Children & Youth

Celebrating God's Love with All Our Young Members

What's Happening

The HT High School group will be leading the CAFE education program on Sunday March 7. They will continue the nine week educational program that began several weeks ago to explore the answers to many questions that may periodically come into and go out of our lives. Their session will be on the history of Holy Trinity.

Come hear the history told through the eyes of our High Schoolers. Come hear their reflections and share their insight. This is the culmination of much thinking on their parts and is a wondorous contribution to understanding and telling the story of HT.

CAFE meets in the St. Andrew's Room at 9:30. Please join us!

March Fundraiser Extravaganza!
A fun-filled musical event for the whole family
Saturday, March 6
7:00 PM
Church of the Holy Trinity
 Centered on the exuberant music of Gilbert and Sullivan, the concert will feature the talents of the Holy Trinity Chancel Choir, Handbell Choir and Children's Choir, as well as local soloists. It promises to be a very entertaining evening!

WHAT IS THE FUNDRAISER FOR?
The donations at the concert on March 6 will go directly to the following urgent needs:
  • The Church School needs new classroom flooring.
  • The Hand Bell Choir needs new table covers to replace the current threadbare ones.
  • The Chancel Choir is growing, and is running out of seating in the choir loft. We are going to begin buying choir chairs to replace the choir loft pews and increase the available seating.

Sunday Morning Church School Classes
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
Nursery
Infants to age 2 - Nursery on the main level next to the choir room.
From the back door, follow the first hallway on the left to the end.

All other church school classes are held in classrooms on the lower level beneath the parish hall. From the back entrance by the Bible Herb Garden, go past the choir room and nursery entrance, then down the stairs and follow the signs.

Two and Three Year Olds
A bible based story, activity, music and snack appropriate for this age group.
At the bottom of the stairs turn right. Go to the end of the hall and turn left.
Follow signs.

Four and Five Year Olds - Godly Play
This age group meets in the big classroom downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs,
go left and down the hall. Follow signs. (Click on curriculum for details on this program.)

First and Second Grades - Godly Play
This age group meets in the big classroom downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs,
go left and down the hall. Follow signs. (Click on curriculum for details on this program.)

Third and Fourth Grades - Living the Good News
At the bottom of the stairs, turn right. Classroom is the second room on your right.
(Click on curriculum for details on this program.)

Fifth Grade - Living the Good News
At the bottom of the stairs, turn right. Go to the end of the hall and turn left.
Classroom is the first one on the left. (Click on curriculum for details on this program.)

Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grades - Journey to Adulthood
At the bottom of the stairs, turn right. The classroom is immediately on your right.
(Click on curriculum for details on this program.)

Ninth through Twelfth Grades
Where do you find God and Jesus in your lives at school, athletics,
in your relationships with peers and family, and in the current events
of the day and hobbies? This group meets in the youth room. To get to the
youth room go the bottom of the stairs . Turn right, then turn left down
the first hall to the end. Follow signs.
(Click on curriculum for details on the high school program.)

Church School Teacher Testimonial...
 As my journey in faith continues, I have found that whenever I least expect it, a
door opens. When I enter through the door (usually pushed or pulled by someone else)
a totally unexpected experience occurs. This is what happened to me with Church School.
I started coming to Holy Trinity about 5 years ago just before my daughter turned 3.
She began attending Church School and I would accompany her and help the teacher in
the classroom if needed. I never felt a calling to become a Sunday school teacher; in
fact the thought intimidated me. There were others who have the gift to teach especially
about faith and I was not one of them! How could I possibly answer questions about God
and the Bible in terms they could understand? But there was a need for teachers and I
was happy to sign up for a 'doorkeeper' role. It is so important to me that our children
have the best possible spiritual foundation to help them grow and develop. I could assist,
but someone else would have to teach! By the fall of that year, the schedule had changed and
the next thing I knew, I'm teaching using the Godly Play curriculum to our 4 and 5 year olds.
It has been a WONDERFUL experience!! The children are incredible, the curriculum and training
make it easy to follow and it's something I look forward to every week. I'm learning along
with the children and growing in my faith. I love seeing them grow and develop! The children
are engaged and we have a wonderful community downstairs. Seeing children in church always
makes me smile, but when you come downstairs and spend an hour with them it's even better!!
 Michele Duvivier

We are always on the lookout for dedicated individuals who would like to become Church School teachers. If you find yourself called to this important ministry, please contact anyone on the Church School Team (Michele Duvivier, Kate Gouery, or Heather Robino) and we would be happy to get your started!

Church School Curriculum
Godly Play
In the words of its creators, this is a description of why we use the Godly Play curriculum:

  • The goal is 'to provide an environment that fosters discovery learning in which children feel safe and welcomed; where they can learn the art of using religious language to encounter God and to find meaning in their lives.'
The objectives which are the heart of Godly Play are:
  • 'To create sacred space'
  • 'To build and work in community'
  • 'To learn religious language'
  • 'To use that religious language to make meaning'
This is done by:
  • telling sacred stories, parables, liturgical action and silence.
  • by modeling how to wonder using the religious language so that the children can enter the language rather than just repeating it (the wondering).
  • showing the children how to choose their work so that they can confront their own issues rather than working on issues determined by others. (the response time).
  • organizing the time to follow the pattern of worship that Christian tradition has found to be the best way to be with God in community (the structure of time).
  • showing the children how to work together as a community by supporting and respecting each other and one another's work (the adults model this in their interactions with the children).
  • organizing the space so the whole system of Christian language is present in the room; so that the children can literally walk into that language domain when they enter the room (the set-up of room).

