What is JAM?
JAM stands for "Jesus And Me" and is an opportunity for fun and fellowship for our Jr. High (5th-8th grade) youth in both our church and school. This provides a friendly christian atmosphere that teaches our youth about how to interact with one another in a godly way, and encourages them to grow closer to Jesus in their own individual faith walks. I seek to help them build a strong foundation upon the assurance of Jesus Christ our Lord and His Word; to learn how to be humble disciples in their faith, and to serve one another in joy and gladness!

Schedule:
We are moving from Thursdays 5-7pm to Wednesdays 3-5pm! This is to help you not have to drive back and forth on JAM days, but allow your child to simply stay after school. We are still keeping to the 2nd and 4th weeks of each month, unless something should interfere with our date. This allows you to keep a better schedule and know for certain when to expect JAM events each month and help your child to remember when they are coming up!

What do we do at JAM?
Each JAM will have a bible study element, and will consist of a variety of games, activities, or serving opportunities. While most of the JAM events will be on campus and have no cost associated, some events will be off campus and may cost the youth a minimal fee to participate. If at any time, your child wants to come to JAM, but the cost is more than you can comfortably pay, please reach out and let me know. That information will be kept anonymous and no one outside of myself and you will have to know. Our servant events and fundraising opportunities help to cover or offset the cost for you. Therefore, I ask you to encourage your youth to attend all of the fundraising and serving opportunities we have to help those in our community as well as other youth.

When we go off campus, it is important that you sign your child up as early as possible so that I can prepare adequate transportation. I do not want to have to turn a child away because we are out of room on the bus and have no other means to transport, so please sign up as soon as you know they're coming. Sign up forms will be sent home in the clear folders, or you can message me here to sign up.

Forms, Documents and Communication:
Attached here, you will find the schedule, as well as a Medical Release Form, and a Youth Covenant Form. Please fill out each form for/with your child and return them to the office. These forms help me to help your child in the event of an emergency and I can communicate any special information to emergency services right away.

Standard procedure, in the event of a medical emergency, is to contact emergency services, render appropriate first aid, and then contact your child's emergency contact. If an injury not requiring emergency services occurs, then I, or someone, will render first aid, and then contact your child's emergency contact. Rest assured, that I strive to keep your children as safe as you would, but accidents can happen and I want to establish the best plan of action should an accident take place.

The Youth Covenant Form is a form that explains to you and your child the expectations of behavior while attending JAM. None of these expectations should surprise you, but should make sense in the context of our church and school. If there are any questions, please reach out and ask, and I will be happy to expand or explain any of them.

Friends and Family:
Friends and family within the 5th-8th grade are always welcome to attend ANY of our JAM events. You do not have to be Lutheran, or attending our school to participate. I only ask that you have your family/friends fill out the required forms above so that I know who to contact in the event of an emergency.

Chaperones:
Some of our events may require adult chaperones to attend and/or drive. If you have an interest in helping serve our youth in this way, please let me know! Please note that you will be required to complete a child safety class and background check beforehand. Ensuring the safety of our youth while they are in our care is among our highest priorities, and that requires us to do our due diligence in screening everyone who works with them. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out and ask!

I am excited to see how God is growing our youth and I can't wait to see what He has in store!