Christian Education for Youth

Journey to Adulthood (ages 11-17)

J2A is a youth ministry program of spiritual formation for 6th - 12th grades, developed by LeaderResources, an organization rooted in the Episcopal Church which serves the educational needs of many denominations. Saint Elizabeth's uses all three segments of the program. Rite-13 is a two-year program for 11-13 year-olds whose goals are:

To celebrate God’s gift of manhood and womanhood.
To affirm the power of creative energy and to explore the thoughts and disciplines which allow individuals to effect change in the world.
To teach, by word and example, the principles of freedom, responsibility and friendship.

J2A for 14-15 year-olds is also a two-year program. The goals of this curriculum are:

To celebrate the transition from youth to adulthood.
To train young people in the skills of adulthood.
To explore the mystery of our faith heritage.
To establish our experience in the strength of community and liturgy.

Young Adults in the Church (YAC) is for older high school students. The goals of the curriculum guide the young adult participants as they develop:

Responsibility and partnership in the life of the parish;
Stewardship — tangible giving of one’s time, talent and treasure — to all of God’s people;
Leadership for the maintenance of the YAC group — setting meeting times, electing leaders, setting up a communication network, establishing group norms and goals;
A foundation of personal discipline to carry them along their faith journey; and
Mentorship of the Rite 13 group.

Meeting time for all classes is Sunday mornings, 9:45-10:45, whereupon the children join the regular church service in progress.

Church School Registration is available online. Please use our online registration form to register your youth for the church school programs.

Youth Ministries

For the past six years, the high school Youth Group at St. Elizabeth's has been involved in a home repair ministry with the Appalachia Service Project. During the school year, interested teenagers learn basic carpentry and other skills which will help them during their 10-day summer trip where they will work with other volunteers and ASP staff to repair homes for low-income families in rural Central Appalachia.

For many of our youth the experience of ASP is a transforming one. Some go more than once, and some have even returned, years after their first trip, to participate as mentors and leaders themselves.

The Youth Group meets regularly. In addition to getting ready for the summer ASP trip, some other recent activities have included spending a weekend at the the Barbara Harris Camp and Conference Center, where the group worked together repairing hiking trails; preparing meals for the Framingham Soup Kitchen; ice skating, and attending a performance of Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity at the Tremont Temple in Boston.