Children's Ministries

October through June
8:30 am Holy Communion
9:00 am Parish Breakfast
10:00 am Family-Centered Worship
11:15 am Coffee Hour Fellowship and worship for all ages!
Our church school classes & youth groups take turns making breakfast and leading worship on First Sundays of the Month.

Children and youth are welcome at every worship service.

Wednesday 7 PM pm Healing Service
Saturday 5:00 pm Holy Communion
Regular Sunday Worship
8:30 am Holy Communion
9:20 am Adult Forum
9:30 am Church School
10:00 am Holy Communion
Child Care is available for our youngest parishioners on Sundays. Children who go to Church School join their families in church at the Peace to recevie Communion.

2 tracks on Sunday mornings
For Families:
The Early Track -
Worship together as a family at 8:30 AM, then at 9:30 AM children and youth go to church school; adults are invited to the Parish Hall for coffee, bagels and fellowship, or to the adult forum. Then the whole family leaves church at 10:30 AM.
The Late Track -
Your church morning starts at 9:30 AM; children go to church school, while adults join the adult forum or go the parish hall for coffee and bagels. Then at 10:00 AM, adults come to worship. Children and youth rejoin their parents or guardians at the peace, receive Holy Communion together, after which all are welcome to the Parish Hall at around 11:15 AM for fellowship at coffee hour.

Children and youth are invited to serve through leading us in worship by becoming…

Acolytes: Carry the cross, torches, and banner. Serve at the altar. Learn the ins and outs of Episcopal Church worship. Acolyte training usually follows the 10 am service on the first Sunday of the month. Contact Connie Melahoures, Director, 508-746-3805.

Choristers: Children of all ages are welcome to rehearse each week on Sunday from 9-9:30 AM. The Choristers sing on First Sundays of the Month and at special services. All voices welcome. Call or speak to Su D’Amrrosio, Director 508-746-7261

Church Band: Children, youth and adults come together to rehearse, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, and enrich our Sunday worship with music! Rehearsals are weekly, every Saturday 6-6:45 PM. Call or speak with Su D’Amrrosio to learn how to join in, 508-746-1267.

Christian Formation for Children and Youth
Sunday Morning Church School & Youth Groups for Pre-K through Senior High

2nd – 5th Sundays at 9:30 am
Families may worship together at the 8:30 am service before Church School, or children join their families in church for Holy Communion at the 10 am service.

Pre-K to Grade 4: Children hear and experience scripture through Godly Play. When they cross the threshold of the door to their classroom, they enter a sacred space for holy story-telling, listening, thinking and playing.

Grades 5: Our youngest youth begin learning abut the Bible and the church in ways to nourish their growing minds and prepare them for our youth ministry program: the Journey to Adulthood.

Grades 6 & 7 and Grade 8: The Journey to Adulthood begins for these youth with Rite-13, a two year curriculum that helps them take their first steps out of the roles of childhood towards the new roles of young adults. It includes a liturgical rite of passage to celebrate the gifts of manhood and womanhood, celebrated this year on April 13, 2008.

Grades 9-12: The Journey to Adulthood for our Senior High youth prepares them for adulthood by teaching them six basic skills: active listening, negotiation, assertion, research & information management, partnership and leadership. The youth will learn to apply Biblical and spiritual truths to their everyday lives, as they prepare for their Pilgrimage from July 6-July 13, 2008!

Parent involvement in Church School as helper or teacher or observer is always welcome!

What About Classes for Parents?
Please see Adult Formation and Education for details on adult classes and groups where you may grow in faith along with your children! And look for programs to support you in your voation as parents in the coming months!

The third weekend of the month is special at Christ Church Parish! Friday is Family Games Night is on the third Friday of the month. Families gather for a pizza dinner, bring salad or dessert to share, and a $2 grab bag prize for a few rounds of bingo. Then groups break out to play their favorite board games. Be sure to bring yours! Contact Ellen Long or Ann-Marie Sessler to learn more.

