When the COVID pandemic hit in March 2020, programming at Eastern Star Church and many other churches had to shift. In-person programming had to convert to virtual programming to keep the virus from spreading. Members were learning how to navigate Zoom and other telecommunications on their jobs, in school, and at church.

Programming for our teens shifted as well. Bi-monthly Teen church on each campus became bimonthly posts of Teen Church on the ESC IGNITE YouTube channel. Fellowship with other teens during the online service was encouraged by the Youth Pastor, Pastor P. Rock City Mondays, an after-school program that the students enjoyed, and became a one-hour conversation on Zoom discussing relevant issues of the day. Students participated but it was not the same.

As the COVID restrictions lift, we are slowly moving back to in-person programming for the teen ministry. Teen Church has returned and now Rock City Mondays is coming back this October! Pastor Percy Bland, ESC Youth Pastor, affectionally called Pastor P, shares his heart for this ministry opportunity.

Why did you create ROCK City Mondays?

I wanted to find a creative way to allow teens to come to church and get empowered on more than one level. They get a sermon, but can we provide more than discipleship? Can our youth ministry train them professionally, provide an outlet to connect with others, talk about key issues, and help them academically? Yes, we can. This thinking helped me create Rock City Mondays.

What do ROCK City Mondays look like?

We started our first program in February 2019 for 16 Mondays. We saw about 60 students each Monday. They would receive homework help for the first hour. We would then have conversations around key issues in the second hour called Teen Talk. We would end the third hour with students separating into different groups to expose them to professional development/vocational training, i.e., podcasting, video production, cooking, and other skills. We were able to complete 2 whole cohorts before the pandemic. We were in the 2nd week of our 3rd cohort when the pandemic hit.

What do you look forward to as we reintroduce ROCK City Monday programming this month?

This year, the cohort will be six weeks. I hope that we will have a consistent group of students and that they will grow together. I pray that they will leave the sessions with more information about the various skills and conversations they explore. I want them to practice in their home and community. This year, some of the classes we are offering are cooking, podcasting, and video production.

ROCK City Mondays will be held every Monday starting Monday, October 3rd – Monday, November 14th, 5:00 – 8:00 pm at the Rock City Community Center located on the Main Campus. (Please note: It will not meet on Halloween- Monday, October 31st). This programming is for ages 13 -18. Transportation will be provided from the Fishers and Cooper Rd campuses. Pre-registration ends on Sunday, October 2nd, but on-site registration is available

Rock City Mondays Returns to Encourage Our Teens