Youth programming at Brown strives to be a place for faith development, community-building, and joyful connection. We hope to be a resource to families while fostering a culture of radical hospitality, kindness, and acceptance.
Opportunities for our high school youth (8th-12th graders) to connect for monthly fellowship begin in the fall with organized community hangouts at various locations around Baltimore. High school youth can also participate in leadership through volunteering to serve as youth elders on Session or helping lead games and activities for our Middlers group (3rd-7th graders). Some examples of high school leadership for our Middlers include organizing and judging a Thanksgiving cake-decorating competition, leading a church-wide scavenger hunt, and putting together an exciting game of “Capture the Flag.”
Additionally, our high school youth are encouraged in confirmation, where they complete confirmation classes and craft statements of faith. Confirmands attend a retreat at Massanetta Springs Conference Center. We also have a high school group lead worship once a year on Youth Sunday, which includes sharing reflections for the sermon and leading liturgy.
Our Middlers group has a chance to get involved in Middlers Game Night on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month. This fun night includes dinner together, sharing from inter-generational guest speakers, service projects, and games. Examples of service projects we’ve enjoyed together are, creating hygiene kits for persons experiencing homelessness to be distributed at the Health Care for the Homeless Clinic downtown or cooking up tasty casseroles for persons experiencing food insecurity with Our Daily Bread.
Our Middlers also attend the Massanetta Middle School Conference in the summers and have a blast connecting with over one hundred other youth from all over the region.
Family and church wide events such as Summer River Tubing, Winter Ski Weekend, and the Retreat at Skycroft in the spring also foster inter-generational connections and continuing education.
This class is a year-long journey through “Christianity 101,” as well as current events, controversies and spiritual practices. Confirmation is for young people (typically 8th and 9th graders) who are considering their own faith and relationship to God and to the Presbyterian Church (USA). The class includes games, field trips, a retreat, and the opportunity to join the church. Contact Eva Hendrix-Shovlin for information.
Middlers Game Night is our twice monthly evening gathering for 3rd to 7th grade youth, with high school helpers, that meets the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. We begin with a homemade meal and a brief inter-generational guest speaker. We end with games and activities. Middlers Game Night does not meet over the summer. Contact Eva Hendrix-Shovlin for more information.
Middlers Game Nights in the 2024-2025 program year are planned for:
A typical year in youth ministry at Brown includes meetups, retreats, and conferences with hundreds of other youth, including:
Monthly Youth Meetup @ various locations around Baltimore (8th-12th)
Winter Weekend @ Massanetta Camp and Conference Center (middle school and high school)
Youth Sunday @ Brown (8th-12th graders, to be held Feb 23, 2025)
Spring Retreat @ Skycroft (all church with specific youth programming, to be held Apr 4-6, 2025)
Brown Memorial encourages youth and their families to connect with our mission partners in Baltimore City and beyond.
Upcoming Service Projects
Promoting Interfaith Dialogue
Environmental Justice & Protecting Our Waterways
Spiritual Support to Those In Need
Fighting Food Insecurity with Our Daily Bread
Access to Healthcare with the Healthcare for Homeless Clinic
Cross-Cultural Learning with Baltimore Dakota Learning Camps
Summer Opportunities
Cuba, church-to-church partnership (family trip)
El Salvador, church-to-church partnership (family trip)
Pejuhutazizi Family Learning Camp, Upper Sioux Presbytery (family mission trip)
