"I would not be the same person without my overall youth group experience”

DIXON, CA (MPG) - If energy can be felt, it certainly can raise the roof at the new DC Youth Center at 700 North Adams Street at one of their weekly meetings for middle school and high school students. 

Inside this unremarkable church building is a movie theater, stage, a dazzling stage lighting system, refreshment booth, loud music, and games galore. There is no room for boredom for Dixon youths here despite a long, hot summer. 

“When I first met my husband, I didn’t like this. I used to think this was all showy,” said Youth Ministry Director Kim Johnson about when she met her husband Kevin Johnson, when he was a Youth Minister in Missouri. She was raised in a “Pastor’s home” and attended a small church without “bells and whistles” but Kevin was raised in a large church also in Missouri, that even had a rock wall.

“You don’t change the gospel, you change how you deliver it,” said Kevin who changed her mind as they spent the last decade ministering in their home state. Kevin is the new Senior Pastor at Dixon Community Church and by the way, is no relation to Councilman Kevin Johnson who is a realtor. After COVID, the couple was hired for Dixon Community and asked themselves “How do we minister now?”

“The students had been apart for so long,” Kevin said. “So, we started a small group once a week until we were all feeling okay and knew they felt safe.”

“No matter what we’re teaching, we know they have to know the word of God,” added Kim. “Feelings change but the Word doesn’t. They have to read the [Bible] so they know how to live. Everyone has different styles and different personalities, but worship always comes from the heart.”

When they located here, they learned there are not a lot of places for youth to go and wanted to create an environment for youth to meet with friends, plus feel loved and cared about while learning about God, the couple said.

The DC Youth meet on Wednesdays with some “hangout time” at 6:15 and then service ending at 8:30 pm. During the hang out time, they can buy almost anything from the snack bar for a buck. The kitchenette is well supplied with a hotdog machine, a fridge, and prices “as cheap as possible,” Kim said.

There are two small basketball hoops, a large shelving unit loaded with all kinds of board games, and a separate area beholding a contemporary couch, chairs, and coffee table. There are black window coverings, colorful stage lighting, and an excellent sound system for the stage where praise music as well as skits are performed by the students.

“We get the youth really involved and we have teams that run Sunday School, the church coffee center, and create drama. We have our own worship team,” Kim said. “It’s very high energy and has a camp atmosphere so they really get to know each other.” They report most of their attendees are from middle school, but their high school students are increasing.

Youth Groups Team Up

Similarly, Calvary Chapel, Grace Fellowship, and Living Hope Church provide students with great summer meetups too, only on Tuesday nights. Their youth groups joined for the summer under Calvary Chapel’s Youth Pastor Matthew Signorello. 

“One of the beauties of our group and being in a small town is that we can combine efforts and I believe everyone genuinely feels welcome,” he said. He was excited to report they raised enough money at a recent rummage sale to send ten of about 45 youth to Cazadero Camp near the coast. 

This group has between 25 and 35 middle school and high school age kids meeting together every other week and on alternating weeks, being led in small groups at various times.

“I was so blessed to have a community that I could call my own and it gave me leaders to look up to,” said Conner Millard who regularly attended youth groups through high school and is now part of Living Hope’s Worship Team. 

“School teachers want to impart a standard of information and push you to that standard but in the youth group, expectations of you are open. They want to teach you about God, but they want to be your friend even before they want to be a spiritual mentor,” he said, admitting that he was crazy, loud and annoying a lot but that no one pointed that out to him. “When you’re around people that you love and enjoy, it doesn’t really matter what you do. I would not be the same person without my overall youth group experience,” he said. 

While summers usually have more activities like pizza nights, sock wars, or knockout basketball, outreach might actually be better during the school year as friends will invite friends more easily, youth leaders said. 

“The Lord can use us later, but we want them to live in a way now that shows God’s heart for everybody. We want them to uncover the truth of the scriptures and not be afraid to share [their faith,]” Signorello said. 

For more information on Living Hope, Grace Fellowship, or Calvary Chapel Youth Groups, phone Signorello (707) 474-2528. For Dixon Community Church, call (707) 678-1981 and choose Youth Pastor to reach Kim Johnson.