LUMINATE STUDENT MINISTRY
Check out our photos & reviews at the bottom of this page!
WHAT TO EXPECT:
On Wednesday nights our youth group meets from 6:30-8:00 during the school year. Over the summer months we meet from 6:00-8:00 on Wednesdays. The youth students meet in the sanctuary. We spend the first 30 minutes playing a game or doing an activity. After that, we begin worship where we will sing two intentionally selected songs, followed by a 30 minute lesson from Pastor Dustin. Once the lesson is over the students break up into small groups for discussion. Our breakout groups consist of middle school boys, middle school girls, high school boys and high school girls.
On Sunday mornings we have 6th-12th grade Growth Group (Sunday School) led by Pastor Dustin at 9:00 A.M. If you need help finding the classroom, please visit our welcome desk that you will see as soon as you walk into Emmanuel.
On Sunday nights we meet for LUMINIGHTS at Emmanuel from 4:00-5:30. Since we have such a heavy emphasis on biblical education and teaching on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, it was important to Pastor Dustin and his wife Haley to create a time to gather just for games, fellowship, and fun. We believe that there is a time and place for fun and games, and since that time is not during Wednesday lesson or Sunday morning, we have created that time for the kids on Sunday nights! Everyone needs fellowship, especially our youth!
During the summer months we also try to meet on Tuesdays at 12:00 for lunch! We rotate between several different food spots in town and enjoy that extra time of fellowship while the kids have more time on their hands!
OUR MISSION & VALUES AS A YOUTH GROUP:
Luminate exists as a ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church and affirms the same doctrinal and missional values and beliefs. While we strongly believe in youth ministry as a means of discipling youth-age kids, this is not a substitute for regular church engagement and family discipleship in the home. Whether you are a member at Emmanuel or another local church we want to encourage you to connect to a local body where you can be ministered to and give of your gifting to that body.
What’s our goal?
To equip students to Display God’s glory, declare God’s gospel, and Disciple for God’s great commission. While we enjoy fun and have a place for that, our Wednesday night schedule is intentional to worship through song, a thirty-minute teaching followed by discussion and prayer. Our ultimate goal is to model our Wednesday night order of worship according to our Sunday morning order of worship.
How do we accomplish our goal?
Discipling children is more than youth group on Wednesday or church on Sunday. While my role as your pastor is to minister to you and your children, I only have so much time with you and your kids. Discipleship is a daily engagement with our children which means YOU have the privilege of being the primary discipler of their souls. Deuteronomy 6:4-8 and Ephesians 6:1-4 give us a framework for what this looks like.
What are your expectations of me?
As your pastor, my role is to provide quality teaching, resources, counsel, and help facilitate opportunities for relational growth among our kids. My role is to maintain good communication and transparency about the life and function of the group and provide you with opportunities to fulfill your part in our relationship together. If you have questions, needs, or anything else I can do to serve you please reach out to me.
A Message from Pastor Dustin
ABOUT DUSTIN & HALEY
Dustin & Haley moved to Sterling at the beginning of 2023 from Texas. They both have a strong passion for youth students & ministry and are increasingly thankful that God brought them to Emmanuel.
Dustin has a bachelors degree in Christian Ministry and is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. See more about Dustin and other staff members here.
Haley has a bachelors degree in human services and a minor in counseling, which plays a huge role in her passion for young girls. Along with being a youth leader for the girls, Haley also provides one-on-one mentoring for her students as well as other girls & young women in the community.
In 2024 Dustin & Haley began the process to become foster parents to continue to love and care for the kids in their local community.
CURRENT TEACHING SERIES
God’s nature, creation, race, gender, marriage, sin, temptation, and much more. These topics are so foundational, especially for our students, as we will be going against the lies of the current culture and look at the foundations of everything we face today: creation, marriage, original sin, sexuality, morality, race and gender to name a few. How do we view these and other biblical beliefs and how does a worldview affect this? As humans, we all observe the world around us but we often come to different conclusions on race, gender, marriage, and God. What does God’s word say and how does our worldview determine our beliefs? Why does all of this matter?
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK
Scan the QR code or click the button below to view our Facebook page! Follow us to stay informed about events, weekly memory verses, small group discussion questions and much more!
Meet our Youth Leaders
Pastor Dustin Smith
Teaching Pastor/ High School Boys Leader
Haley Smith
Middle School Girls Leader / Mentor
Sherrie Lichtenwalner
Middle School Girls Leader / Mentor
John Lichtenwalner
Middle School Boys Leader
Rachel Lingreen
High School Girls Leader
Brie Ann Seyfang
High School Girls Leader
Duane Kettle
High School Boys Leader
Don't just take our word for it,
HEAR WHAT OUR STUDENTS & PARENTS HAVE TO SAY!
“My son has been in the Emmanuel youth group for two years and has benefited immensely from the community and friendships he has found there. Dustin and Haley and everyone at Emmanuel do such an intentional ministry of pouring into the youth in a special way. There is intense Bible study, so much laughter and always a new idea of engaging with kids in a way that they will connect with and understand. I would recommend this youth group, and often do, to anyone around!"
Sarah S.
PARENT
“The youth group, ever since Pastor Dustin came here, has really grown in how much spiritual growth the youth are receiving. I personally have felt my relationship to God grow much more in this short time than I have ever experienced before. There are a lot more active kids in the group than there were before, so there's always more to take in even from peers. Overall, I really enjoy this group and what Pastor Dustin has done to improve it."
Caleb L.
STUDENT
“The Luminate youth group is a wonderful group of people. I have met some of my closest friends, many great leaders and have made lots of great memories. Pastor Dustin has helped me learn so much about God and the Bible. Dustin has also given all of us great opportunities to go places like New Mexico and Estes Park for summer camp, a concert in Nebraska and many other places. I am not looking forward to graduating out of the group, but the stuff I have learned at youth group I will remember for a long time!"
Landon C.
STUDENT
“The youth group at Emmanuel is not only a place for me to go on Wednesdays, but it's truly a place of learning and wholesome, heartfelt education for the glorification of God."
Xavier S.
STUDENT
“This youth group has changed my life in an amazing way. Dustin and Haley have created God-forward healthy relationships with all of us! They have created a group dynamic that seeks to welcome every person who walks through the doors. I have gone to almost every youth group in Sterling but at Emmanuel's youth group, I feel like I'm with family and at home."
Katie R.
STUDENT
"Haley and Dustin have changed my life! They have been there for me in the hard times. They have helped me grow as a person and grow spiritually. I always look forward to coming to youth group to see my friends and the leaders and to learn more about the gospel."
Kota C.
STUDENT
A GLIMPSE OF OUR YOUTH MINISTRY IN ACTION
