The Faith Formation Commission is responsible for the development, implementation, and administration of educational programs that address the needs and interests of our entire church family. From the youngest child to the oldest adult, our mission is to guide us all on our spiritual journeys and to have fun in the process! The following sub-committees fall under this commission: Sunday School, Faith4Life (adult education), Youth Ministry, Confirmation, Church Library, CrossGen (Intergenerational Ministry), Centering Prayer, and the Christmas Pageant (in concert with the Worship and Music Commission).
Sunday School: Our Sunday school program offers a unique educational experience from preschool through 12th grade. A cornerstone for the children’s faith formation, our Sunday school consists of four age groups to best serve the education and spiritual needs of our
children. These classes are Sparkle (age 3 to kindergarten), Shine (grades 1-4), and Faith- Connect (grades 5-8). Fathom is our High School class open to grades 9-12. Fathom Class is a safe space for youth to engage with one another, to ask important questions, to listen and be
listened to. All high school youth are welcome.
Confirmation: Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, we adopted a new model for the process of Confirmation. Our youth no longer go directly into a full year Confirmation Class after finishing 8th grade. After much discussion and discernment, it was determined that we
needed to give our young members the opportunity to demonstrate and to discern readiness and a personal desire to take the step to Confirmation as well as deciding for themselves if they would like to continue with the High School “Fathom” Class. All are welcome in Fathom regardless of a choice to be confirmed. We are delighted to continue to report strong attendance and registration of high school youth in our Fathom Class! Our series of Confirmation Classes take place in the late winter to early spring.
Youth Ministries: Our youth leaders offer many fun events Youth Group nights throughout the year: Bon Fires, Super bowl party, Apple picking, Christmas Caroling, a bible escape room and every one’s favorite, a Lock-in. They even managed a camping trip which we hope to do more of in the future. The Youth also use their hands and hearts for some local volunteering opportunities like helping with the church’s food Pantry and cooking/serving for our local shelter, Jan Peek. Most years the young people work together to arrange church or community fundraising events to help with the cost of their Youth Trips. Recently the group have attended three different events: the Massanetta Middle School Conference in Massanetta Springs Virginia, the tri-annual Triennium gathering, and the Montreat Youth conference in western North Carolina. In these events they join thousands of our young people from across the nation to find new ways to
express and live their faith.
Faith4Life: Faith4Life offers many weekly opportunities for adults to grow and share their faith journeys with members of the church and individuals of our wider community. Our groups provide a safe place for participants to share questions, hold discussions, learn about different topics, and support each other as we grow. We currently offer two classes per week studying scripture. We also offer at least three other classes during each week studying the works of contemporary (mostly Christian) authors such as Josh Scott, Adam Hamilton, Diana Butler Bass, Amy-Jill Levine, Brian McLaren, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Bishop Marion Budde, John Phillip Newell, and Father Richard Rohr. Often classes are centered on themes paralleling the liturgical calendar. These classes can be attended in person or by zoom.
Church Library: We can enhance our spiritual journey through reading! If you missed a Bible or a book study, you would find the resource in our library ready to be signed out! Come and check it out.
Christmas Pageant: Our annual Christmas Pageant, which takes place during our Family Worship Service on Christmas Eve, truly represents collaboration at its best as a joint effort between Worship and Music and Faith Formation. It is a lovely reminder for children and adults of the beauty and miracle of the Advent season. Our children find new ways to tell this ancient story through theater and song.
Centering Prayer: In concert with the Worship Team, there is a weekly offering of silent prayer focusing on breath and its power to connect us to the Divine. This occurs on Wednesday nights at 7:00. This has been a steady group for several years now. It is a complement to the Deacon’s focus on prayer for our congregation and offers us alternative ways to pray together.
CrossGen/Intergenerational Ministry: CrossGen is an intergenerational program designed to help old, young, and middle-aged people talk together, eat together, play games together, and sing songs of praise and worship. We have recently been using intergenerational content from the PS(USA)’s Follow Me Curriculum for ideas that we may explore together.