Christ Church Youth
Godly Play
Christ Church New Brighton offers the Godly Play program for elementary school-aged children.
Godly Play teaches children the art of using Christian language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action - helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives.
When Christian language is learned by the Godly Play approach, it is learned as a means to know God and to make meaning of our lives. This approach is quite different from the traditional model in which the teacher tells the children what they need to know. Godly Play is not about things that are that simple. It is not just about learning lessons or keeping children entertained. It is about locating each lesson in the whole system of Christian language and involving the creative process to discover the depths of meaning in them. It’s about understanding how each of the stories of God’s people connects with the child’s own experience and relationship with God. Godly Play respects the innate spirituality of children and encourages curiosity and imagination in experiencing the mystery and joy of God.
The goal of Godly Play is to show how to be open to the Holy Spirit, The Creator, and the Redeemer all at once and all the time in every place. To achieve this goal is to help children become deeply rooted as Christians and yet at the same time use this powerful language and community to be open and creative.
- Godly Play is a creative and imaginative approach to Christian nurture.
- Godly Play is based on long established, tried and tested approaches.
- Godly Play encourages participants to make meaning for themselves by inviting them into stories and providing the opportunity for them to connect the stories with their personal experience.
- Godly Play is a non-coercive way to encourage people to move into larger dimensions of belief and faith through wondering questions and open-ended response time.
- Godly Play values process, openness and discovery.
- Godly Play is a way of preparing children to join in the worship and life of their congregations as they develop a deeper understanding of stories, symbols and rites.
Although it was originally developed as a resource for children, Godly Play is now being used with a wide range of age groups in a diversity of settings.
Heather DelValle is the current Godly Play coordinator at Christ Church.
Heather DelValle and Nicole Haylock are the current Godly Play teachers at Christ Church.
© 2010 Godly Play Foundation—All Rights Reserved
Journey To Adulthood
Christ Church New Brighton offers the Journey to Adulthood Program, a complete program of spiritual formation for young people in grades 6 through 12. This program provides a liturgical frame for their experience in modern culture, fosters their individuality and independence, and instructs them on skills needed as adults in church and society. It was developed over a ten-year period by the parishioners of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina, and has been tested in hundreds of churches across the country.
Journey to Adulthood is based on two key concepts: manhood and womanhood are gifts from God; and adulthood must be earned. The program provides sacred space for young people to work through the questions and challenges posed by adolescence, as they continue to grow in their relationship with God and with each other.
The program is divided into three segments of two years each: Rite 13, J2A, and 4Ward. Classes remain together and are paired with the same adult mentors to build trust and community. New members are welcome at any time. Enrollment for both Rite 13 and J2A is ongoing.
Rite 13, the first segment of the Journey to Adulthood program, is a two year course of study open to students from 6th to 8th grade in which four areas -- Self, Spirituality, Sexuality, and Society -- begin to be explored. Rite 13 culminates in the Rite 13 ceremony, which can be celebrated a few times a year at the 10am Eucharist once the students reach their 13th birthday. The Rite 13 ceremony is a way for the entire congregation to acknowledge the unique gifts and abilities of its young people, and invite them to take on a greater role in the church.
J2A, the second part of the Journey to Adulthood program for students from 9th through 12th grade, explores the four areas of Self, Spirituality, Sexuality, and Society in greater depth through inquiry-based teaching and discussion. The leaders of this portion of the program also mentor teens in developing six critical skills that are essential for adulthood: listening, negotiation, partnership, information management, and leadership. The students embark on a pilgrimage together at the end of this two year segment. This experience, along with Confirmation, is often the spiritual highlight of their youth.
4Ward (formerly known as Young Adults in the Church) is a looser formation for high schoolers post-pilgrimage. The program allows them to become more involved in the life of the church, while preparing for confirmation.
Catherine Barnett is the current Journey to Adulthood coordinator at Christ Church.
Carol Bratton and Marsha Wynter are the current Rite 13 teachers at Christ Church.
Nick Dowen, Catherine Barnett and Lisa Rhoades are the current J2A teachers at Christ Church.
Loria Trapp and David Nygard are the current 4Ward leaders at Christ Church.
Youth Group
The Christ Church Youth Group hosts or participates in a variety of events in the fall and spring—from movie nights, serving at our feeding ministry, and helping out at fun parish wide events like our Spring Fair, we strive to provide a variety of fellowship and service activities for the young people in our parish and their friends. You do not need to be a member of our parish in order for your young person to participate in these activities.
Middle and high school students are invited to join us at any (or all!) of the events listed. All trips and programs are chaperoned and permission slips are collected. Parents are ALWAYS welcome to join us and help out, as well.
Heather DelValle is the current Youth Group coordinator at Christ Church.
Rite 13
NOTHING GOES WITHOUT SAYING
How often do we think to ourselves things like, "She knows I love her – it goes without saying" or "He knows how much I appreciate all his hard work – it goes without saying"? The truth is, words can be a powerful affirmation, and the absence of the right words can leave a void that really hurts. The truth is, very little goes without saying, and the important things should NEVER go without saying. There are things we know, but sometimes we need to hear them loud and clear.
During the 10:00 am service on Sunday, May 4th, we will celebrate an important rite of passage with members of our Rite-13 class. The class is named Rite-13 after the special liturgy we will celebrate with them on this day. In some respects, this is a new way of saying to our young people things we have meant to convey all along – things like: "We stand with you as you make your way on the journey; we're here if you need us; we think you are terrific; we love you." We often assume that our teens feel appreciated and accepted as a vital part of our parish, but adolescence can be such a time of uncertainty that some things just can't be said often enough.
One of the unique aspects of the Journey to Adulthood program is that it seeks to provide rites of passage that are often lacking in our culture. We help define points along the path to adulthood that tell our young people they are making progress; they are growing; they are becoming adults. Rite-13 is the liturgical cornerstone that lays the foundation for the entire congregation of Christ Church to rise up and in one mighty voice tell our young people, "You matter to us. Your lives are of inestimable value. The journey you are now embarking on is significant." It is a way that we fulfill our baptismal covenant of "seeking and serving Christ in all persons."
The Rite-13 Liturgy is a rite of passage that recognizes the gift that God bestows upon each one of us: the gift of adulthood. This is a free gift that we cannot earn and need not prove. This gift is the essence of who we are. The same energy that pushes us through adolescence gives us the power to change the world. As these young people grow and mature, their knowledge and skills will increase, but the core of who they are remains the same.
Here is a priceless opportunity for us to affirm all that is good in the young people who live and grow around us and to recognize them as young adults in our midst. Don't miss this incredible chance to say out loud in a very powerful way what we have meant to say to them all along. Remember, NOTHING GOES WITHOUT SAYING!
