Youth Ministry             

EYC Kick off letter        Youth Calendar

Holy Innocents’ values the role that youth play in our community.  Here at Holy Innocents’ we offer many opportunities for young people to engage in church life.  The Youth Group of HI is called EYC (Episcopal Youth Community).  Jr. EYC is for middle schoolers and Sr. EYC is for those in High School.  EYC is an opportunity for fun, fellowship, community service and mission projects.  But primarily, EYC is the community for youth at Holy Innocents’.  It is their place to be themselves and to understand their role in the world as children of God.

Beyond EYC, there are so many ways to get involved at Holy Innocents’ for young people.  Acolyting, choir, and lay reading are all available to youth and are wonderful ways to assist in leading the worship service.  The committees that carry out the ministry of the church also welcome teens to serve.  Holy Innocents’ is an amazing place for young people to grow up.  It is a place where youth are encouraged to participate fully as members of God’s Kingdom!

 
Always the highlight of the year, the dates and projects for this summer have been set.  If you are interested in participating, please send an email to Christy: cbeesley@holyinnocents.org.

Youth Formation Information

For our 6th and 7th graders…Rite 13

Leaders:  Elizabeth Harris, Brent Farnham, Jim Langlais, Katie Ray
Location: Middle School Commons

Rite 13 is the first of a 2 year cycle of Journey to Adulthood.  Journey to Adulthood, J2A, is a complete youth ministry program of spiritual formation for 6th - 12th grades. It uses Bible studies, prayer, rites of passage, outreach ministries and both serious and playful activities to underscore its core principles:
               1. Manhood and womanhood are free gifts from God.
               2. Adulthood must be earned.
J2A is based on the principles of relational youth ministry. It assumes that at least two or three adults (of both genders) will be group leaders and that these leaders will only serve for two years before taking a "break." This engages many more adults in building relationships with youth and providing positive role models for them. The traditional youth ministry model of a single youth "guru" (paid or volunteer) depends on the personality of that individual -- and when he/she leaves, the youth program often collapses. J2A is designed to engage lots of adults in nurturing the youth of your congregation and community. It is designed to bring young people into full participation in the life of the congregation so they actually ARE the church of today instead of the church of the future

The first two years 6th & 7th graders focus on celebrating the individuality of each young person and their creative potential in Rite 13. The Rite-13 liturgy (A celebration of Manhood and Womanhood) is the community expression of this and a rite of passage from childhood towards adulthood.

+++

For our 8th grade…Youth confirmation

Leaders: Christy Beesley, Dave Stockert, Mike Wiemann, Kara and Chris Hill-Protos and clergy
Location: Middle School Media Center

Beginning in the fall using the book, My Faith My Life: a teen’s guide to the Episcopal Church, our 8th graders consider where is my ministry, what are my gifts.  Of course all the while learning about the Christian faith they have been baptized into and the Episcopal Church that offers our spiritual home. This group meets every Sunday morning between the 9:00 and 11:15 am services and will, if that is their desire, be confirmed in the spring, April 19, 2009.  Candidates are required to participate in designated retreats, outreach ministries, Holy Week services, and EYC groups. Each participant will chose a sponsor from our parish to accompany them on their journey toward confirmation.

+++

For our Senior High… Making it Real and Relevant

Leaders:  Tryggvi Arnason, Lilia Romero, Robert Williams
Location: Youth Pavilion

Making it Real and Relevant, is a curriculum that engages youth in examining a passage of the Bible as each lesson makes use of small and/or large group discussion, activities, and popular music and/or video clips that encourage the participants to discover that God, Christ, the Bible and one's faith and values are all real and relevant to their lives. It is a Lectionary- based curriculum that builds on one of the lectionary readings heard in the Sunday service that day (usually the New Testament or Gospel reading). During the 5 Sundays of Lent and the 4 Sundays in Advent the students have the option of developing and carrying out a special service project of their choosing while they explore themes that are specific to the season of the church year. We chose this curricula because the lessons require a more abstract thought process, are open-ended enough for the class to control the direction of discussion, and address issues from where they are in their lives, mentally and emotionally.

Important EYC dates for 2008-2009   

Contact Information

Christy Beesley

Youth Minister

404-255-4023 ext. 9418

cbeesley@holyinnocents.org

Robert Williams

Assistant for Children and Youth

404-255-4023

gtcoke@gmail.com

Chris Vaky

Assistant for Children and Youth

chrisvaky@yahoo.com

Photo Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hieyc/