Lebanon First UMC expands youth ministry

Aubrey Pieper, Children & Youth Ministries Coordinator has announced that, effective February 1^st, the church is expanding its youth ministry program. In addition to the existing FORCE group which meets on Sunday afternoons, the church is adding a group called PROPEL for Junior High School students. FORCE will focus on students in High School.

Arthur Francis, a member of Lebanon First and a ministry candidate attending Eden Seminary, will co-lead PROPEL. He will be assisted by Brad Gebben (pictured at left), a senior at McKendree University. PROPEL, specifically designed to meet the needs 6th-8th grade students, will meet Thursday evenings from 6:30-8 pm. The first meeting for PROPEL will be on Thursday, February 2, in the Fellowship Hall of the church, accessible through the doors at 603 W. St. Louis.

“We are excited about this addition to our program,” exclaimed Pieper. “There will be food, games, and Scripture-based lessons that speak to the issues this age faces. Our volunteers are well equipped to lead PROPEL, and they are looking forward to lots of participation from youth in the community.”

FORCE – now designed specifically for 9^th to 12^th grade students – will continue to meet on Sunday afternoons from 1-2:30 pm. There will be a pizza lunch, games, and Scripture-based lessons specifically for the students. This group will be led by Gebben and Carl Berry (pictured at left), a member of Lebanon First and an instructor at SWIC.

Both PROPEL and FORCE will also be participating in community service projects and extra events like a trip to Six Flags.

Pieper assured parents that the church has the students’ safety foremost in their minds. “All our volunteers have had background checks,” she said, “and our church staff and leadership team are closely involved with me in supervising the lessons and activities.”

Both PROPEL and FORCE will be going strong through May. If you or your students are interested in more information, contact Rev. Peter J. Wehrly at 537-6622 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .