Pictured: Westminster youth enjoy time in nature at the high-school retreat.
Welcome, Junha Kim!
We are pleased to announce that Westminster has hired Junha (“Jun”) Kim as our Director of Youth, Mission, and Community Engagement. Jun (pronounced June, like the month) joined the staff on August 15, 2024. He is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and will be taking his ordination exams in September. He and his dog, Biggie, moved here from the Bay Area, where Jun worked as a youth director of a suburban church. He is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley, and Vanderbilt Divinity School. Jun is also pursuing his Ph.D. in comparative theology and ethics at the Graduate Theological Union. If you have any question about our youth ministry program, you can reach him at jkim@westprespdx.org.
About the Youth Program
The time young people spend in middle school and high school is some of the most formative of their lives. We believe that surrounding young people with engaging mentors, positive experiences, and a holistic spirituality that includes community service and justice work will better their lives and equip them for the future. We also believe in nurturing community and leadership development for youth, especially in an increasingly isolated and digitized world.
Youth group meetings are in the youth lounge (marked as the Marcus Whitman Room) at 5 p.m. for middle schoolers and 6:30 p.m. for high schoolers most Sundays during the school year. The youth lounge is accessible through the Hancock Street awning entrance, then follow signs to go through the doors across from the entrance, down the stairs, make a left, and then all the way to the end of that hallway. For access to the building during these times, you need a building access code that is only distributed upon contacting our youth directors and registering. The 2024-2025 registration form is here.
For more information, or if you would like to be on the youth mailing list and are not yet, please e-mail Jun at jkim@westprespdx.org. (For children 5th grade and younger, check our programming for children.)
Activities
Youth are involved in the ministry of Westminster through:
- Sunday morning worship and service as worship leaders
- Sunday evening middle-school gatherings
- Sunday evening high-school gatherings
- Local service projects
- Annual summer mission trip
- Presbytery and denominational youth gatherings and camps
- Confirmation programming offered for high-school youth
- Retreats, lock-ins, concerts, and other special events
All weekly and monthly meetings are open to newcomers at any time during the year. For more information, contact Jun at jkim@westprespdx.org.
Volunteers Needed for Youth Ministry
Our Westminster youth group needs volunteers! For those who have the time, please consider volunteering in our youth group ministry. Volunteers have an awesome opportunity to build deep relationships with our youth, fostering healthy and thoughtful faith lives. Volunteers are asked to serve one to two Sunday evenings per month from 5 to 8 p.m. Dinner is provided, and it is always a life-giving time to be surrounded by youth! Reach out to Junha at jkim@westprespdx.org with any question or to schedule a coffee.