Children and Youth – January 2026

UPDATE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION MINISTRIES – AMY GRELLA

Youth Mission and Service Opportunities

Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive

Did you know…nearly 80,000 children in the Greater Pittsburgh area go

to bed worried about their next meal. In January, Bower Hill Youth will be

hosting a Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive to benefit the Greater

Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and their work to end child hunger and

close the hunger gap for one of our most vulnerable populations. We will

be providing collection kits and fliers for families to ask for monetary and

food donations from neighbors and friends. Be sure to come to Youth

Group in January to learn more and see how you can get plugged in to

help.

2026 Summer Mission Trip Opportunities

It’s that time of year to be thinking about our summer mission trips for youth. This year, we will have two trips, one for middle school and one for high school. Please save the dates. Registration details will be emailed once available.

High School Mission Trip to Wilamore, KY July 5-10, 2026 Save the date! Bower Hill high school youth will join the youth from Hampton PC for a mission trip to Wilamore, KY. This trip will be for completed 8th to 12th graders.

Middle School Crestfield Service Adventure Camp July 19-24, 2026 Don’t miss out on the best week of summer. This camp is for completed 6 – 8 graders. Click here to see the video from last years’ Service Adventure Week

Upcoming Youth Meetups

Middle and High Schoolers (for Grades 6-12)

Sunday, January 11 - Youth Group Meeting from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in room 110 – Bring a friend!

Saturday, January 17 – Ice Skating at South Park outdoor rink. We’ll meet at the church at 6:00 p.m. We’ll skate from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. and return to the church by 9:00 p.m. Click here to RSVP so you can see who’s going and to help arrange carpooling. Please bring $5 for admission, $2 for skate rental if needed, and money for snacks at the snack bar.

Sunday, February 15 – The Event Strikes Back (Joint youth event from the Pittsburgh Presbytery) 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Friday, March 20-22 – Crestfield Spring Retreat. Save the date for our annual spring retreat, featuring separate speaker tracks for MS and HS youth.

Tweener Meetups (for Grades 3-6)

Sunday, February 1 - Meet in room 110 for group games from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The more the merrier, so be sure to invite your friends.

Tweener Retreat February 28 - March 1, 2026 – Save the date for this is a special one-night retreat designed to introduce youth in grades 3-6 to the retreat experience at Crestfield.