Lighthouse Christian Church Youth Ministry
The Lighthouse weekly youth group is a combined middle school and high school group, open to all kids within that range who like to have fun, eat good food, and learn about God through short, interactive lessons from the Bible. We do both relevant topical studies based on the Bible (on issues and situations that touch today’s youth), as well as longer-term studies of specific books of the Bible.
As leaders of the youth group at Lighthouse, our main goal is to first help them get acquainted with Jesus Christ who came to bring abundant life to all. We strive to show them that they aren’t just random creatures in a big, cold universe, but instead, are supremely important and purposeful individuals to the Maker of that universe! Secondly, to teach them to study and take comfort and guidance from God’s Word the Bible, which we see as a foundational to living lives with purpose on earth.
We also value service experiences and mission trips to expand their perspective of their city and the world, as well as view both through God’s “lens”, or how He sees and loves the world and all the people in it.
In short, our group is all about living out Jesus’ Words in Luke 10:27 –
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself.
-Luke 10:27
Youth Ministry Events
Summer 2019
Youth Community Outreach
This summer the youth group did one of the things they do best - they made tacos - and for a great cause. Lighthouse Christian Church had a team participating in the 24-hour Relay for Life of Marin County event benefiting the American Cancer Society. The event this year was seeking some dinner food options for participants and the Lighthouse youth stepped up to the challenge. In the 100+ degree heat, they came out to cook and serve up carne asada tacos, along with rice and beans, getting Relayers fueled up for the nighttime walking. They sure were yummy and we sold out! When all was said and done, the taco sale raised nearly $600 toward Lighthouse's fundraising efforts for the Relay event.
The youth had a great time serving the community and were also able to participate in several of the other fun event activities. Some of our students even got to "drive" the Lighthouse Hope Mobile created by the youth group leader, Matt Fenn, for the DIY Car Show and Parade highlighting ACS' Road to Recovery program.
July 2019
Vacation Bible School/Camp
This summer Lighthouse Christian Church teamed up with Christ Church North Bay to hold their annual Vacation Bible Camp. The theme was the “Wild West” where Pastor Matthew from CCNB donned silver buck teeth and leather chaps and was regarded to the VBS community as Doc Holiday! We collaborated efforts to build an amazing float for the Fourth of July annual parade here in Novato. Our churches decorated a large trailer to replicate an old covered wagon that strolled down Grant Street at the parade. Dressed in their wild west attire, congregation members walked along the parade route and handed out flyers to urge families to join us for this free and fun event!
In all, we served fifty-eight children preschool age through fifth grade.
The Sanctuary was amply decorated with detailed custom decorations that transferred the stage and classroom space into the wild west! The older youth entertained the children with several skits and were helpful in other roles this year. Each teen was teamed up with an adult leader and engaged with the young kids, guiding them through their week of fun games and activities. Many games were enjoyed, and food was packed with the Projects for a Purpose Project that went to help the Novato Human Needs Center. Bible lessons were heard, and kindness rocks painted, and fun and inventive snacks were enjoyed by the kids. The Preschool group participated in a classroom reenactment of the birth of Jesus in the stables, an authentic treasure map hunt and several other fun and engaging crafts and games in their outdoor classroom.
Worship and praise were sung loud and proud and many danced and twirled to the catchy beats. On day four we enjoyed a hoedown theme BBQ, our fellowship hall was transformed beautifully with red-checked tablecloths and mason jar sunflower arrangements. Great food was BBQ’d by an amazing grill crew! Games, dancing and an enormous Orb ball on the Lighthouse lawn that all of the kids loved!!
VBS 2019 was wildly successful and we look forward to serving our community with another fun VBS week summer 2020!
Be sure to check out our website for updates!
Youth Ministry Leaders
Katy Eusebio
Katy Eusebio is one of our youth leaders with the built-in experience of having two teenagers and a pre-teen. With a background in teaching, cross-cultural work, and urban ministry, she has thoroughly enjoyed the current season of involvement in the Lighthouse Christian Church with her family.
When she’s not helping to run youth meetings, or her and her husband Julian’s landscaping business, she is probably driving, cooking, reading, bingeing “Madam Secretary,” or daydreaming about returning to a regular regimen of running. But her main vocational passion is the youth of Lighthouse Christian Church and the youth of Novato, whom she and the rest of the youth team would love to influence with the hope-giving love of Jesus Christ.
Julian Eusebio
A native of Michoacan, Mexico, Julian has lived in Novato with his wife Katy for over 15 years. Together they have three children and own a landscaping company. When not busy leading his team in the business, Julian is active in the community, using his relational gifts and love of meeting new people. Julian is a member of the church’s elder board and is heading up a new ministry of Lighthouse with the hopes of starting a Spanish speaking arm of the church, called Luz de Cristo. Not to be called a slacker, he also volunteers weekly with the Lighthouse youth group, enriching the lives of middle and high school kids. Julian is often the one to step up and allow the youth to toss wet sponges or water balloons at him, and our favorite - being the human piñata with candy attached to his shirt, running from candy-obsessed youth.
Shana Byrne
Born and raised in Novato, Shana left for a while to attend college and law school but never got further than Santa Cruz. She moved back to Novato with her husband, Bryan, in 2011. Upon her return, Shana plugged into the church and has worked with this youth group for over 8 years. Shana feels it is important to be real with our youth and doesn't sugarcoat the struggles she had prior to giving her life to Christ in her mid-20s, hoping they will hear it as a cautionary tale. When she's not at church you'll probably find her sitting in front of her computer working (she practices law as in house counsel and a managing consultant for a small litigation support services/software company headquartered in San Francisco), (over)planning activities for Relay for Life of Marin County, making t-shirts for the youth group or some other craft project, or planning her next highly anticipated vacation with Bryan. Shana also sings with the Lighthouse worship team on Sundays and is on the church's promotions team. To the pleasure of local dentists, she's recently joined in the fight against cavities, acting as a gum supplier for the youth girls and making her something of a pied piper every time she rolls into the church parking lot.
Matt Fenn
Matt was born in San Francisco and grew up in a military family with five brothers. His father was a Vietnam Army veteran as a flight pilot. During his childhood, Matt had the opportunity to live in many locations, Germany as well as several states here in the US.
Matt and his wife, Laura, have been married for 27 years and raised 5 children together. Matt and Laura have both been active with their church, teaching Sunday school, involved with the AWANA Club and youth group at Open Door and Lighthouse Christian Church for over 25 years. They raised all of their children to know, love and honor the Lord. Matt’s life has been enriched and helped from reading and studying the Bible.
In 2 Timothy 3:15-17 it states that being acquainted with the scripture makes you wise to salvation through Christ and equips us for a faithful, fruitful life. It is his desire to help our youth grow in the same way. Matt is known to bring a fun element of creativity to his bible lessons to help youth understand and believe the Bible.