What's Coming Up for Hyphen? A Peek into Parkway's Young Adult Ministry
In our community at Parkway Church, there’s a place for everyone to connect, serve, and grow. We have many ministries and small groups that minister to every age and stage of life, and this includes Hyphen, our young adult ministry. We caught up with Tim and Alyssa Suminski, Parkway’s Hyphen leaders, and learned a bit more about what Hyphen is, what’s coming up for this ministry, and how you or a young adult you know can get connected with Parkway’s Hyphen group!
What Exactly is Hyphen?
Hyphen is a national ministry within the United Pentecostal Church (UPCI) that’s geared toward young adults in their “college and career” phase of life. Grammatically, a “hyphen” exists in the space between two words for the purpose of connecting them. According to UPCI Youth Ministries, young adults often feel like they are existing in the “space between” — between high school and college, between their degree and their career, between graduation and marriage, etc. While they exist in the between, Hyphen young adults have a purpose: To connect their lives to God’s will and purpose, connect their passion to serving in the kingdom, and connect their world to their God.
Hyphen’s History
The Hyphen ministry was originally launched in 2009 by UPCI Youth Ministries at the North American Youth Congress in response to some startling statistics. At the time, data said that young adults were walking away from the church in large numbers— never to return. Beginning as a retention strategy, Hyphen is now a model of a young adult ministry that churches across North America have used to not only retain, but to help young adults connect to mission and change their world — all as their lives are changing at such a rapid pace.
Fun fact: the UPCI Wisconsin District Hyphen Ministry was first led by our very own Parkway pastors, Tim and Melissa Peters in 2010!
About Parkway’s Hyphen Ministry
The overall goal for Hyphen-aged adults at Parkway is to disciple others and lead other Hyphen small groups. Recently, Tim and Alyssa Suminski answered some questions for The Parkway Exclusive about this ministry group to help us learn more about this important ministry/small group.
1. At Parkway, what is Hyphen and who is it for?
Hyphen is a small group of young adults that gather to grow in faith, Biblical studies, and enjoy social activities together. We minister to single 18–30-year-old men and women.
2. When and how often does Hyphen get together?
We meet once a month on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in the Large Group Area below Concessions.
3. What is coming up for Hyphen in 2025?
Our monthly meetings are scheduled for the year, and we also are planning a summer barbecue and a bonfire night in the fall! Dates are TBD.
4. What are some of the themes of Hyphen's monthly meetings?
We teach and discuss everything that might relate to the adult stage of life including faith in the workplace, singleness and relationships, discipleship, anxiety, hardships of life, and walking in faith. We also follow Pastor's Sticky Notes to reiterate that week's Sunday message.
5. How can someone get connected to Hyphen?
Join the Hyphen small group using the Church Center app! You can also connect with Tim or Alyssa Suminski for more information and details.