Living the Good News
This is an Episcopal lectionary-based curriculum for all ages. 'Lectionary-based' means that it follows the readings for each Sunday. The children learn and talk about how the readings are relevant in their own lives the same way the adults are learning the same readings and hearing how the stories and parables are relevant in their own life. Many of the Godly Play values are also used in the Living the Good News classrooms. The goals are the same - safety, using religious language through story telling and activities, creating a sense of wonder in making the stories real for today, entering the language rather than merely repeating it or talking about it, and building community are all part of the church school experience.

Journey to Adulthood
Journey to Adulthood is not a new program within the Episcopal Church, but it is being revived here at Holy Trinity. It is being offered to children turning 13 years old within the next two years. The Journey to Adulthood program is a six-year program separated into three 2-year segments: Rite 13, J2A, and YAC. The program balances Bible study, prayer, and both serious and playful activities to nurture the whole person during the tumultuous passage from childhood to adulthood. Please click on Journey to Adulthood for more detailed information.

Communion and Confirmation
In the Episcopal Church, baptism is full initiation into Christ's body, the church. Consequently, all children are welcome and encouraged to begin receiving communion at their baptism. It is a noble goal for all the baptized to never know a time in their life where they were not fully welcomed at the Lord's Table to partake in the mysteries of Christ's Body and Blood. In the midst of our weekly routine of Eucharist we will also be offering classes to help children and adults more fully understand the feast to which we all are invited. The Episcopal Church now recommends that children not be confirmed until they are 15 or 16 years of age. Making a decision about confirmation is part of the Journey to Adulthood program. If you would like more information about this, or would like to talk to Pastor Pat about this, please feel free to call her at 610-696-4640 or email for an appointment.

Ministry to Grades 6-12
In addition to Sunday morning church school, there will be activities for the children who are in grades 6-12. The activities will be designed by the children and the goal will be to build community through fellowship, service, worship and intergenerational activities.

WHY DO WE NEED A SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR OUR TEENAGE CHILDREN?
The church can play a real role in the face of so many risk factors that our children face as teenagers. Data gathered on 46,000 youth in public schools indicate that the church can play a positive role in the lives of young people who are active participants in the life of a parish. Active youth who attend religious services at least once or twice a month are nearly half as likely to engage in any of the at-risk behaviors as those who rarely or never attend religious services. This finding holds true for all ages and for both males and females. Religious values, along with family and social values, affect responsible decision making. Congregations are one of the few settings where young people can interact with a wide variety of age groups, thereby getting a broader perspective than is otherwise available to them. Plus, an individual has the opportunity to be exposed to this same community over a span of years, thereby having a potentially powerful influence on a person's life.

UNLESS THE CHURCH DEALS WITH ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE AND RELEVANCE TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, THE YOUNG PEOPLE MAY SEE THE CHURCH AS IRRELEVANT.
Journey to Adulthood addresses 4 areas: Spirituality, Self, Sexuality and Society. The challenge and the opportunity for the church are to raise these issues from a faith perspective. Young people often know the facts ('We already learned that in school'). What is missing in other settings is the opportunity to look at issues as they relate to faith and experience. Such an approach, which goes deeper than a 'just say no' simplicity, needs the strong support of both clergy and lay leaders in order to succeed.

YES, OUR YOUNG PEOPLE NEED YOU!
Think back to your teenage years. Can you think of one adult who made a positive difference in your life? Someone other than a parent? What did that adult do that helped you? Think about that for a few moments. Whenever that question is asked in groups of adults, people say things like:
  • The person believed in me.
  • The person encouraged a special gift and talent in me.
  • The person had high expectations for me.
  • The person really cared about me.
  • The person really supported me
  • The person treated me with respect.
There are protective factors that help children move through adolescence that the congregation can provide:
  • Genuine care and support from one or more adult persons in the congregation
  • High expectations on the congregations' part for its youth
  • Opportunities for youth to be contributing members of their congregations
  • Youth need to be involved in meaningful, valued activities and roles; those involving problem solving, decision making, planning, goal setting and helping others

ALL OF THIS BRINGS US BACK TO OUR BAPTISMAL COVENANT.
As adults in our congregation, it is only in respecting the dignity of all our children and seeking to serve the Christ in them, that we will be able to acknowledge and empower their own ministries within the church and beyond it.

Church School Calendar
February - May, 2010
Feb. 7 9:30 Church School
10:00 2 & 3 year olds - music
Feb. 14 NO CHURCH SCHOOL
10:30 Hide the Alleluia
Feb. 17 5 p.m. ASH WEDNESDAY Family Service
Feb. 21 NO CHURCH SCHOOL
9:00 ONLY service - Annual Meeeting
Feb. 28 9:30 Church School
10:00 Grades 3, 4, 5 - music
Mar. 7 9:30 Church School
10:00 2 & 3 year olds - music
Mar. 14 9:30 Church School
10:00 4 & 5 year olds - music
Grades 1 & 2 - music
Mar. 21 9:30 Church School
10:00 Grades 3 & 4 - music
Mar. 28 9:30 Church School
10:00 Grade 5 - music
Children around the altar @10:30 service
Apr. 4 NO CHURCH SCHOOL - EASTER
10:30 Find the Alleluia
Apr 11 9:30 Church School
10:00 2 & 3 year olds - music
Apr 18 9:30 Church School
10:00 4 & 5 year olds, Grades 1 & 2 - music
Apr 25 9:30 Church School
10:00 Grades 3 & 4 - music
May 2 9:30 Church School
10:00 2 & 3 year olds - music
May 9 9:30 Church School
10:00 4 & 5 year olds, Grades 1 & 2 - music
May 16 9:30 Church School
10:00 Grades 3, 4 & 5 - music
May 23 9:30 Church School
10:30 PENTECOST PAGEANT