Youth Ministry

The Chapel of the Cross provides multiple opportunities for youth to live the Baptismal Covenant. The following programs and activities allow our youth to engage different aspects of the Covenant. We know that no one child can participate in everything offered here. We hope that you will think and pray about which ways of engaging the Faith seem right to you, and we hope that you will use the clergy and youth staff as resources in your decisions.

Baptismal Covenant - With God’s help, I will:

• Continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers.
• Persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever I fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.
• Proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ.
• Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself.
• Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.

Activities
Dr. Wylie S. Quinn, Organist and Choirmaster at Chapel of the Cross, directs the Junior Choir. Participation in the choir allows youth, through the gift of sacred music, to “continue in the apostles teaching and fellowship,” and especially “in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.” Choir participation deepens our participation in and assimilation of our rich liturgy.

Our Acolyte, Reader, and Usher Programs offer different levels of responsibility for youth leadership in worship. Crucifers, Acolytes and Servers “proclaim by example the Good News of God in Christ,” as they lead the congregation in “the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.” Ushers practice Christian hospitality as they welcome members of the gathered community. Readers practice for the congregation the incarnation and oral interpretation of the written word of God.

Church School classes from childhood through 12th grade help us “continue in the apostles’ teaching . . . and in the prayers,” and to gain language to describe and proclaim “the Good News of God in Christ.” Classes meet between 10:15 and 11:05 throughout the church year.

Our Youth Inquirers’ Class (YIC) aims to allow youth to claim for themselves the baptismal covenant made, most often, on their behalf as infants. The program is open to all high school students, and most 9th graders choose to participate in it. The YIP uses an experiential education model that focuses on the practices that constitute the Christian life and faith. In other words, we match particular Christian practices to each one of the baptismal vows, so that youth gain a more comprehensive experience of the shape of a Christian life. We give particular attention to the practices of prayer, service, sacred reading, stewardship, worship, vocation, faith questioning, and life in community; and we explore the Episcopal Church as a worldwide communion. Some participants may choose to make Confirmation – a mature, adult and public affirmation of their faith – a part of this time of formation. Classes take place for two hours over the course of eight Wednesday evenings in the spring semester.

EYC (Episcopal Youth Community) provides an opportunity to continue in “the apostles’ fellowship,” to “proclaim by example the Good News of God in Christ,” to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself,” and to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” In short, the strengths of EYC are fellowship and service. EYC also includes some teaching and worship. EYC offers two annual Christmas Pageants on Christmas Eve day, which attracts more people than any other services of the year; and we offer the Carnifall, a Halloween-inspired fun-house for smaller children.

Our youth serve as volunteers for the summer Vacation Church School and as Youth Saints for Sunday morning Children’s Chapel. This allows youth to appropriate the teaching and proclamation of the faith for themselves by being teachers rather than students.

The annual EYC Mission Trip for Senior High students provides an intensive experience of Christian fellowship and service. It also includes corporate worship and personal reflection and prayer time. In other words, this trip is an intensive experience of all facets of the baptismal covenant. This trip typically happens in the last half of the summer. For information about parish participation in the 2011 mission trip, click here.

The weeklong summer YP at Kanuga Camp and Conference Center offers fun and spiritual formation with other youth from this and other dioceses. This program takes place in the third week in June and focuses on fellowship, an engaging teaching of the faith, and worship that youth get very excited about (you must see it to believe it).

The Chapel of the Cross sponsors two Scout Troops, one for boys and one for girls. Scouts cultivates, among other skills: fellowship, respect for the dignity of all people, and the love of neighbor as self.

Our Youth Council is comprised of about 10 youth and one parent. Their primary purpose is to provide direction, prayer and support for the entire youth program.

To the end of “seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves,” we invite our youth to participate in a number of service projects, such as cutting and delivering wood for those without heat, cooking for the Ronald McDonald House and the Inter-Faith Council, visiting homebound parishioners, assisting at the Special Service for people with disabilities, caroling to homebound parishioners, the Heiffer project, and others. Youth may participate through church school, the Youth Inquirers’ program, EYC, or simply through their families, depending on the activity and the particular calling of the family.

Youth Ministry – both our ministry to the youth and the ministry of the youth to the whole community – is centrally important to the Chapel of the Cross, its people and its leadership. We hope that you will commit these various opportunities to prayer and discernment with your family and in consultation with clergy and staff here at the Church. Whatever mode of involvement you choose, may God bless you in your Christian journey.

Contact Information

Associate for Parish Ministry – available for pastoral care and for any questions about the youth program, including Youth Council
The Rev. David Frazelle

Youth Ministry Assistant - also available for questions about all youth activities
Caren Parker

Junior Choir
Van Quinn

Acolytes
Ray Dooley
Jimmy Satterwhite
Robert Wright

Church School/Vacation Church School/ Youth Readers/ Youth Saints
Boykin Bell

Youth Inquirers’ Class
Bill Joyner

Scouts
Dave Filpus
Tom Hock

Service Projects
Bill Joyner

Ushers
Dave Scocca
Henry Thomas and Linda King-Thomas

Youth Council
The Rev. David Frazelle