Sundays

Sunday Mornings
9:30am
Jr. High in The MAC
High School in The Venue
Sunday Morning Bible Study for youth! We have some great teachers (you can check out who they are on the Youth Staff tab) and a great opportunity to explore the Bible together.  Junior Highs (grades 6th, 7th, 8th) meet in The MAC room A200 to start the hour. Then break out into smaller groups (rooms listed below).  High Schoolers (grades 9th, 10th, 11th) meet in The Venue main room.  Seniors meet in The Venue back room.

Junior High Sunday School break out rooms:
6th Grade Boys – room A125
6th Grade Girls – room A203/youth
7th Grade Boys – room A124
7th Grade Girls – room A211
8th Grade Boys – room A128/party room
8th Grade Girls – room A210

Sunday Nights
7:37pm
The MAC Room A200
Beginning Sunday, January 22nd
Last one for spring semester is May 7

CONNECT.with a core group.
GROW.through discipleship.
SERVE.as Christ teaches.

Here at First Woodway, we take discipleship ministry very seriously.  In our 7:37 Discipleship Groups, students meet with a group of peers…his or her age and his or her gender.  Each group has two college leaders that help them to grow in Christian faith and practice.  Check out our great line up of leaders on the Youth Staff page.

Come and be a part of the spiritual backbone of our entire ministry.  It is your chance to mature into a faith that you can use.  It all takes place each Sunday at 7:37pm in The MAC room A200 on our campus.  From there we will break off into our small groups.  Spring semester 2023 begins on January 22 and ends on May 7.

Wednesdays

PRIME TIME – for Junior Highs
7:00pm in The MAC
Just what you need in the middle of the week—an opportunity to gather with your friends for some great fun and spiritual encouragement.  All 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders are welcome to come to the MAC each and every Wednesday at 7:00 for game competitions, fun mixers, student testimonies, great worship, and a relevant talk.  We’re done at 8:15.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT LIVE – for High Schoolers
7:00pm in The Venue
WNL is live and in person!  This is your time to gather with other students for authentic worship through great music, hilarious skits, student testimonies, and a talk that will give solid direction for living out your faith commitment.  Join us in The Venue every Wednesday at 7:00.  This is the place for you to learn, grow, and reach out to your friends throughout the school year.

Social Media

To keep up with all the latest, follow our youth pages on the following social media platforms:

Instagram – @firstwoodwayyouth

Facebook – First Woodway Youth Ministry page

YouTube – First Woodway Youth Ministry

Summer 2023 Youth Mission Opportunities:

Youth International Trips

England | June 9-20,2023
It was so great to finally be back in the mother country this past summer.  We are so ready to get back to continue our relationship with our partners in Redcar (located on the cusp of the North Sea).  After a long plane ride and then catching the train north, you will meet your host family and jump right into serving this spiritually dark country.  An unforgettable experience – guaranteed!  Our team is all set.

Belize | July 23-29, 2023
Our annual trip to this beloved Central American country has become a huge part of our ministry. It’s back to the little inland town of San Estevan, where we literally do a VBS down by the river – and every kid in town will come.  It’s pretty awesome.  Couple that with service projects and outreach events for the little church, as well as work in a local orphanage and you will experience a real international mission trip – just a bit closer to home.

Fundraising Info
First Woodway Youth Ministry sponsors the First Woodway Open golf tournament to help students to raise funds for youth international trips.  The date is set for Friday, May 26 (more details coming soon about the golf tournament).  Trip participants raise funds by selling hole sponsors to local businesses or family and friends.  Each hole is $100 and the student receives all the proceeds. Click here for the hole sponsor form.

Youth Stateside Trips

La Grulla | June 18-24, 2023
We hold this dusty little town very close to our heart! We have made this journey since 2002 working with Iglesia Bautista.  There is nothing like VBS in Alto Bonito Park and sweating our way through work projects.  It’s the best week ever! We will load up on church vans and leave from FW early Sunday morning June 18th – returning on June 24th. We have a limited number of spots for this trip so sign up soon. This is a high school event, but we are saving a few spots for incoming freshmen. $50 deposit saves your spot.  Total cost of the trip is TBD but will be in the $350-400 range.

Class of 2023 Seniors
This is your year and this is your page!  Check back here for all things.

SAVE THE DATES:

Senior Recognition Sunday is May 21, 2023
Senior Beach Trip – May 30 until June 2

More details coming soon!

SONDAYS CAMP

July 9-14, 2023

As always, Mount Lebanon is our destination for the best week of the year.  This year’s camp has Zack Randles, pastor of Waterfront Church in Washington, DC, coming as our speaker.  For a third straight year, the Art Wellborn Band will be leading our worship.  In addition, part of our program will feature Dr. Sean McDowell, professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University.  It’s the week you cannot afford to miss.  More details to come soon.

