Information for Parents
Helping Parents Teach the Faith
Matrix affirms the role of parents as the primary formers of their children’s faith. Our ministry aims to supplement your family’s spiritual education through programs like Matrix. We provide parents with various tools to help them reinforce the key concept at home in everyday living.
Joining Matrix
If you know someone in the Matrix already, we recommend that you come with them to the next Matrix event on the schedule. You will be automatically placed in their mentor group, and the mentors in that group will get your child registered via a registration card. If you don’t know anyone, the best day to be introduced to the Matrix is on any EXPLORE night. Simply tell one of our leaders (you'll know them by their nametags) that you are new, and they will help you meet your mentor and small group for the night. We ask that parents/guardians please complete a registration form and medical release form for each student participating - click on the links to download and print these forms.
Is Matrix Like Confirmation?
At the end of the 8th grade year, we do offer our students the option of affirming their faith publicly in the rite of Confirmation. But because Matrix is so unlike any traditional Confirmation program, we prefer not to formally call it “Confirmation.” Our hope is that students will see their final year in Matrix not as some kind of graduation or end point in their faith education, but rather as another step in their ongoing journey to know Christ more. Many of our Matrix graduates move into the servant leadership program known as Summit to feed their spiritual growth. Click on the Confirmation link to the left for more information.
What Mentors Do
At Matrix, your child will be in a group with students of their gender and grade with two adult mentors. They are here for your child. We like to say that our mentors "walk alongside" the students in their journey of faith. They are here to help the students with whatever questions they may have about their faith, to pray for them when life gets tough, to celebrate with them, and to challenge them to take their faith to the next level. Your child’s Matrix mentors make a commitment for one year to disciple and pray for the students in their group and each mentor completes extensive training and a background check before beginning their ministry. Here’s what you can expect from your mentors:
-- Praying for your child specifically each day.
-- Helping them grow in their marks of discipleship.
-- E-mailing or calling each week to check in and get prayer requests.
-- Calling with any announcements regarding Matrix.
-- Setting and communicating the mentor night activity.
-- Attending retreats as support staff.
-- Challenging your child to think practically about their faith through small group discussion.
We Rely on Parents to Support Matrix Behind the Scenes
Because Matrix is such an extensive ministry, we rely on everyone to do a little bit to help make it run. We ask parents to serve in one of the following capacities each year. If you’d like to serve in one of these capacities, please let us know.
- Helping drive a car-load of students to a retreat
- Help provide snack one time each year for everyone
- Setting up the Sabbath prayer stations
- Making reminder calls to families providing snack
- Planning Powersurge activities
- Be a mentor
- Catering our Mentor Training events
- Take photographs
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