construction type mission project in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee. For more information please visit their website at: http://www.mountain-top.org/
*2009 – DC/LA – This was a combination conference and mission experience in the Washington, D.C. area. Our youth participated in a youth conference based on the mission theme: Be, Love, Serve, Repeat. They spent several days in small group discussions, workshops, and worship with youth from all over the United States and the World. Then we finished up our week by serving the poor in the Washington, D.C. area through Salvation Army, Food Kitchens, and Clothes Closets. One of the highlights of this trip was taking the train from Richmond to D.C. and then having to take public transportation such as city buses and the metro to connect with the people that we were serving.
*2010: Harvest of Hope - This is a project put on by the Society of St. Andrew that focuses on Hunger. The Jr. High youth spent a weekend in Christiansburg, Virginia gleaning corn. The Sr. High youth spent a week in the Wilmington, North Carolina area gleaning produce from several different farms ranging from peppers, potatoes, collard greens, and kale. This produce went to local food banks and churches to help the community in need. In addition to gleaning the senior high youth had the opportunity to work in local agencies in the Wilmington, North Carolina area that related to Hunger issues. Please visit http://www.endhunger.org for more information about this project.
*2011: Senior High UMVIM Trip to Costa Rica & Jr. High Trip to SPY - The Senior High Youth flew to San Jose, Costa Rica to help with construction & restoration of the UBL, a local seminary, as well as to work with children in the local area by providing a VBS type program for them. For more information on the UBL, visit: http://www.unibiblica.net/workstudy.htm
The Junior High Youth traveled to Christiansburg, Virginia to participate in a construction project mission trip called SPY – Summer Project Youth. The youth were involved in projects such as cleaning out an abandon Habitat for Humanity house, yard work, painting, and residing. For more information on Project SPY visit: http://www.project-spy.com
*2012: Combined Jr. & Sr. High Trip to SPY in Christiansburg, Virginia.
