Youth

Confirmation Summer Trips
Weekly Events Summer Getaways
Upcoming Retreats Connect With Us

Welcome to Youth at Canterbury

Hi, there! YAC team here! We call our group the “YACs”, or “Youth At Canterbury”. YAC is the student ministry at Canterbury UMC, and it is for students in the 7th-12th grades. We may be a little biased, but we think our YAC Herd is the best!

Junior High and Senior High are major times of transition for students. We want to come alongside students and parents during this transition and provide a place for students to feel safe, grow in their relationship with God, have fun, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

We hope you’ll join our YAC Pack!
We know you’ll be glad you did!

Confirmation

  • What is Confirmation?

    We are so excited to welcome you to Confirmation at Canterbury United Methodist!  Confirmation is an ancient rite of passage where the Confirmand explores the tenets of the faith and what it means to be a Christian & a United Methodist. It is also a time where they begin to take ownership of their own faith stories as they prayerfully consider the commitment they will make on Confirmation Sunday to Christ & the United Methodist Church. Confirmation is a wonderful and immersive experience for our 7th grade students that will forever change their lives. We hope you will join us in Confirmation this year!

  • Confirmation Year 2025-2026 Registration

    We ask that 7th grade students interested in participating in Confirmation to please register. If you are interested in registering your student or have questions, please contact Gann at gann.waters-wright@canterburyumc.org or Eleanor at eleanor.kerr@canterburyumc.org 

  • Subscribe to Confirmation Email

    Not getting our 2025-2026 Confirmation emails? No problem! You can sign up to receive our 2025-2026 Confirmation emails with the button below.

Weekly Events

  • MYF
    Sunday Nights5:00-6:45 PM 7th – 12th GradeCanterbury Hall

    MYF is a great night to come and have a lot of fun, while also learning about God. MYF is for all 7th-12th grade students, and it’s a great night to bring a friend! MYF includes games, worship, a message, and small groups. Sundays are a great night to invite your friends, make new friends, and grow in your relationship with God. Invite a friend, and join us at MYF!

  • Midweek
    Wednesday Nights6:00-7:00 PM7th – 12th GradeYouth Center

    Wednesday nights are a time for fellowship, games, and a more in-depth Bible study. We split into two groups for MidWeek — Junior High (7th-9th grades) and Senior High (10th-12th grades). Bring a friend, and join us each Wednesday night as we dive deeper into what God is doing in and through our lives.

    MidWeek includes a game, a lesson, and a group discussion. Wednesday nights are aimed at making the Bible more accessible to our students’ minds. MidWeek provides a great environment for students to begin to ask deeper questions about their faith and how they can live out their faith during the week.

    All YAC students (7th-12th graders) will start in the Youth Center. Jr. High MidWeek will then move to room M-118, and Sr. High MidWeek will stay in the Youth Center. Grab a friend, and come hang out on Wednesday nights!

  • Jr. High Breakfast Club
    Tuesday Mornings7:00 AM7th – 9th GradeYouth Center

    Junior High students meet on Tuesday mornings at 7am for Breakfast Club! This is a time of fellowship for students to gather together before going into the busy school day. We have a devotional and breakfast. Breakfast is Chick-fil-A biscuits! Bring $3 if you want a biscuit. And don’t forget to bring a friend!

  • Sr. High AM
    Tuesday Mornings7:00 AM10th – 12th GradeCrestline Bagel – Cahaba Heights

    Sr. High AM is an event for our 10th through 12th graders on Wednesday mornings! It’s a time to gather together and hang out before heading off for the school day. We eat breakfast together, and then there is a devotional. Bring money to buy your breakfast, and invite a friend to come with you!

  • Sunday School
    Sunday Mornings9:15-10:15 AM7th – 12th GradeYouth Center

    Youth Sunday School is for all 7th-12th grade students! We meet in the Youth Center from 9:15-10:15 AM. We hope you’ll join us!

Upcoming Retreats

  • Discovery Weekend

    March 13-15Grades 7-12Canterbury UMC Sign-ups Open January 12

    Discovery Weekend is March 13-15! This is a retreat for all 7th-12th graders (friends are welcome!). It is an awesome weekend filled with meaningful talks, amazing worship, fun games, and more! This Retreat is different from other retreats and events! Discovery happens here at Canterbury UMC and it is a retreat put on by the Sr. High students for our Jr. High students!! Sr. High lead the talks and small groups for the weekend!

