Youth are visible and highly valued members of our Trinity community, as seen in our extensive and in-depth programs to support their growth into active, spiritually-grounded adults. The Trinity youth program (for grades 6 through 12) involves our young people in classes and study, fun and fellowship, giving of themselves and assisting others in need, retreat and pilgrimage, and ultimately helps them determinine their own place in ministry as full members of our congregation. Youth serve in every part of our church life, from worship to music to outreach. Each year, two of our confirmed youth are elected to fill seats on our governing board.

Classes and Study

The Christian formation of youth is an integral part of our congregational life. We follow the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) curriculum, which provides a framework through which our young people can develop their faith in the midst of a loving and caring church.

Young Persons Fellowship (YPF)

YPF is a time for FUN & FELLOWSHIP! Our periodic Sunday afternoon gatherings help students wind down from a busy weekend and prepare for the coming week. Often self-directed, the youth come to YPF to discuss issues of interests, plan outreach activities or just enjoy the time with each other in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. A favored YPF activity has been the occasional Friday or Saturday night Lock-in, where the students (and chaperones) spend the night playing games, chatting and growing their spiritual lives -- and (eventually) sleeping! They have also gone out to movies together, ice skating, outings to do rope courses, bowling, scavenger hunts, dinner, and, for the older youth, gatherings at a local coffee shop! Check out our calendar for dates and times.

Retreats and Pilgrimage

Weekend retreats are offered periodically at a local Episcopal camp, and include a biblical theme, skits, games and group discussions. Older youth have an opportunity to undertake a week-long pilgrimage, exploring their spiritual paths individually and together. Recent pilgrimages have taken our youth to the Black Hills (South Dakota), The Grand Tetons (Wyoming) and Lake Tahoe (Nevada).

Reaching Out to Others

Our high school aged youth are invited to participate in two, long-running, outreach programs at Trinity:

• The Light and Peace program (run by The Church of St. Paul and St. James in New Haven) gives our youth the opportunity to reach out to inner-city children. Our youth and adult volunteers serve a meal and participate in worship with sometimes 50 children and adults.
• Summer Work Camp is a one-week trip coordinated with other church youth groups around the country. The youth engage in projects involving painting, carpentry, and other household improvements for poor and elderly people. Recent camps have brought us to towns in New York, Rhode Island, Ohio and Maryland. Specific skills are not required to join this trip -- just a willingness to do God’s work!

Contact:

Our Youth and Family Minister is available for questions, information or support at (203) 426-9070 x16 or ChildrensMinister@TrinityNewtownCT.org.