BELOVED + BELONGING
Youth Ministries
Where deep friendships, love of Jesus, and service converge. Whether your family attends UCC Norwell or not, youth are welcome and invited to attend any youth activity. Our 2024-2025 programs include Breakfast Club, Middle School and High School Youth Groups, and Confirmation. Curious about youth ministry @ UCC Norwell? Contact our Associate Pastor Rev. Peter Strobel.
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is a thriving group of youth in grades 6 and 7 who gather during Sunday morning worship. The name perfectly suits their lively and engaging meetings!
Our time together begins with a heartfelt prayer followed by a delicious breakfast. The group engages in thought-provoking discussions about faith, life, and the scripture for that day’s worship service. To add a touch of fun, the meeting concludes with an enjoyable game.
The Breakfast Club is a testament to the power of community and faith, providing a welcoming space for young people to connect, learn, and grow together.
Middle + High School Youth Groups
Fun, Fellowship + Faith
Our Youth Groups are for young people in grades 6 - 8 and 9-12. Together we create a safe space in which to explore the meaning of life and faith, focusing on the teachings of Jesus: compassion, mercy, justice, and inclusion. Youth group is punctuated by game playing, music and prayer, and conversations about important issues impacting our community and world. We also have opportunities for outreach to the local community and beyond.
Please fill out a separate registration form for each student for Youth Group; registration required for participation.
Confirmation
Traditionally, Confirmation has been a time for teenagers to "confirm" for themselves the promises that their parents made on their behalf at baptism. It's similar to rites of passage in other cultures. We see it as a time to sink deep into our Christian tradition with a group of friends. We offer Confirmation for youth in grade 8. You do not need to be a member of UCC Norwell to participate, so invite a friend! Confirmation for students in grade 8 will run from fall 2024 through the spring of 2025. For more information, email Rev. Peter Strobel.
High School Service Project
Our youth, grades 8 and up, participate in a week-long service trip over April vacation. Youth and leaders work alongside others in homeless shelters, food pantries, clothing banks, and other settings to support those in need. We have travelled to New York City, New Orleans, West Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia, Washington, DC, and as close as Boston through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and the Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP).
Our youth continually say that the service projects have changed their lives, opened their eyes, and strengthened their faith in Christ and his work in our lives.
If your youth would like to attend the Service Project, or you have questions, please contact Associate Pastor Rev. Peter Strobel.
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Peter Strobel, Associate Pastor
Contact Peter Strobel
Rev. Peter Strobel was called to UCC Norwell into the position of Associate Pastor. His most recent call was as a Transition into Ministry (TiM) Associate Pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines, IA, from 2022 to 2024. Born in Missouri and raised in Kansas, he is a child of the Midwest having gone to college at Doane University in Crete, NE and spending the last few years ministering in Des Moines, IA. Although he grew up in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), Peter encountered the UCC at Doane University, where he graduated in 2019. Peter’s experiences with the UCC led him to New Haven, CT, where he received his Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and Certificate of Congregational Ministry from Andover Newton Theological Seminary.Peter believes community begins with church. He felt a special call towards children and teen ministry, believing we are drawn closer to God through supporting and caring for those who come after us. He hopes to dedicate this chapter of his ministry to growing and supporting existing children and teen programs at UCC Norwell and the south shore area. He brings lessons and programs he developed at Plymouth, including LEGO ministry, child and teen church curriculum planning, and leading a young adult program. Although Peter is new to Massachusetts and UCC Norwell, he believes this is a pivotal time for ministry and hopes to engage the congregation and community in faithful and fulfilling Christ centered community.
Peter’s role at UCC Norwell is still evolving, but you can find him working with Jenny Healy and Bob Caldeira to care for, teach, and support our kids, teens, and their families. As an Associate Pastor, he appreciates the opportunity to support Rev. Walt and collaborate with UCC Norwell’s and her vision for this moment.
He is blessed to share a life with his wife, Allie, and their cat, Millipop. When he isn’t at the church, you might catch him swimming, building with LEGOs, walking the ocean trails, playing video games, biking, playing Dungeons and Dragons, relaxing at Board Game cafes, or finding the best historical spots in the area.
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Bob Caldeira, Jr., Youth Minister
Bob comes to UCC Norwell from Union Congregational Church of Weymouth and Braintree where he was a member since his childhood and has served in many capacities over the years, including Sunday School Teacher, Children’s Choir Director, Director of Children's Education, and Youth Group Minister. Bob is passionate about helping young people connect through Fun, Fellowship and Faith!
Among his many gifts, Bob is a Christian singer-songwriter, going by “the traveling tenor” and enjoys incorporating music into his ministry whenever he can. He also is the Treasurer of SSCYC (South Shore Congregational Youth Conference - aka “Camp”) where the campers know him as the “Wake-up Guy!,” daily anticipating his tactics in rousing them from their slumber to meet the day!
Bob loves his wife, four daughters, son, two granddaughters, two sugar gliders, two dogs and two fish. Bob feels called to minister among us and is humbled to be serving UCC Norwell.
Bob leads middle school Youth Group every Sunday and also serves as Youth Minister for UCC Norwell’s “The Breakfast Club,” a grade 6 + 7 group that meets weekly during worship.