Youth

Grades 6 - 12

Programs and Curriculum

Current News

The Youth, their parents and the Youth Ministry team set a goal just over $9200 to raise in order for the St. Gabriel's youth to participate in two trips this summer. Fourteen youth and four adults will be heading to the Kanuga Conference in Hendersonville, North Carolina on June 16th. Shortly after, on June 25th six youth and four adults will be flying over the Atlantic ocean to begin their spiritual pilgrimage in Paris, France. The two trips combined totaled a large expense and a large commitment to fundraising in order to make the desire turn into a reality.

The Youth Ministry team is happy to report we are within $1000 of our goal at the time this article was written. We have two more fundraisers planned which we are confident will be success. A HUGE thank you to St. Gabriel's for all their support. The Youth are AMAZED how much support they have felt from the congregation, their families and friends! What a wonderful demonstration of Christian love to our young people!
Fundraisers Coming Up:

In case this newsletter reaches you before the end of the April: A Cut-a-thon will be taking place on April 28, 2013 (9:30 AM – 4:00 PM) at Laurie's Salon Splendor. Three stylists will be available for haircuts for a donation of $20 /Adults and $10/child (10 and under).The youth will taking on the other salon responsiblities for the day: shampooing, sweeping, greeting, etc.

May 5th - 9am to 12pm is our Annual Spring Car Wash! Come to church and leave with a clean car. Donations accepted to benefit the Youth Ministry.- 3 -

Thank you to everyone who supported the Chicken BBQ. The youth raised $785 by selling over 240 dinners. Watch your newsletters for the next sale in the fall!

FUN and Fellowship:

Nine youth enjoyed the space of Adams Hall by playing "Ya-Ya" (a version of dodgeball) and "Train Wreck" (a version of musical chairs) at April's FUN Friday. After all the fun, the youth converted the hall into the seating for the Saturday morning breakfast. Thank you to all the youth for the muscles and energy in getting the hall set up so quickly!

Three youth and two adults participated in the Diocesan event "Christophany" on April 18th - 20th. Christophany is annual event hosted by the Diocese of Bethlehem with a weekend of worship and fun.

Pilgrimage Update:

The 2013 J2A Pilgrimage group is finalizing their travel plans with the travel agent. The youth are preparing for their trip by doing research about the places on the itinerary, creating their pilgrimage booklet, designing a special t-shirt for the trip and planning what they will need to pack for their week long adventure. A detailed itinerary will be included in the June Messenger so you can follow along while the group is away.

Programs and Curriculum

At St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, we take seriously a life long journey of Christian Formation. Starting in Pre-School children are introduced to Bible Study, Worship, and Fellowship, when they reach Middle and High School teens are placed into a peer community with mentors from the congregation who work, pray, worship and teach them through 2 year cycles. The curriculum we use is called the Journey to Adulthood.

In this journey there are 3 succinct parts:

Rite 13 where youth learn that all men and women are made in the image of God, that procreation is a gift freely given and where we celebrate the gifts of manhood and womanhood (When a youth turns 13 they are celebrated in the Church with a special service- similar to a Bar/ Bat Mitzvah).

J2A where the lessons learned in Rite 13 are expanded to allow for discussions about Self, Spirituality, Sexuality and Society. The J2A portion of the curriculum last 3 years and includes a weekend “Urban Adventure” where youth find their way around an Urban Center with silent chaperones.

At the end of the third year the youth begin their transition into full adult status in the church, by traveling on Pilgrimage to a holy sight of their choosing.

Pilgrimage is not a vacation or a tour, it is a time spent getting closer to God through shared religious experience (such as visiting churches, spending time in nature, and praying together and individually). Youth from St. Gabriel’s have traveled to Scotland, Ireland, England and Spain on pilgrimages. When youth return to the parish after Pilgrimage, they are entering their junior or senior Year in High School. At this point, they are invited to engage in discussions on the topics of their choosing, to discern where they are called to be active in the larger ministry of the church, and where God is calling them to be at this transitional time in their life.

YAC -They are now considered Young Adults in Church. The main theme of this curriculum is that Adulthood is earned; manhood and womanhood are gifts from God.

Spiritual Retreats - Our youth ministry encourage the youth to participate in spiritual retreats with other youth. There are 2 Diocesan Retreats a year - one in the fall and one in the spring. In the summer we often travel with at least twelve youth to North Carolina for the youth week at Kanuga Retreat Center.

Outreach

We have participated in a variety of mission work ranging from gathering needed supplies to rebuilding houses destroyed by a hurricane. Annually our youth have opportunities to participate in local missions i.e. Crop Walk, Southeastern Berks Ministerium Shack-a-thon Event.

We encourage our youth to attend and participate in weekly worship on Saturday evenings or Sunday Morning, their Sunday Christian Formation class, and youth group events.

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1188 Ben Franklin Highway East (Route 422) Douglassville, Pennsylvania 19518 | 610-385-3144 | office@stgabriels.us
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