    READ BEFORE SIGNING UP!!!

    The drop date to receive a refund is February 13 (one month before the retreat).

    -Our new scholarship policy will be that students will be limited to two scholarships for YAC events per school year. Please reach out to us with questions or concerns! We will consider each August the beginning of each year.

  • Jr. High Discovery Weekend Registration

    READ BEFORE SIGNING UP!!!

    The drop date to receive a refund is February 13 (one month before the retreat).

    -Our new scholarship policy will be that students will be limited to two scholarships for YAC events per school year. Please reach out to us with questions or concerns! We will consider each August the beginning of each year.

  • Sr. High Discovery Weekend Registration

    READ BEFORE SIGNING UP!!!

    The drop date to receive a refund is February 13 (one month before the retreat).

    -Our new scholarship policy will be that students will be limited to two scholarships for YAC events per school year. Please reach out to us with questions or concerns! We will consider each August the beginning of each year.

  • Confirmation Retreat
    April 24-26Shocco Springs7th Grade Students

    Hi Confirmands and parents!

    The Confirmation Retreat is taking place April 24-26 at Shocco Springs and we cannot wait! This retreat is exclusively for our 7th graders and is an incredible opportunity to grow in your faith and in your relationships with those walking alongside you during your Confirmation Journey! With the retreat being the weekend before Confirmation Sunday, it is one you do not want to miss. It will include some final teachings before you take your vows!

    Registration for this retreat will open FEB 6 at 7am! An email will be sent with the sign up link and the link will also be on our Instagram and website. We know Spring is an extremely hectic time, but we hope everyone can be there for all the fun and learning that will take place!

If you have questions or need more information please contact gann.waters-wright@canterburyumc.org.

Summer Trips

  • Sr. High Lake Trip

    June 5-7Lake Martin, Alabama

    It’s a weekend at Lake Martin full of games, fellowship, sessions, & more! We’ll spend the day on the lake and then hang out at night. It’s going to be an incredible weekend! This trip is for students in grades 10-12 in the 2025-26 school year.

  • Jr. High Adventure Trip

    June 15-18Bryson City, North Carolina

    This is our second year doing this trip! We’ll be going to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Bryson City, NC. On this trip, we’ll go rafting on the Nantahala River & do some other awesome activities while we’re there! It is such a fun trip, so make plans to join us! This trip is for students in grades 7-9 in the 2025-26 school year.

  • Magic City Work Week
    July 12-17Birmingham, Alabama

    Magic City Work Week is a week long Summer mission trip for student who have completed grades 7-12! During this week we stay at UAB, and partner with Urban Ministry to paint houses in the West End community in Birmingham.

    This is a transformational week filled with mission work, fun night events, and worship sessions!

    Mark your Calendars for July 12-17!!!

Scholarships are available for most of our YAC trips. If you are interested in a scholarship, please contact Gann at gann.waters-wright@canterburyumc.org.

Summer Getaways

Highlight Videos

2025 Discovery Weekend Highlight Video
2024 Journey Retreat Highlight Video
2025 YAC Summer Highlight Video

Connect with Us

Weekly Email

We want to make sure that you are always up-to-date with the latest in Youth@Canterbury News. We communicate each week with parents through a weekly email that includes the happenings for that week and what you can look forward to in the upcoming months. If you would like to receive this weekly email please subscribe above, and you will be added to our mailing list. 

Subscribe to Weekly Emails

Text Message

To stay in the know about all things Youth@Canterbury, you and your student should sign up for our text messages!

To sign up, text @yac350 to the number 81010.

Meet the Team

Gann Waters-Wright

Director of Youth Ministries

Eleanor Kerr

Assistant Director of Youth Ministry

Social Media

We post frequently to both our Instagram and Facebook pages, and we would love for you to follow along! You’ll find pictures from events, news about upcoming events, and more on these pages.

Join our Facebook Group
Follow us on Instagram
Subscribe to our YouTube

We also post videos from retreats and events on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe to our channel to follow along!