When is youth group? Middle school youth group (grades 6th - 8th) is on Wednesday’s from 6:15 PM - 7:45 PM and high school youth group (grades 9th - 12th) is on Sunday’s from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
When and why did you start this ministry? We launched our ministry in January 2017. After three years in the county, we have recognized the need for a safe, centrally located place for teenagers to hang out. We’ve always had a burden to share Christ with teenagers and recognize a ministry completely dedicated to teenagers benefits the community at large.
Who are Dave and Tina Hite and why should I trust them with my teenager? We have 8 years of full time vocational youth ministry experience and 3+ years of volunteer youth ministry experience throughout our 18 years of marriage. Dave also has non-church related experience working with teenagers through municipal parks and recreation departments and as a juvenile detention officer in Seattle. He also has public school volunteer experience in a shop class and school libraries. We have taken 5 different international mission trips with teenagers (3 trips to Haiti and 2 trips to Canada).
How is your ministry funded? Our ministry is funded through donations from individuals and through fundraising activities. In the past fundraising has been a very successful part of our ministry. In one instance we raised over $22,000 in less than one year to send 10 people to Haiti on a mission trip.
Are you tied directly to any denomination or church organization? No. By design, we established this ministry to reach teenagers with various types of backgrounds, to include a cross section of religious beliefs and denominations. We teach what is between the covers of the Bible. Our hope is that we can share the gospel with teenagers and ideally get them plugged into a local church and/or a foundation that they can lean on when they graduate from high school and move into adulthood.
How do you address denominational differences in youth group? Any questions or topics that arise of a religious nature are always directed back to “what does the Bible say about it”. For example, when asked about baptism, we will share with the students the scripture regarding sprinkling and scriptures regarding submersion baptism and then encourage the students to discuss this with their parents and/or the pastor of their church.
What grades do your 2 youth groups encompass? Middle school youth group includes 6th grade through 8th grade (even though the 6th graders are not yet in middle school). High school youth group includes 9th through 12th grade. However, teenagers must be in school to attend youth group, or recently graduated (within the last 3 months).
Do you offer any programming outside of the typical youth group setting on Wednesday and Sundays? Yes. We offer a Friday night drop in every Friday during the school year for middle and high school students from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the youth center building. During the summer, we are open for Friday night drop-in every other week, so keep an eye on our current calendar. This night is designed to give the students an opportunity to just hang out, play games and have fun. Other fun activities are also planned throughout the year. Examples include put-put golf, Frisbee golf, ski day, swimming at the lake/BBQ, etc.
Do you offer any service opportunities for the youth? Yes. On average, a service project is planned for every other month. In the past we have done free car washes, cleaned out barns, collected non-perishable food items for the local food bank, snow shoveling, yard clean up, etc. These service projects are voluntary, however if a student is interested in attending a mission trip, they will be required to participate in the service projects throughout the year.
Do you need volunteer help? Yes, and no. Currently our need for volunteers is for Friday night drop in. To be successful we need consistent volunteers who love teenagers and want to be a part of their lives. As our ministry grows, we may be looking for volunteers on Wednesday and Sunday nights. All volunteers will be required to pass a federal background check that the ministry will pay for.
Does your ministry need anything? Yes! First and foremost, we need your prayers. If you were thinking more along the lines of tangible items, please see our wish list on our page.
Where do you meet? We have 2 dedicated rooms in the Professional Building, where the ESD and Eide Bailly are currently located. The address is 107 SW 1st Street in Enterprise on the corner of Greenwood and SW 1st St across from the sheriff’s department and the Vault. Please enter through the door on 1st Street, across from the Vault.
What kind of education do you bring to this ministry? Tina has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Arizona State University. Dave has a bachelor’s degree in Recreation from the University of Idaho and completed Bible School Training at Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach, Oregon.
