NPC staff in focus: Scott Simmons
Meet Scott Simmons, NPC’s Director of Youth Ministry. Since the fall of 2005, Scott has been helping carry on the tradition of the TUXIS senior high youth program. By partnering with Al Williams and a number of other dedicated members of the congregation and church staff, Scott has helped TUXIS experience four fruitful years of ministry and faith in action.
The cornerstone of the TUXIS program has been the widely successful Appalachian Service Project (ASP) in which 49 youth and 23 adults have participated over the past four years. A testimony to the success of this program is that most volunteers return for a second, third, or even fourth year of service. When all the years served by Northminster volunteers are combined we find that our impact has been 129 years of service!
June 2009 was the biggest year yet for service at ASP with 49 people raising $25,000 to serve seven families in the Eastern Kentucky. The preparation for such a trip begins way back in the fall as participants are recruited and trained through team building sessions and called upon to participate in several fundraisers.
In addition to leading the ASP trip, Scott teaches the youth on a weekly basis during the Sunday morning Challenge Class. Topics ranging from Jesus’ notion of nonviolence to developmental psychologist Erik Erikson’s theory of stage development are covered in a conversational style. Certain themes such as the interplay of objective truth and subjective truth surface almost weekly while each class is started off with all attendees sharing their joys and concerns from the past week.
Throughout the year the TUXIS community is strengthened from social opportunities like lock-ins, camping trips, pool parties, and retreat trips. Along the way, the youth are encouraged to participate in worship by serving as liturgist or engaging the adult members of the congregation through special opportunities such as speaking on a panel during the adult education hour.
Scott’s duties include:
- Recruit, plan, train and lead volunteers on the Appalachian Service Project
- Teach the weekly Sunday morning Challenge Class
- Partner with Pastor Mike in planning and teaching confirmation
- Build relationships with the youth and college students through email, Facebook, and one-on-one visits in public settings
- Conference with parents about their youth
- Plan and lead social events
- Plan and lead worship at the 9:30 a.m. service
- Preach at the 9:30 a.m. service
- Teach adult education
- Participate in the leadership of Northminster’s Going Green campaign
- Support other programs by chaperoning Vacation Bible School, guest teaching at Sunday School. and providing the Children’s Sermon at worship