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 2023-2024 Registration

    Registration is now open for the 2023-2024 Confirmation Year! We are looking forward to getting to know your 7th grade student! Contact Seth at seth.moon@canterburyumc.org if you have any questions about Confirmation or YAC. Click the button below to register your student for the 2023-2024 Confirmation Year!

    2023-2024 Confirmation Year Registration

Events

  • Confirmation Retreat

    January 12-14, 2024 Shocco Springs, Talladega, AL

    The Confirmation Retreat is a weekend just for our 7th graders! We stay at Shocco Springs, and it is a weekend where they can grow closer to one another and to God, while also learning more about the Methodist tradition. It is a great weekend that your 7th grader is going to want to miss!

    Registration will open Thursday, January 7th at 7:00am!

    Cost: $300

Weekly Events

  • MYF

    Sunday Nights5:00-6:30 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 Tuesday 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 Events

  • Discovery Weekend

    March 15-17, 2024 Canterbury UMC, Birmingham, AL

    Discovery Weekend is the best weekend in the life of not only our YAC ministry but also our church, and we mean it! This is a weekend designed for our 7th-12th grade students, but it is also a weekend where the whole church is involved. It is such a special weekend, and we hope that you will be a part of it!

    Discovery Weekend is our YAC spring retreat, and students in grades 7th-12th are invited to attend! This weekend is designed for our junior high students, where our senior high students (grades 10-12) take on leadership roles during the whole weekend. Senior high students give the session talks, lead the small groups, and more. It all takes place here at the church, and it is so exciting to be a part of. Your student is not going to want to miss this weekend!

    Discovery Weekend 2024 is going to be epic! So invite all of your friends, and go ahead and sign up ASAP!

    Registration will open in Spring 2024!

    **Cancellation Policy: For Discovery Weekend, cancellations before February 15, 2024 may be given a partial to full refund. Cancellations after February 15th will still be required to pay the full amount, unless we find someone to replace your student’s spot on that trip.

Scholarships are available for all of our YAC trips. If you are interested in a scholarship, please contact Seth Moon at seth.moon@canterburyumc.org.

Summer 2024

  • Sr. High Lake Trip 2024

    June 6-8, 2024 Lake Martin, Alexander City, AL

    Take a break from your summer job, and join us at the lake! YAC Sr. High are welcomed to join us for a lake weekend full of fun, talks, and discussions. We will spend a weekend at Lake Martin from June 6-8, 2024. Our time will be spent on the lake during the day with sessions in the morning and evening. Meals will be provided. Spots are limited, so make sure you sign up ASAP!

    The Sr. High Lake Trip is for students who will complete grades 10th-12th in the 2023-2024 school year!

    Registration will open in Winter 2024!

  • Jr. High BigStuf Trip 2024

    June 21-25, 2024 Panama City Beach, FL

    Our Junior High students will be heading to the beach this summer for an incredible trip, and we are very excited about it! BigStuf is a camp in Panama City Beach, Florida, and it is awesome. Great messages. Great worship. Incredible location. We will be attending BigStuf from June 21-25, 2024. This trip has all that you need for a student to grow in their relationships with God and with each other. Spots are limited, so make sure you sign up ASAP!

    The Jr. High BigStuf trip is for students who will complete grades 7th-9th in the 2023-2024 school year!

    Registration will open in Winter 2024!

    **Cancellation Policy: For the Jr. High BigStuf Trip, cancellations before April 3rd, 2024 may be given a partial to full refund. Cancellations after April 3rd will still be required to pay the full amount, unless we find someone to replace your student’s spot on that trip.

  • Mission Week 2024

    July 14-19, 2024 Birmingham, AL

    This summer our Junior High and Senior High students will have the amazing opportunity to participate in Mission Week! Our Mission Week will be here in Birmingham, and we will serve people & organizations right here in our own community. Too many times we sign up for mission opportunities in communities that we will never be a part of again. And while those experiences can be profound, we want to establish something that lasts longer than just a week.

    Mission Week will be July 14-19, 2024. We will stay at UAB, and we are partnering with Urban Ministry. During the day, our students will work at different sites throughout the downtown Birmingham area. Before and after our work sessions, we will have incredible worship experiences that will engage our students through music, games, and a message.

    Our hope is that this week will not only provide meaningful, substantive experiences this summer, but that we will also continue to cultivate those relationships & expand their worldview in the months to come. So sign your students up ASAP because we know that they will not want to miss out on this life-enriching experience!

    Mission Week is for students who will complete grades 7th-12th in the 2023-2024 school year!

    Registration will open in Winter 2024!

    **Cancellation Policy: For Mission Week, cancellations before June 14, 2024 may be given a partial to full refund. Cancellations after June 14th will still be required to pay the full amount, unless we find someone to replace your student’s spot on that trip.

Scholarships are available for all of our YAC trips. If you are interested in a scholarship, please contact Seth Moon at seth.moon@canterburyumc.org.

Highlight Videos

2023 Summer Highlight Video
2023 Discovery Weekend Highlight Video
2022 Journey Retreat 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

Seth Moon

Director of Student Ministries

Gann Waters-Wright

High School Coordinator

Elizabeth Hayes

Logistics Coordinator

Natalie Moon

Youth Assistant

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.

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