YOUTH MINISTRY

Confirmation Classes:
Confirmation classes are a two-year program of faith exploration for youth in 9th and 10th grades. The journey begins with a parent meeting in the early Fall, followed by a retreat.  Confirmands meet on Monday nights for four semesters over the course of two years. They study the Bible, the Church, Christian Discipleship, World Religions, and Christian Beliefs.  Confirmands also learn about their faith and the church by attending worship services and contributing their gifts to the church community and the world.  Before they make this important decision about confirming their baptismal vows and joining the church, Confirmands attend a final retreat and write a statement of faith about their Christian beliefs.  At the end of this journey, youth decide if they want to confirm their faith in God and Jesus Christ and become members of the church during a worship service on Sunday morning.

Junior Pilgrim Fellowship (JPF) is a Christian fellowship for youth in grades 6-8.  They meet on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month from 6-8pm to play games, participate in mission activities (like packing Thanksgiving baskets for the needy, baking cookies for our senior citizens and caroling to our congregation), have snack, discuss their lives and faith, and pray.  JPF is a wonderful place to make new friends and feel supported in a loving, accepting Christian community.

Every fall, JPF has a lock-in and every winter, JPF goes on retreat to Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT where they go tubing, play in the snow, hang out with each other, and of course, learn more about God's word.  Throughout the year, they also participate in wonderful activities like hiking, bowling, frisbee golf, laser tag, and rollerskating.

JPF begins in September with a pizza pot-luck for JPFers and their families and ends with a cook-out in June for the group.

Senior Pilgrim Fellowship (SPF) continues the fellowship and learning of JPF for youth in grades 9-12.  SPF meets every Sunday night in the Youth Room from 6-8pm for games, discussion, prayer, and community building.   Through SPF, high school students from South Windsor, Tolland, Manchester, Ellington, East Windsor and surrounding towns, deepen their connections to God, Jesus Christ,  and each other.  They experience the deep love of Christian community, where all people are accepted for who they are.

SPF goes on retreat twice each year - the fall and in the winter.  These retreats are opportunities to get away from the pressures of school and home and commune with nature and God.  They are also wonderful times filled with laughter and fun.  SPF also has a Good-Friday Vigil Lock-in where they gather together and keep watch with Jesus throughout the night.  The evening is filled with time for each person to meditate in the sanctuary and time for playing games, baking cookies, and watching lots and lots of movies.

Throughout the year, SPF fundraisers for either a Mission Trip or a Faith in Action trip.  Through selling Evening of Giving tickets, their annual Chili & Brownie Cook-off, Youth Service, Uno's Night and other fundraisers, SPF raises money to travel to Virginia for Mission Trip where they help repair the homes of people living in poverty.  Every other year, SPF raises funds to travel to Maryland to camp and deepen their understanding of different Christian practices such as prayer, justice, environmentalism, spiritual gifts.

JPF and SPF are both Christian communities where youth can experience the love of God through their friends and adult advisors.  These fellowships are different than any other groups that youth belong to because at JPF and SPF, youth can be themselves and be accepted for the unique gifts that they bring to the group and to the world.