Journey to Adulthood
Keep our J2A Pilgrims in your prayers!
The long-awaited summer pilgrimage, the first for St. Stephen's since the J2A program was introduced here, takes place June 16-25. Our youth pilgrims and their adult advisors will be walking in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare, in Assisi and Rome. The group has been planning for this pilgrimage for over a year, and has worked hard to raise the funds for their trip. Please keep them in your prayers.
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 Journey
To Adulthood
provides a framework and methodology of Christian formation
designed to help our children claim their right to be actively engaged in the
business of God's whole creation.
This
program, which recognizes what our young people are experiencing in our modern
culture, is designed to celebrate their individuality and their creative potential,
and to instruct them in the skills necessary for their successful adult participation
in the Church community and in society as a whole. This method of Christian formation
includes Church School, evening youth group programming, and Confirmation preparation.
(Photo above: Youth on their Urban Adventure, part of the unit on Society)
 These programs
all operate within a systematic curriculum which includes in-depth exploration
of the realms of: Self, Spirituality, Society (including the Urban Adventure), and Sexuality/Gender. The curriculum
is designed to follow the imperatives of our Baptismal Covenant. Christian formation
is a life-long process, but we are dedicated to giving our young people a firm
foundation on which to build.
Journey to Adulthood is a six-year program, divided into three two-year components:
Rite 13, J2A, and YAC. We also offer a one-to-two program for 6th and 7th graders
called PR-13 (Pre-Rite 13).
(Photo: Youth on their Urban Adventure work in a soup kitchen in New York City.)
PR-13
Pre-Rite 13
6th Graders
This year, PR-13 will include those entering
the sixth grade in the fall. This means this year’s sixth graders will be
in this group for two years This PR 13 group will begin Rite 13 in the fall of
2008. This group will meet on Sunday mornings from 10:10-11:00 AM and will have
two evenings per month. The PR-13 group will also participate in fun activities
and service projects during the upcoming year. Rite
13
7th & 8th graders
Rite 13--a name based on a liturgical celebration
which is integral to the program--celebrates the gift of gender and provides a
foundation for the remainder of the program. One of the main components of this
program concerns Rites of Passage. As these children turn 13 years of age, they
will participate in the Rite 13 liturgy in the context of corporate worship. The
Rite 13 curriculum also provides confirmation preparation, and our bishop may
confirm those students who have completed this two-year component with 65% attendance
during his visit to the parish.
Meeting
Times
Sunday
Mornings 10:10-11:00 Will meet in the EYE
Sunday
Evenings 5:00-7:00 Parish Hall
J2A
(Journey to Adulthood)
9th-12th
graders
J2A builds on Rite 13 and focuses on the acquisition of skills and
vocabulary that prepare and empower the young person to participate in the adult
community. These skills include: listening, negotiation, research and information
management, partnership and leadership. During the first year the students will
study self and society. This culminates with an Urban Orienteering Adventure that
will require them to miss one day of school in the fall this year. During this
second year of J2A the students will spend a semester studying sexuality and a
semester focusing on spirituality. The J2A group has also begun planning
for the traditional pilgrimage to an important holy site; this group has selected Italy and plans to go there in the summer of 2008. To be eligible
for the pilgrimage each member must attend 65% percent of all morning and evening
meetings and participate in all fund-raising activities.
Meeting
Time
Sunday Mornings
10:10-11:00 Youth Room
Sunday
Evenings 5:00-7:00 Parish Hall
YAC
(Young Adults in the Church)
builds on the previous four years of the
program by enabling the young people to practice their newly acquired skills in
the context of the supportive parish community. During these two years, we hope
to empower young adults to live out their baptismal promises within the congregation,
the community, and the world. More specifically, we also hope to help them to
achieve a heightened awareness of a personal relationship with Christ; to experience
an understanding of their role as disciples of Christ within their faith community;
and to live out the call to Christian ministry through the knowledge and experience
of Christ’s presence and action in the lives of others and the world. The
YAC group will begin in the fall of 2008. Contact
Sarah Carper Morris (288-2867) for
more information!
Youth Update Form: Youth and Parents, please update the information we have for the youth in your family. You may download and print the form from this site, and complete it and bring (or mail) it to church. Thank you!
Outreach and Service Opportunities for Youth
Is your teenager looking for a community service opportunity? Several local organizations are looking for young people to provide volunteer hours during the summer. Visit our Volunteer page for details.
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