Hillside Students
Our Student Ministries (we call ourselves Hillside) exist to show students what it means to be a biblical disciple of Jesus Christ and to pursue the purpose and calling God has given to each one of us.
We do this by:
– Teaching the Word of God
– Creating personal relationships in a Christ-centered community
– Worshipping the living God in word and deed
– Using our gifts and passions to serve the local church and the community around us
– Testifying to the grace and love of Jesus Christ here and around the world
Come be a part of what God is doing up on the Hillside!
Gathering Times
Tuesday nights 7pm-8:30pm
Sunday mornings 9:30am-10:45am
Connect
Ryan Berkman | Student Ministries Pastor
Parker Vincent | Co-Jr. High Lead
Alli Elder | Co-Jr. High Lead
Email: ryan.berkman@churchoftheopendoor.com
Email: parker.vincent@churchoftheopendoor.com
Email: alli.elder@churchoftheopendoor.com
Instagram: Hillsideyouth
Junior High
First and foremost, our greatest desire is that our students would pursue a vibrant love relationship with Jesus Christ. Once a student is overwhelmed by love for their Savior so many things come into place. Holiness is not just the absence of sin, but it involves living a spirit-filled life, following and becoming more like Jesus Christ.
Second, it is our desire to encourage each of our students to be personally involved in an authentic Christian community. We want to deal with the real world. We are not developing a comfortable Christian climate; we are attempting to challenge them to authentic relationships and dealing head-on with their struggles and pain. All of our students are involved in small groups that we call core groups that are huge catalysts for this.
Third, it is our desire that our students have a passion for the lost. Our groups are heavily involved in evangelism and apologetics training, cold-turkey witnessing and various mission trips. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Even living in a postmodern world we take this statement very seriously.
Come grow and learn with us!
High School
Students today face some of the same pressures that nearly everyone can remember: school, sports, friends, peer pressure, girlfriends, boyfriends, drugs, alcohol, and sexual impurity. Some things will never change! But today these age-old influences are combined with text messaging, wireless internet, instant messaging, and a whole host of other technologies and changes in our modern world. Our students cannot walk this journey alone. We are not striving for behavior modification in our students; we are praying that they will fall in love with our Lord Jesus Christ and enter into a deep relationship with Him.
The high school group at Church of the Open Door aims to teach and model for our students what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like on high school campuses today. Far more than merely avoiding the many pitfalls of high school, we want our students to be constantly challenged by the Word of God, to be cultivating a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to be wondering what purpose and calling the Living God may have placed on their lives.
Come join us on the journey!
2023