Youth Department

As young people grow into adulthood, our church’s youth program continues to evolve to meet the needs of each new generation. From the beginning, our youth are embraced as full members of the parish, learning through hands-on experiences such as service projects, fundraisers, and fellowship. These opportunities are grounded in the understanding that all good things come from God. Over the years, they have cultivated the Eden Garden, planting vegetables and flowers and adorning the space with hand-painted stone ladybugs. They have built bird feeders, explored the importance of water as a vital resource, gathered for “Movies on the Green,” hosted Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinners, and partnered with youth from other churches on projects both large and small. Through these experiences, they come to recognize how deeply blessed we are and to understand that even what cannot be seen, touched, tasted, or smelled can still hold profound power in the world. Our children and youth are also nurtured through Children’s Chapel, a dedicated and fully equipped space where they learn the foundations of liturgical worship, and through programs such as our annual Vacation Bible School. During VBS, children are joined by students from the Episcopal Day School summer program for several days of lessons, music, and activities, culminating in our joyful “Hot Dawg Days” celebration with bouncy castles and water slides. Youth aged eleven and older are invited to train as acolytes, taking an active role in worship services. Each year on Episcopal Schools Sunday, we highlight their gifts through a children’s choir and readings led by young people, followed by a special reception. Our young people are not only the future of the Church—they are its present hope and a vital means of carrying the Christian faith into the next generation. We invest in them with our time, attention, and gifts, and in doing so, we discover that we are the ones who are most richly blessed.