Dear Families of Middle and High Schoolers –
Happy halfway through Summer!
With Fall not too far down the road, we are writing to let you know about some exciting new changes and opportunities for our High School-aged students and families of all Youth beginning in September.
All parents & loving adults of youth are invited to a meeting after Worship on Sunday, August 28th to learn more about our Youth programming. This meeting is primarily for families of 6th through 12th graders, but all interested adults are warmly welcomed to attend.
We are enhancing our Sunday morning programming in order to support a meaningful and sustainable faith formation experience for our youth, as well as to support and empower you, the parents and caregivers in the faith development of your children.
Here are the exciting new and re-envisioned things coming our way this fall:
A Sunday School class for 9th – 12th graders beginning on Sunday, September 18th at 9:15 am!
This class is for all High School-aged students – both those who have already gone through Confirmation and those who have not. Members of the class will have a voice in what topics are discussed. Topics could include: how we put our faith into action; what do other faith traditions believe and how can we work together to build community; what did Jesus mean when he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” etc.
The class will also plan service projects and out-of-class activities that will connect with the fellowship and service activities of our Youth Group meetings on Sunday evenings several times a month.
A Parents/Caregiver Group that will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am beginning on Oct 2.
The group will meet in the Fall to talk about family faith formation, specifically as it relates to tweens and teens. We’ll have another session in the Spring that will focus on faith development in younger children.
A Re-Imagined Confirmation Program.
In conjunction with our new High School Sunday School class and our discussion group for Parents & Caregivers, we are reconfiguring our Confirmation program. Confirmation preparation will be on four Sunday evenings with the Pastors during the season of Lent. Students who are in 9th grade and above can participate if they have been actively involved in Sunday School. Students can choose for themselves to be in this program or not – Confirmation will be available again the following year for anyone not ready to make the commitment in the current year.
We want our young people to feel an authentic connection to our church community that is rooted in lifelong faith formation, transformational mission, radical hospitality, as well as the other pillars that we value as a Congregation. We also want to help our young people discern when they are ready, as is called for in our Book or Order, to commit to adult membership in the Church rather than feel obliged to be confirmed just because they and their classmates have reached a particular age or grade in school.
Registration information for all Sunday School classes for children and youth will be coming out in the next two weeks, so please be on the look-out for that. And please bring your questions and your curiosity on Sunday, August 28th after Worship to learn more about plans for youth for the Fall.
Looking forward to seeing you!
Tami, Chip, and Steph