Youth Ministries
Welcome from the PET Youth Committee
“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” – Matthew 18:5 NRSV
The Presbytery of East Tennessee is dedicated to supporting youth ministry in our individual churches, as well as collaboratively. The Youth Committee strives to provide opportunities for presbytery youth to grow in their faith, build relationships with one another, and explore ways in which they can live out their faith in a meaningful way.
Small & Mighty
One way the Youth Committee hopes to provide opportunities for faith formation and fellowship for youth in the presbytery is through our collaborative youth group program called Small & Mighty. This ministry initiative is targeted toward smaller youth groups but is open to all youth within the presbytery. Small & Mighty meets once a month for a variety of programming at different locations. Please check the 2025 calendar below for this year’s events and details.
Annual Events – Youth Summit & Middle School Retreat
Each year we offer an event for high school youth (9th-12th grade) in the early spring called Youth Summit. We also offer an annual Middle School Retreat for 6th-8th graders in the fall. Both of these events offer time for youth to meet new friends, grow in their faith, and build relationships with their home church group.
Youth Leadership
The Youth Committee realizes that in order to support youth ministry in our presbytery we need to actively help our youth grow in leadership skills and provide opportunities for our youth leaders to find encouragement and connection. High school youth are invited to apply to serve on PET Youth Council. This group of youth work with the Youth Leadership Team of the Youth Committee to learn leadership skills through training opportunities. They also help plan and lead the annual youth retreats. Youth ministry leader cohorts and continuing education events are in the works to better support the youth leaders of our presbytery.
If you need more information or would like to join the Youth Committee’s efforts to minister to the youth of our presbytery, please email us at youthcommittee@presbyteryeasttn.org
Peace & Light,
Rev. Paul Earheart-Brown
Moderator
Youth Committee
PET Youth Committee
Youth Committee Leadership
Rev. Paul Earheart-Brown, Moderator
Associate Chaplain and MAST Director
Maryville College, Maryville
Rev. Meredith Loftis, Vice Moderator
Associate Pastor
First Presbyterian, Knoxville
Youth Committee Teams
Small and Mighty Team
Rev. Paul Earheart-Brown
Associate Chaplain and MAST Director
Maryville College, Maryville
Mason Warren
Director of Family Ministry
Farragut Presbyterian, Knoxville
Rev. Matthew Benz-Whittington
Pastor
Highland Presbyterian, Maryville
Dr. Rebecca Pierce
Elder
Bethel Presbyterian, Kingston
Youth Leadership Team
Rev. Louden Young
Associate Pastor
New Providence Presbyterian, Maryville
Carrie Pittenger
Elder
New Providence Presbyterian, Maryville
Sam Goins
Elder
New Providence Presbyterian, Maryville
Ryan Hughes
Volunteer
Annual Events Team
Rev. Meredith Loftis
Associate Pastor
First Presbyterian, Knoxville
Holly Child
Christian Educator
Lake Hills Presbyterian, Knoxville
Will Purushotham
Youth Director
Korean Presbyterian, Knoxville
Jessica Carter
Youth Volunteer
First Presbyterian, Cleveland
Carolyn Gahan
Youth Director
Fountain City Presbyterian, Knoxville
Melissa Brown
Youth Director
Powell Presbyterian, Powell
Expanding Horizons
Expanding Horizons is a summer camp for high school students that takes place at Maryville College. Come explore the intersection of theology and ecology and experience the college life!
Questions? Email expanding.horizons@maryvillecollege.edu
Presbyterian Youth Triennium
The Presbyterian Youth Triennium (PYT) is an ecumenical event hosted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church that gathers high school age young people every 3 years. It is a well-planned and thoughtfully led event focused on worship, disciple making, Christian compassion & justice and biblical/theological education. It is also a catalyst for many young people to take the next steps in their faith.
2025 Presbyterian Youth Triennium will be this July 28-31 in Louisville, KY. Be on the lookout for a Zoom informational session to learn more about the event and our how your youth can be a part of our presbytery’s delegation! If you would like to register a group from your church to go, please reach out to Mason Warren masonwarren@fpctn.org or Paul Earheart-Brown paul.earheartbrown@
Montreat Youth Conference
PET is organizing a group to go to Montreat Youth Conference week 2, which is June 8-14.
If you are interested in sending a group or definitely planning to send a group, please fill out the quick form below!
Montreat Middle School Conference
@Maryville College
Montreat Middle School Conference will be July 16-20 at Maryville College.
The Middle School Conference is designed for youth who have completed fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth grade by summer 2025, and for their group leaders. Adults must be fully registered and housed with their youth in campus housing. The daily schedule includes keynote, worship, recreation, singing, small groups, and many other activities.
At this year’s Middle School Conference, we will dive into how God leads us to be “Wonder Full” and how we can live in response to that call. Using passages from Psalms, Jeremiah, and the Gospels, we will explore the wonder that is within us, all around us, and yearning to be shared in community.
If your church isn’t going you can sign up as an individual below.
Small and Mighty
Small and Mighty is an initiative in collaborative youth ministry among churches in the Presbytery. The goal is to connect churches that would benefit from shared ministry, opening up new possibilities through pooling resources. Though aimed specifically at smaller congregations, these events are opened to any youth in the presbytery. If you are interested in learning more, or being put on the contact list for Small and Mighty events, please email Rev. Paul Earheart-Brown (youthcommittee@presbyteryeasttn.org).
2025 Small & Mighty Events
April 13, 5:30pm
Bowling @ Strike and Spare Bowling in Knoxville 213 Hayfield Rd. Knoxville, TN 37922
We are going bowling! We will meet at Strike and Spare Bowling in Knoxville (213 Hayfield Rd. Knoxville, TN 37922) at 5:30 on Sunday, April 13th. The bowling alley is just a few minutes away from Farragut Pres. We are asking everyone to bring $10, but if someone isn’t able to pay, please know that everyone will be welcome! Since we are reserving space at the bowling alley, please let us know how many your group will be bringing by Wednesday, April 9th. We can’t wait to see everyone there!
Join the Youth Council
The PET Youth Committee is excited to open up a new school year for the Youth Council. We have made a few changes this year, which reflect our commitment to make Youth Council an accessible and worth while experience for our high school leaders. As a reminder, we no longer require full year commitments. As long as a youth has attended one of the Leadership 101: Intro to Youth Council events within the last year and the planning meeting prior to the retreat, they will be able to participate in leading the retreat.
Additional dates on the calendar include opportunities open to all youth who are interested in developing their skills and confidence as leaders. These opportunities will be online unless otherwise specified. If you have a youth who is interested in youth council or leadership development, please have them register for one of the two upcoming Leadership 101: Intro to Youth Council events. You can register at the button below.
If you have any questions, please contact youthcommittee@
Dates you would be committing to:
Leadership 101: Intro to Youth Council | August 25, 2024 (online) or August 31, 2024 (in-person @ New Providence)
Middle School Retreat Planning Meeting | September 14, 2024 (online)
Middle School Retreat | September 27 – 29 @ John Knox Center
Leadership 102: Intro to Leading a Small Group | October 20, 2024 (online)