On Sunday nights, it's Youth Night. Youth of the parish, from 7th grade up, are
invited to the Parish Hall for dinner and fellowship along with their parents, and then the youth and their mentors will go to their classrooms for lessons games and more. Then on occasional Sundays, we have our Parents on the Journey meetings at the same time. Parents meet with Ted or Mally, who will lead discussions on current topics relevant to raising our youth today. Contact Ted to learn more or at the church office number

Prepared Communion
(First Communion)
Second Graders and older students who have never taken this class meet for 10 weeks, beginning early 2008. Teachers Mally Lloyd and Michelle Scheufele offer a hands-on look at the history and mystery of Holy Communion. Students participate fully in Holy Week activities. Prepared Communion celebration is scheduled for May, 2008. Sign up after Christmas.Look in the weekly bulletin for details!

Confirmation Grades 10 and up: For older youth to explore confirming for themselves in the promises mad for them at their baptism before the Bishop at Deanery Confirmation in May. Classes will be taught by Ted Cole and Melissa Matinzi and will meet the first Sunday of the month, January through May. Discussions will include Baptism and Confirmation in scripture and tradition, a little history and polity of the Episcopal Church, and topics from current events to make learning relevant to everyday life. Students will have a co-journeyer from the parish to work with them between classes and to help them on their journey towards Confirmation. The class will also participate in the Deanery Retreat in April, led by Bishop Harris, at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Conference Center in Green field NH. Those interested in Confirmation should let Ted or Melissa know immediately.

Retreats
The Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center in Greenfield, NH Youth Retreats
The Diocese of Massachusetts offers excellent annual retreats for youth in both Junior High (November 16-18, 2007) and Senior High (February 8-10, 2008). Retreats feature contemporary Christian music and small group ministry led by youth from the Diocesan Youth Council and Youth Leadership Academy. Look for sign up information in the Sunday bulletins or speak with Ted. Scholarships are available; see Ted or Mally for more information. Register at the calendar page at the www.diomassyouth.org webpage.

Summer Camp
Summer camp experiences in an idyllic setting shape a young person's faith in ways that years of Church school can't. The Camp, run by the Diocese of Massachusetts in July and August, 2008, brings children and youth from across eastern Massachusetts together for a fantastic week of fun, faith and friendship. Ages range from Grade 3 to Senior High, as well as a three-week Counselor in Training Program for older youth. Watch for the Camp's program brochure soon after Christmas and sign your children and youth up! We will schedule a Christ Church Parish week when Ted will be serving as a chaplain for the Camp this summer; check our newsletter and bulletins for details. Camperships are available by asking Ted or Mally.

Counselor in Training positions and counselor jobs for older youth require a special application. Visit www.bchcenter.org for more information.

Outreach
Opportunities for outreach abound at every grade level: Church World Service school kits, layettes at Epiphany, Christmas presents for DSS families, Thanksgiving food baskets. We encourage our children to live the Gospel they are learning. Families are welcome to serve at the Food Pantry during the week, or help prepare meals for our weeks hosting the Overnights of Hospitality for homeless men in the Plymouth area. For more information about the food pantry, speak with Judy Bradley: 508-746-2530. For more information about the Overnights of Hospitality, contact Liz and Jim Hester: 508-209-0493.

Food Pantry Hours of Operation:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 11:30 am

Dinners for the Overnights of Hospitality:
Served nightly at 6:30 pm for one week, approximately every four weeks from November-March. Contact Liz and Jim to learn when the next week is.

Crop Walk - October 28, 2007
This 3 or 6 mile walk through downtown Plymouth raises money and awareness to fight hunger in the world and here at home. Seventy-five percent of the funds we raise go directly to Church World Service for programs to fight hunger and provide assistance to victims of disaster in more than eighty countries, including the United States. Twenty-five percent stays in the community to be shared by The Plymouth Area Food Warehouse and the Taskforce for the Homeless. Look for sing-up sheets at church, or contact Bill Finn to learn how you can take part: 508-456-1314.

Cape June Jubilee - June 8, 2008
Led by our Senior High Class, this is a terrific way to support the Diocesan Jubilee Ministry, which helps people of all ages in Africa who are suffering from the AIDS pandemic. Walk, run or bike along the Cape Cod Canal, and meet with other participants at the cookout along the canal. Started in 2006, we as a parish raised $2000. In 2007, we were joined by three other Episcopal Parishes to raise just under $4000.