Where Every Teen Belongs.

Youth Ministries calls for passion, patience, and faithfulness – pointing out the sacred amid the chaos of adolescence and walking faithfully with young people as they transition from child to young adult. Our teen group is a bridging ministry of education, connection, formation, and, hopefully, transformation.

Responding to the spiritual needs of teens is about building trusting relationships. FUMC Chula Vista strives to walk with young people on their journeys from childhood to adulthood, recognizing their gifts for ministry, their questions about spirituality, and their desire to make a difference in the world.

A Week in Teen Ministry

Ignite Sundays

WHO: All teens are invited!
WHAT: A moment to ignite a conversation about the day’s sermon and how it can be applied to real life.
WHEN: 10:30a-12:00p most Sundays
WHERE: The youth room @ fumccv

Check out instagram (@fumccv_youth) or our Youth Group Chat to check for cancellations/rescheduled dates.

Teen Life Group

WHO: Teens interested in a Christian Youth Life Group Community
WHAT: A Wednesday night meetup that explores all aspects of being a Christian, bible study, and how to live a faithful life.
WHEN: 6:30p-8:00p most Wednesdays
WHERE: The youth room @ fumccv

Retreats, Missions, & Camps

Winter, Fall, and Summer events are planned each year. This is a perfect opportunity for the youth and adult leaders to get away from the routines of everyday life and focus on building strong relationships with Christ and developing the skills to bring the Christian message to their peers.

Annual trips are listed below (dates change depending on the year).

Disneyland Fall Retreat: October 4-7, 2024
Cost: w/o Fundraising ~$500

Winter Lock-In: January 10-11, 2025
Cost: ~$20

Confirmation Retreat: January 4

Mexico Mission Trip: January 16-20, 2025
Cost: w/o Fundraising~$400

Spring Retreat: April 2-4, 2025
Cost: ~$20

Jr. High/Sr. High Summer Camp 2025: June 22-28, 2025
Cost: $100-200 Scholarship from FUMCCV

Counselor in Training @ Elementary Camp: July 6-11, 2025 (Grades 10-Grad)

Summer Programming

During the summer, we step away from the typical Sunday youth group & Wednesday life group. We focus on Sunday Summer Bonfires, fair outings, and Water Wednesday! There are also so many opportunities to get out there and volunteer, get work experience, and become even closer to God.

Be a Summer Camp Counselor

High School Teens going into 10th grade and up are invited to participate as Camp Counselors at Camp Cedar Glen! This is an excellent way to build leadership skills through the Cedar Glen C-I-T training program, which prepares our teens to lead groups of elementary-age kids through their week at camp. Look for more info in early 2025!

Lead at Vacation Bible School

Our teens take on leadership roles as Vacation Bible School counselors every year. Our teens make up many of our counselors every year at VBS and truly exemplify what it means to be young Christian leaders in our community. If you’re interested in this opportunity for your teen, look for more info around May 2025!

Quick Links

Join Our Group

Fill out an interest form to get connected to our programs.

Donate to Us

See our Amazon wishlist and help us get materials and snacks for the youth room.

Calendar

See the most up to date calendar to help you stay connected.

Let us answer your questions.

  • We wholeheartedly embrace and accept LGBTQ+ youth as members of our community. We believe that we are all wonderfully made in the image of God, no matter our sexual orientation or gender identity. As a reconciling church, we hope to provide this community with a safe and affirming space where they can be their most authentic selves.

  • While we do meet during the 9:30 service, we do encourage teens and their families to attend the 11 am service! As a group, we attend the 9:30 service together on the first Sunday of each month to participate in communion.

  • Our youth group meets almost every Sunday and Wednesday during the school year except for breaks, weeks of other activities, and other one-off changes in plan.

    During the summer, we move to our Summer Programming, which can be found above.

  • Interested in volunteering with the Youth Group? We are currently looking for adult volunteers who have a heart for middle school and/or high school students. Or for more information on Youth Ministry programming and activities please get in touch with our Director of Youth Ministry, Aries Ramirez (aries.ramirez@fumccv.org)

About Our Leaders

Aries Ramirez, Director of Youth Ministry

Aries Ramirez has worked at FUMCCV for almost four years, initially starting as the Missions & Community Outreach intern through the Elijah Collective Internship Program with SDSU. Over his life, he’s worked with children and youth in different roles such as summer camp counselor at the San Diego Museum of Man, Children’s Ministry Assistant at MHUMC, and at his Childhood Church Youth Ministry Office. He graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 and took on a full-time role at the church as the Office Manager, later transitioning to Director of Youth Ministry. He is taking classes at PLNU to earn a Master's Degree in Teaching and looks forward to growing in skills to better the ministries of FUMCCV. In his free time, he loves cooking food from around the world, talking music with friends, spending time with family, and attending music festivals.

Rev. Brian Parcel, Lead Pastor

As a former Youth Minister, Rev. Brian Parcel is one of the best assets to our Teen Ministry. Although he only has the opportunity to meet with our teens occasionally, he is a strong advocate for them, becoming the leaders he knows they can be. He works with the Camping Ministry to ensure our students can attend each year with a scholarship and to give them the opportunity to serve as Counselors in Training, where they lead Elementary-age students in their camping experience. He’s the father of two young adults making their way through college and loves spending time with his wife, Darin.