The Journey to Adulthood, a parish program of spiritual formation for youth, consists of three 2-year segments: Rite-13, J2A, and YAC. It prepares young people in grades seven through twelve for adulthood by celebrating their individuality and creative potential. The six years of Journey to Adulthood are jammed full of talk, teaching, Bible study, prayer, play and laughter as young people move from childhood to adulthood. September 2007 begins the second year of the segment for each group. New members are always welcome.

Rite-13

Rite-13 Room, Room 22
Facilitators: Terry Farnell, Dianne Barnes

The Rite-13 segment of the Journey to Adulthood program is for young people whose 13th birthdays occur between the summer of 2006 and the spring of 2008. This group’s commitment is to Sunday morning education hour and an occasional Sunday evening event. They learn how to study, pray, play and serve others within a community as they explore together new ideas, new interests and new abilities. They celebrate the gift of womanhood and manhood through a liturgical rite, marking their passage from childhood to adolescence.

J2A - Journey into Adulthood

J2A Room, Room 15
Facilitators: Melissa Olson, Heather O'Donnell, Rick DeKalb

Meeting Sunday mornings and two Sunday evenings a month, the J2A group is made up primarily of 9th and 10th graders. This two-year segment is the core of the whole formation program for youth. To prepare them for adulthood, we seek to teach the six basic skills of active listening, negotiation, assertion, research/information management, partnership and leadership in the context of our Christian community through exploration of the four realms of self, spirituality, sexuality, and society. During the second year of this segment, the young people and their adult mentors go on holy pilgrimage to seek God's presence in the wider world. Previous classes have gone to England, Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. The hard work for the J2A class in 2007-2008 is to select the place of holy pilgrimage and organize the many fund-raising projects needed to reach their destination.

2006 Pilgrimage - Spain

Spain Pilgrimage Photos

YAC - Young Adults in Church

YAC Room, Room 23
Facilitator: David Kipphut, Dianne Barnes, Laurel Mosteller

The "Young Adults in Church" are those who have made a holy pilgrimage. The members of YAC are in the 11th and 12th grades and are quite busy preparing for their future. Upon returning to St. Peter's, many have continued in ministry in different ways through childcare, teaching, music, and helping to care for the church property. Although we may not see the YAs in church as often as we would hope, their leaders do stay in touch through email and conversation. It is our hope that this year we can get everyone involved in a community service project.