Meet the Student Ministries Team at Calvary Church

Meet the Student Ministries Team at Calvary Church

Being a teenager can be tough. There is so much that your family, friends, strangers, and society expects of you and it’s hard to keep up while still taking time to be true to yourself. You are no longer a child, but you aren’t an adult either. So you hover in that awkward grey space in between. It’s easy to get spiritually lost at this age, and finding your way on your own isn’t impossible, but the journey is much easier if you have people around who understand, support, and care about you.

The Student Ministries Team at Calvary Church in Valparaiso offers that support and understanding that young adults need when they are struggling with their faith, or even with life in general. The team works very hard to make sure that the Word of God is shared with each and every one of the young adults who walk through the church's doors.

Meet the team:

Becky Gualandi - Director of Student LifeGroups and Student Outreach
Robyn Walsworth - Student Ministry Assistant
Emily Barnes – Skits, Games, Connections, and Relationships
Noel Perry - Director of Student Ministries Counseling and Care
Bryan Buchelt – Connections
Grant Howard - Tech and Creative
Matt Siewert - Director of Worship for Student Ministries
Mark Lackey - Pastor of Student Ministries

Student Ministries at Calvary has been around for a long time, and for the last year and a half this team has been working with the local kids. A need was seen that the church was growing so this team was formed to meet that need. They have help from volunteers who do their best to guide the students on their spiritual journeys.

“Our focus is serving the students in the church and out in the community,” Mark said. “We are very open to anyone no matter where they are on life’s journey. Our vision is to share the love of Christ with the students and meet them where they are… All of our roles are equally important.”

The Student Ministries team believes that the young generations are very powerful and filled with potential. They love to connect with the kids and instill their knowledge in them.

“I love the idea of discipleship,” Emily said. “Kids can come here and hear the Word of God in a safe place and being part of this team helps me to connect with the students on a deeper level.”

A warm, welcoming environment is encouraged at Calvary Church for all ages. There about 140 students who are part of the Student Ministries at Calvary Church and there are many choices that the students have to take part in what the Student Ministries at Calvary has to offer.

“We do a lot with our students,” Robyn said. “We’ll do outreach activities, worship with them, and do fun activities here at the church.”

“We have Sunday youth group for middle and high school students, small groups, mentoring, family counseling,” Becky said. “We go way beyond Sunday morning church services.”

At the Sunday night youth groups that meet at the church, students will get to play games, worship and pray together, and get in on other fun activities as a large group. The small groups, or LifeGroups as they are called, consist of just a few students and are led by an adult volunteer. Each LifeGroup is gender and grade-based so that the students can spend time with people their own age and find a common ground.

“We’ll get the LifeGroups involved in the community with different projects and inside the church they can get involved as well,” Becky said. “They can take part in the Children’s Ministry or the worship band on Sunday mornings. We want to help them go to wherever they feel needed.”

“That’s really our heartbeat, to make sure that the students love coming here, love the gospel, love each other and know that this is a safe place for them,” Mark said.

Click here to see some frequently asked questions about Calvary Student Ministries.