Youth Staff

mattMcCLURE (Youth Pastor: THE guy)
coming from Oklahoma, Matt is the new guy around here and still learning his way around Waco.  Matt has been a youth pastor for 25 years and is excited to be in here.  Matt grew up on a farm in small-town Oklahoma and went to college at Oklahoma State.  God had a totally different plan for Matt than life in agriculture, and that was one in youth ministry.  Matt recently moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma where he served at the same church for the last 16 years.  Matt and his wife Melissa have been married for 22 years and have two kids, both of which are in the youth ministry!  If you have yet to meet Matt, then swing by the office or grab him on a Sunday or Wednesday at First Woodway!

meredithMORTON (Associate Minister: Middle School)
starting as the cutest little 7th grader, Meredith grew up in the ministry before departing for the mountains and the University of Arkansas – ending up with a degree in International Relations. After college, she spent a year studying in the Kanakuk Institute before starting her masters at Truett Seminay. After graduating, she moved into a full-time position– and is giving leadership to our ministry to middle school students. She is passionate about the opportunity to work with her junior highs. Meredith is definitely the best athlete on the staff, having excelled at volleyball, basketball, and softball in high school. She loves reading, hanging out with friends, and spontaneous adventures of any kind with her brand new husband, Tom.

terriJONES (Student Ministry Assistant)
came on board in this important position in 2013.  She keeps all of this madness so very well organized, and we love her for it.  Terri comes from Sweetwater, where she hung out at the Dairy Queen on weekends.  After graduating from Angelo State University, she made a choice to move to Dallas. It was there that she met her future husband, David.  Her present children, Allison (a Texas A&M graduate) and Sam (a Texas A&M student) continue to daily rise up and call her blessed. She enjoys walking, reading, and baking.  Everyone loves Terri, mostly because of her pies.

jasonFLETCHER (Youth Associate)
has served faithfully for the past five years as a volunteer and intern but now has moved into an associate role. Unlike everyone else, he is not home grown but grew up in Arlington. After graduating from Baylor, he taught chemistry (yuck) at Midway High School for one year. He now has chosen wisely and has come back on our staff, even as he goes full-time with his studies at Truett Seminary and the School of Education. Jason excelled in sports and was active in his youth ministry during his high school years. He loves reading, working out, playing piano, and hanging with his friends. He once broke his front tooth while trying to scare his mom getting out of her car; that obviously did not go well. Jason is a great speaker, mentor, and loyal team player. He also drives a truck.

THE INTERNS
As always, we have a great group of interns serving in our ministry. This year is no different. All of these servant leaders grew up in our ministry and are presently pursuing degrees at Baylor:

zachBROWN is finishing up his second year as an intern and gives solid leadership within our worship ministry. He played soccer in high school but also excelled in the musical arts department. Now at college, he loves hanging out at the library and with Libby his girlfriend, as well as Hank his dog.

walkerGARRETT started working this semester as a utility player helping with teaching and worship. In high school, he was a chaplain for the football team and was also all-state in choir (which is really hard to do). He is an avid outdoorsman and loves the USA, USA, USA!

By the way, all of our interns drive trucks. It’s a Texas thing.

Sunday Morning Team

High School Teachers
High School Department Director: Rodney Bowden
Assistant:  Terri Jones

12th Grade: Darrell Janecka, Cindy Janecka

11th Grade Guys: Rodney Bowden, Jon Edwards
11th Grade Girls:  Niki Edwards, Shannon Johnson

10th Grade Guys: Brent Baker, Alan Bowden
10th Grade Girls: Emily Baker, Angie Wood

9th Grade Guys: Jason Fletcher
9th Grade Girls: Bailey Lopez

Junior High Teachers

Junior High Department Directors: Jay Fischer, Leighanne Fischer

8th Grade Guys: Mike Meline, Shon Sanders
8th Grade Girls: Shelley Meline, Cindy Mosel

7th Grade Guys: Ben Erlanson, Kyle Miller
7th Grade Girls: Kristy Erlanson, Haley Winkleman

6th Grade Guys: Walker Garrett, Tom Morton
6th Grade Girls: Dana Bowden, Robin Sanders

7:37 Team

High School Discipleship Leaders
12th Grade Guys: Jason Fletcher, Andy Gauer
12th Grade Girls: Terri Jones, Caroline Thompson

11th Grade Guys: Harrison Escue, Peyton Hodges, Joey Leeper
11th Grade Girls:  Sofia Aguillera, Casey Hoffmire, Julianna Lewis, Libby Noesen

10th Grade Guys: Michael Mize, Zach Smith
10th Grade Girls:  Kylie Akin, Madelyn George

9th Grade Guys: Zach Brown, Luke Wilson
9th Grade Girls: Mallory McCartney, Meredith Morton

Junior High Discipleship Leaders
8th Grade Guys: Walker Garrett, Blake George, Cody Glanzer
8th Grade Girls: Hannah Bowden, Abby Grace Edwards

7th Grade Guys: Ryan Jones, Caleb Wilson
7th Grade Girls: Rahya Gupta, Scarlett Sanders

6th Grade Guys: Matthew Bouydston, Ethan Odermann
6th Grade Girls: Casey Sadler, Taylor Frost

SLT (Student Leadership Team)

Every year we invite any and all of our juniors and seniors to join us in the leadership of our ministry through our SLT (Student Leadership Team).

Ministry is only effective if the students get involved and claim it as their own. We invite students to serve on a few different focus groups according to their interests. Groups typically meet one Sunday a month to talk over ideas and important events.

Here the areas of involvement:

:: PROGRAMS TEAM
:: SKIT TEAM
:: SPIRITUAL FORMATION TEAM
If you are a junior or senior in high school, you are welcome to join SLT.  Meetings are typically held the 2nd Sunday of each month.

In the vault we have the latest First Woodway youth videos. All available for your viewing pleasure… or mozy on over to youtube to watch some of our classics.