Youth Programs
Information for Children and Parents
Welcome!
The Youth Commission has been revived! We would like you to know its structure and purpose and how we envision the commission guiding our children and youth at Grace Episcopal Church.

The Mission
The mission of the Youth Commission is to assist the Rector and staff in ministering to the children, youth, and young adults of Grace Church. Our goal is that they may come to know Christ within our supportive community of faith, and may claim a personal role in our worship, spiritual life, witness, service, and social outreach.

A Cooperative
The Church School, the Youth Group and the Confirmation Process are designed to be a cooperative program—meaning that parents and interested adults and young adults give of their time, talent and knowledge to help our children grow socially, emotional and spiritually, at Grace.
Rewards for being involved and volunteering:
• Experiencing and renewing God’s teachings in our own hearts through a child’s perspective, wonder and laughter
• Helping to build a strong foundation and sense of community with our neighbors by developing relationships and facilitating valuable learning experiences with each other’s children
• Becoming an important part of the creation of an extended family by contributing to the spiritual and emotional upbringing of the children with our community
• Being able to learn more about ourselves and our faith through the process of teaching and community outreach

The Family Church School
The Church School offers a unique experiential approach to religious education and instruction. This has nurtured our children and interested others to join in the experience. The focus is on introducing the children to our spiritual community through interactive programs of Bible stories and activities. As a cooperative program, parents are actively involved as teachers, Team Leaders, assistants, and volunteers for all purposes. The enrollment is comprised of children in the Nursery, Pre-K, and Grades K-5. All are welcome and encouraged to participate in any and all activities. Check out Youth Activities in the Calendar section of this website for our Church School schedule.

Youth Groups
We are thrilled to have enough interest and enthusiasm form our Middle school and high school youth to make this program the success it has become. We have two "Youth Groups" at Grace. The Junior Youth Group (6th—8th grade) meets on Sundays from 9:50–10:30am, and the Senior Youth Group (9th—12th grade) meets on Sunday evenings from 6:30—8:00pm (pizza is provided). One of the goals of the program is to enable the youth of our community to create their own vision of what the Youth Group should be, how it should operate, make decisions, and achieve their goals. A multi-fold focus comprised of Theology and Spirituality, Service to the Church and Community, and Fellowship is realized through a series of modules facilitated by Youth Commission Members and parish volunteers. The Youth Groups plan many different activities like outings, movies,bowling parties, and dances. If you are interested, contact Carlo Pellegrini at 845-348-8740 or check Youth Activities in the Calendar section of this website.

Ways to Help
With all this activity, there are many ways that parents can share their gifts by helping out. The following is a partial list:
• Teachers and Teacher’s Assistants
• Team Leaders
• Nursery Support
• Supplies Coordinator
• Refreshment Coordinator
• Support at Special Events (Pet blessing, Christmas Pageant, Passion Walk)
• Assist with Youth Group outings (Social parties, sleepovers, trips)
• Member of the Photography team
• Video events
• Support and Ideas for Fundraisers
• Donations to help make it all happen