Preschool & Kindergarten
The shepherd teachers in the Preschool/Kindergarten serve to foster a loving relationship between the young child and God through Christ Jesus. Our program is rooted in Scripture and based on the liturgy of the Church. The children experience chapel in a place and a way designed specifically for them utilizing the Godly Play and Young Children and Worship curriculums.
Primary – Grades 1, 2 & 3
Children gather each Sunday with adults to grow deeper in their love and knowledge of God in and through Christ Jesus. We focus on the child’s need to experience the essentials of our faith; “that God is love, that Christ is risen, that he is both human and divine; and that he proclaims the reign of God.” Using of the methodology of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd adults and children together “listen to the scriptures, explore the meaning of the prayers of the liturgy, and enjoy the presence of God among them”.
Intermediate – Grades 4, 5 & 6
In 4th, 5th and 6th grades:
- We work with our students to learn more about what it means to be a Christian as we live out our faith each day.
- We gain an understanding of how the Bible is set up and where to find things in it.
- We like to look at maps to get a better understanding of Bible places and events in an historical context. This helps to bring a deeper meaning to the story of the Bible and it brings it to life for us in a unique way.
- We study our Episcopalian “roots” and work towards comprehending what happens during our worship service.
- We consider issues that pre-teens deal with the most by digging into the scriptures.
- We like to help others in our community by doing outreach projects with our teachers and parents.
- We explore the Catechism, An Outline of Faith, using the Book of Common Prayer (pages 845-862), in the church’s calendar of seasons and feasts and in a Catechism curriculum written for this age group
The three main themes of focus are relationships, faith and choices.
All children in grades 1-6 participate in periodic Children’s Eucharists as lay readers, acolytes, ushers and oblationers when a member of the clergy leads them in their own special service.
Rite 13, Journey to Adulthood & High School
During the Middle School and High School years, we encourage our youth to begin to claim their faith. Therefore it is important that we provide the support and guidance that they need. We provide strong adult leadership to help them explore Christian self-identity and personal relationships with God; be able to express the doubts and concerns about matters of faith; and begin the process of growing into their baptism.
Rite-13 begins by helping the youth focus on themselves and others in the group. It moves on from there to cover the Bible, the Prayer Book, Prayer Forms and types, Images of God, Compassion and Acts of Mercy, Faith and Trust. It is called “Rite-13” because the young people turn 13 years of age sometime during their walk through this program. They participate in the Rite-13 Liturgy which honors and memorializes, within the context of corporate worship, the teen’s faith journey toward Confirmation.
J2A helps the teens really walk the walk of faith. They meet as a group but also serve as lay readers, acolytes, ushers, teaching assistants and choir members. They also do service and mission work in the community. They choose a spiritual mentor to walk with them as they prepare for their Confirmation. They go on a retreat with their Leaders and the Clergy just before being confirmed.
Youth Group
The Youth Group is designed for all youth at Christ Church who are in 5th grade and up, is being led by our Laura McCreary.
In the fall of 2023, Laura is ready to re-launch the youth program. An initial meeting was recently held and we look forward to announcing a schedule soon!