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Children and Youth
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(1) Vacation Bible School.
(2) Some of our youth in the youth room.
(3) Fieldtrip to Little Red Lighthouse.
(4) Palm Sunday with Muneca the Donkey |
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Children and Family
Every person who walks in the door is a member of the extended family of
the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew. Children and families are the mainstay
of our growing congregation. Our mission is to provide a nurturing
environment, love, prayer and support for spiritual matters within the
family structure - whatever the lifestyle may be. We at SPSA are committed
to modeling Jesus Christ and the gospel message through the interaction of
all the staff and congregation at both church services and community activities.
The most important thing we want our children to know is that they are loved.
Children are included in all activities of the church. In addition to
intergenerational events, there is nursery care provided from ages 6 months to
3 years, Sunday school for age 3 to grade 5, one week of Vacation Bible
School in the summer, and numerous activites throughout the year. These activities have included trips to the New York Botanical Gardens, the farm in Queens, and the aquarium at Coney Island. The first Sunday of the month is Friendly First Sunday for the kids, and there's always a special activity for them during coffee hour after worship. And, of course, we have our annual Christmas Pageant. Our Minister to Children and Families is Rev. Julia Kristeller.
Youth
The Youth Ministry program at the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew is committed
to offering young people (grades 6-12) in the church and community a place to
be in fellowship, participate in community service, and spend time in spiritual formation. We reach youth
where they are: in their lives, in their schools, and addressing their
questions. New youth are always welcome!
Youth Group (grades 6-12) meets Sundays from 1:00-2:30 with
lunch. Older youth (grades 9-12) and Younger
Youth (grades 6-8) split up for discussions during progam time. These discussions which
address issues in their lives and seek out how their faith can be involved in these
issues. A Younger Youth Sunday School class meets every Sunday, except the first Sunday of the month, during worship.
Once a month the Council on Youth Ministry meets from 2:30-3:30pm. CYM is a group of youth leaders elected by the youth group to make decisions about what they do during the year.
Community service and social justice issues are important to
the church as a whole and to the Youth Group as well. Among other service activities, the Youth Group has gone
on week-long work mission trips to Appalachia and Habitat for Humanity, has sent representatives to the Youth Ambassadors in Mission trips to Ghana and Costa Rica for four consecutive years, and has raised money to help a school in Nigeria, support Souper Bowl of Caring, and buy mosquito nets for Nothin' But Nets. This year's youth mission trip will be going out west to lead Vacation Bible School at a church in Navajo Nation. Our team of 22 is preparing and fundraising now. Dates are August 9-16.
Our current activities can be seen in our newsletter, The Fellowship.
You may also email Rev. Emily Peck-McClain, Associate Pastor, at
emilyspsa@aol.com.
To see what's going going on for youth in the New York Annual Conference, please click here.
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