Christian Education – Youth

Sunday School

Mount Calvary has been offering combined Sunday School classes for young people from Pre-K through grade 5 since COVID. However, our general practice, which we plan to reinstitute, is to offer three classes for our children:

  • The Preschool Class is for 3 years olds through kindergartners and begins with a brief service led by children’s chaplain, followed by a lesson and craft.
  • The Primary Class is for young people in grades 1–3.
  • The Intermediate Class is for youth in grades 4–6.

All classes begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings from September through May; participants in the older classes join their parents in church midway through the service for Communion. The lectionary curriculum model follows stories in the Sparks Revised Common Lectionary. Throughout the three-year cycle, each lesson comes from a Bible story in the Old Testament, the Gospels, or Acts, so the story kids learn in Sunday school coincides with readings used in worship.

Sunday school teachers are volunteers from the parish. They bring their own knowledge and enthusiasm to their class and are provided with materials and guidance for leading the week’s lesson. The teaching schedule is on a rotating basis to ensure that teachers may on most weeks attend the 10 a.m. worship service.
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Middle School & High School Youth Group

The Middle and High School Program at Mount Calvary offers a chance for 7th through 12th graders to come together for fun and fellowship.

This group meets monthly for a planned service project; some activities we have experienced recently are:

  • Volunteering at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
  • Volunteering at Recycle Bicycle
  • Volunteering at the Churches Affiliated Childcare Center
  • Volunteering to spruce up parishioners’ yards
  • Hosting a pancake breakfast to support MiniTHON
  • Filling Easter baskets to be donated to a local charity for distribution
  • Conducting a Toys-for-Tots toy drive
  • Making soup and collecting canned soup and coins to support the Souper Bowl of Caring

Pre-K through 5th Grade Pizza Club

The second and fourth Wednesday of each month from September to May, kids in grades Pre-K through 5th grade meet at the church to share pizza and fellowship, and to participate in a fun lesson and a worthwhile activity.

Nursery

Mount Calvary provides nursery care for our youngest children, with an experienced and paid caregiver, and a fun and safe space with plenty of books and toys available for the children to explore. Childcare is available in our nursery during the 10:00 a.m. Sunday service.

Special Events

From time to time, we will hold a special intergenerational Sunday service where the children will join their families for the entire service. These include Palm Sunday, the Blessing of the Backpacks in September, St. Francis Day in October, the Family Christmas Eve Service, and Youth Sunday in June, during which recent graduates in the parish are recognized and celebrated. These Sundays incorporate the energy and talents of our young people as an integral part of the service.

Saint Francis Day in October is dedicated to animals, including pets, animals on farms and in zoos, and those in the wild. Small pets and photos or other representations of larger pets are brought to the altar to receive a blessing on that Sunday.

In December, our intergenerational Graham Cracker House decorating event is held following the 10 a.m. Sunday service. This is a beloved and long-standing tradition that marks the beginning of the Advent season at Mount Calvary.

Also in December, a family Christmas Eve service is presented, featuring the young people of the parish as musicians and readers for the intergenerational service.

Finally, an Easter Egg Hunt is traditionally held on the parish grounds between services on Easter morning for the youth of the parish.

Confirmation

Young people in grades 7 and above may enroll in a 10-week Confirmation Class in January. This lively and relevant program focuses on what it means to be a Christian. Classes are held weekly on Wednesdays after school. By the end of these ten weeks, young people will be well equipped to take on their baptism vows for themselves, usually at a special Confirmation service at Mount Calvary in the spring.

Safeguarding Policy of Children and Youth

In February 2011, Mount Calvary adopted a detailed policy designed to protect our kids. Here is the introduction to it:

“In all our work with children and young people we seek to encourage an atmosphere that is both fun and safe. Our aim is to offer groups that are of a high quality, honoring to God and characterized by mutual respect, trust and co-operation. Because of their vulnerability, children and young people will be awarded special protection. They are to be respected as persons in their own right, created and loved by God. We, therefore, commit ourselves to take all steps within our power to keep children and young people safe from physical, sexual and emotional harm. To ensure that only the best people are involved in working with our children and young people we are committed to an appropriate process of selection, supervision and training. It is our intent that our policy will establish practices that will protect both our youth and those adults who have graciously volunteered to work with our youth.”