Go Groups at New Covenant are just one of many ways that kids can get practical, hands-on experience with ministry – and also learn key disciplines of spending time daily with God, memorizing Scripture, and using the skills God gave them for kingdom purposes. Geared toward students in third to fifth grade, Go Groups meet weekly during the school year at New Covenant Bible Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Whether your young students is “tech-minded,” appreciates worship performance, or has a heart for serving others, Go Groups are a great way to dip a toe into what it takes to make ministry work in today’s church environment.
For example, the Power It Up Go Group focuses on the technical side of ministry. What do all those buttons on the soundboard do? How can the lighting on the stage be changed to create a more dramatic effect? How do you make videos and slideshows for projection on the big screens? Power It Up covers all those aspects and more, teaching the next generation of worship leaders about an ever-changing technology landscape.
In Serve It Up, kids who have a heart for serving others will flourish. This track explores the spiritual gift of hospitality, what it means to genuinely help others, thinking creatively about what service looks like, and more. These are timeless and valuable life skills for anyone to learn, and the kids in this group get hands-on training in how to serve our communities, and more importantly, the Kingdom.
And in Turn It Up, this popular choice lets kids sing and dance their hearts out as an act of worship to the Lord. They learn choreography to up-beat modern worship songs and contribute to other youth ministry services and gatherings. Their signature orange jerseys make them easy to identify, but their heart for praising the Lord really sets them apart.
Each of these Go Group areas is led by adult volunteers, committed to walking alongside these kids in their discipleship training and investing quality time with our youth.
One volunteer, Erin Fishell, is in her second year of Go Group leadership, and two of her four children are in the program currently.
“I personally love worshiping God through song and dance, and it is a joy to encourage students in Turn It Up.”
“Years ago I remember praying that we would have more opportunities to pursue God and to pursue others as a family,” Erin says. “I am so thankful that during this season of life, New Covenant Go Groups is a way that we can do that!”
Erin says her role in Go Groups is to model leadership and to support students as they embrace the gifts God has given them. "They are also stretched to consider how God can grow their current skillset and use them outside of Go Groups. As God works in all our hearts, we are reminded that our daily choices can honor God,” Erin says, “and we can worship Him even when we are not singing and dancing.”
Enrollment in Go Groups is ongoing and open to all third through fifth-grade students. For more details about how to get involved with a Go Group, visit the Go Groups page on the New Covenant website.