BAPTISM

In the waters of baptism, we are lovingly adopted by God into God’s family, which we call the Church, and given God’s own life to share and reminded that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ. Holy Baptism, which can be performed through pouring of water or immersion in it, marks a formal entrance to the congregation and wider Church; the candidates for the sacrament make a series of vows, including an affirmation of the Baptismal Covenant, and are baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are marked as Christ’s own for ever, having “clothed [themselves] with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

Children’s Sunday

The first Sunday of each month is focused on our youngest Christians and their families. Children perform the readings, hear and participate in a child focused sermon, and gather at the altar as the sacrament is blessed. Unlike Sunday School, this program integrates our children and their families directly into the Liturgy.

SUNDAY SCHOOL

On other Sundays, our children gather in the Narthex (the vestibule connected to the main body of the church). The doors between this area and where the adults and teens are worshipping remain open at all times. This provides the parents with contemplative time while being able to see their children. The children are engaged in lessons and crafts that are related to the teachings of that day.

FIRST INstructed Eucharist

The Eucharist Instruction Curriculum is ideally suited for 1st through 3rd graders, though older and younger students will benefit as well. It is important to note that completion of this instruction is not a prerequisite to receiving Communion. This curriculum is modeled on the Eucharist format itself: We gather, we hear the Word of God, we respond to the Word, we offer our gifts, we celebrate and we are sent out. By teaching in this way, we hope to illuminate the Eucharistic celebration with which children are already familiar.

This curriculum is designed for instruction time at church and in the home. Children will have an opportunity to examine closely the furnishing and layout of the church, the sacristy, the baptismal font, the altar area. They will learn the names of the sacred vessels, the sacred furniture and the meanings and symbolism of these items. Within this context, children are given the opportunity to ask questions, to handle, to move around while being respectful of sacred spaces.

rite 13

A special Rite 13 liturgy is celebrated at a Sunday morning worship service for youth who have just turned thirteen. The liturgy is a rite of passage, loosely based on the Jewish tradition of bar-mitzvah, from childhood to adulthood. It recognizes that the young person is carving out their own spiritual identity that will hopefully lead them to the act of Confirmation.

confirmation

The Episcopal Church's theology of Confirmation has continued to evolve along with its understanding of baptism. Confirmation is no longer seen as the completion of Christian initiation, nor is Confirmation a prerequisite for receiving communion. Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's body the church (BCP, p. 298). Accordingly, Confirmation has been increasingly understood in terms of a mature, public reaffirmation of the Christian faith and the baptismal promises. Our diocese require that candidates for Confirmation be at least sixteen years old to insure that the candidates are making a mature and independent affirmation of their faith.