About Us:
Icon student ministries is for students in Lancaster County, PA, located at First United Methodist Church in Ephrata, PA. We believe as Christians that we need to be transformed into the likeness and image of God. In doing so we aim to reflect Christ in our lives and point others to Him.

Our Purpose:
The Purpose of Ephrata First United Methodist Church’s Youth Ministry is to increase our love for God, and love for EVERYONE, by teaching and baptizing students of Christ.

Our Mission:
The Mission of Ephrata First United Methodist Church’s Youth Ministry is to motivate and enable students in 7th - 12th grade to:

  • Connect
    • To God by praise
    • To God in prayer
    • To God in baptism and the Lord’s Supper
  • Construct
    • Wisdom through biblical, theological, and historical studies
    • Character through obedience, stewardship, and accountability
    • Skill through training, mentoring, and spiritual gift development
  • Contact
    • The church through fellowship, care, unity and disciple-making
    • The community through involvement, compassion, and evangelism
    • The world through global outreach, and world relief

Our Vision:
The vision of Ephrata First United Methodist Church’s Youth Ministry is to be a joy-filled, truth-centered, grace-oriented, spirit-empowered student ministry that multiplies students of Christ who live their faith in all areas of life.

We seek to be a loving, caring, holy, vibrant, youth ministry that glorifies God and advances His Kingdom so that Christ might be honored in this generation and our culture might be transformed over time.

Simply put, we seek to be a family of faith that teaches and baptizes in the faith - from 7th to 12th grade.

Our Name and its Meaning:
The name ICON comes from the three main action words in our Mission. The actual logo shows three lines in the letter I. These three lines represent the three words that all begin with the letters CON.

Ministry Programming:
CONNECT

  • ICON- Sunday nights from 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Church Street facility during the school year. From 6-8 PM students gather to hang out and choose their own activity. The options range from ping-pong, foosball, video game stations, nail painting, table games and more while music plays and concession stand food is available. A coffee house is available for playing guitar or drums, coffee drinks, and snacks available.
  • Sunday Morning CONNCETION, from 8:45 - 10:00 AM, allows students to delve into the Word of God with their peers and an adult leader. Power point projection is used to help facilitate the introduction to the morning’s theme. A short time of teaching then occurs before sending students into small groups.
  • A November retreat provides a time for students to bond together and grow in their understanding of God after the end of the Fall rush. We have gone to Three Springs Camp North of Williamsport for the last four years.

CONSTRUCT

  • Mission/Service- Monthly opportunities are being planned so that students can serve others and learn how God has wired each of us to serve. Special Olympics, Water Street, overnight inner-city excursions, serving meals to the senior citizens of the church and more are all options that are provided.
  • Growth Class- A growth class was begun to help students grow in the foundations of the Christian faith. It also helps them to understand how they can continue to grow closer to God throughout their whole lives. This class will be offered on Sunday mornings for 8 weeks in the Spring. An overnight growth retreat is also part of this experience.
  • Creation Music Festival- Creation is the largest Christian musical festival. It attracts around 100,000 people each year. Excellent speakers and bands are provided daily but the highlight is the time spent with each other as we bond and grow closer to God through the entire event.
  • A Servant-leader program is being designed to help students stay accountable to living the Christian life and loving others into the Kingdom of God. It will also encourage students to grow in their leadership abilities.

CONTACT

  • Outreach Events- These events are provided to help our students have opportunities to invite their unconnected peers into a ministry function. Events in the past have included an all-nighter (barn party, bowling, REC center), laser tag, white water rafting, and a large Super Bowl Party.