Christian Education-Youth
Once children reach the 6th grade, they are considered a part of SPY- St. Peter's Youth.
Youth 6th-12th graders
One of the primary missions of St. Peter’s is Christian Formation. Perhaps the most formative time in our lives is during our teenage years. This is a time of great change—physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually. Youth need a safe, fun environment where they can be accepted for who they are—a community of love where they can begin to learn what it means to be faithful adults. St. Peter’s Youth, or SPY, is that place. There are many facets of SPY, but the most important is Journey to Adulthood.
Journey to Adulthood – Journey to Adulthood is a six-to-seven-year program of spiritual formation for young people that provides a liturgical frame for their experience in our modern culture, celebrates their individuality and their creative potential, and instructs them in skills needed for successful adult participation in church and society.
Journey to Adulthood is based on two key concepts: manhood and womanhood are gifts from God, and adulthood must be earned. The program includes in-depth exploration of Self, Spirituality, Sexuality and Society, follows the imperatives of the Baptismal Covenant, and enables young people to discover and experience the love of God
The philosophy of Journey to Adulthood is that Christian formation is a lifelong process. This program gives young people a firm foundation on which to build. Here’s how it works:
 Rite 13: When a young person is in middle school, we invite them to participate in Rite 13. Rite 13 is a small group of youth that assists 12-14 year olds as they take the first steps of passage away from their families and into their own lives. It begins with a liturgical celebration of the gifts of womanhood and manhood. During these two years, the community acknowledges the gift of gender, celebrates the amazing creative power and potential of these young people, and creates a safe haven to explore new ideas, new interests and new abilities. They meet every Sunday morning after the 10:00am service in the Rite 13/YAC room. They also participate in all other youth events, including a fall and spring retreat that is tailored for their group. Their group is led by four youth leaders who commit to being there for the two years the group is in Rite 13. 
J2A: After two years of Rite 13, when a young person is around 14-16 years old, the group changes their name to J2A, and begins another two year process. J2A is the heart of the entire program. It blends action and contemplation in teaching young people faithful living. To prepare them for adulthood, they will learn basic skills such as active listening and leadership. The program also helps them understand and affirm Christian living. J2A balances Bible study, prayer and both serious and playful activities to nurture the whole person during the treacherous passage from childhood to adulthood. After two years, they are given an opportunity to be confirmed (or reaffirmed) and are acknowledged in the community as equipped for the new levels of responsibility. They are recognized as young adults, rather than as children, and invited to make a holy pilgrimage at the end of their two years. J2A meets every Sunday morning after the 10:00a service in the J2A room. They also participate in all other youth events, including a fall and spring retreat that is tailored for their group. They are led by four youth leaders who commit to two years with the group.
YAC: Finally, after two years of J2A, when they are around 16-18 years old, the youth are recognized as Young Adults in Church (or YAC). These last years lead them through graduation from high school. YAC is a mentor-based group that helps the youth to discern and carry out a ministry within the church or in the larger community. Vocation and development of a personal credo are also emphasized. From this point on they are in charge of their own program. They have four adult advisors who assist them in Bible Study, development of service projects, outreach, and ministry. They participate regularly in worship and generally take an active part in the life of the congregation. All this takes place in the loving and supportive community that will listen to them, learn from them, allow them to serve in meaningful capacities, and allow them to succeed and fail, celebrating their successes and lovingly correcting their mistakes. YAC meets for lunch at 12:15pm on Sundays in the Rite 13/YAC room. Along with Rite 13 and J2A, they participate in all other youth events, even stepping up as leaders of youth events, and they also have fall and spring retreats that is tailored for their group.
The ultimate goal of Journey to Adulthood is to create faith-filled young adult leaders in the church, rather than let youth graduate from church when they graduate from high school. Journey to Adulthood is a vehicle for an integrated youth ministry, where youth are valued as a vital part of the congregation, instead of an offshoot program of the congregation. We also encourage a host of adults across generational lines to be a part of our youth programs, which only widens the circle of relationships for the youth. While Journey to Adulthood is the main thrust of SPY, there are a host of other events and gatherings to continue to facilitate the growth of our youth.
SPY: If Journey to Adulthood is our equivalent to “Youth Sunday School,” then SPY is our equivalent to “Youth Group.” Using the ethos of Journey to Adulthood, SPY further engages youth in a number of activities, which rotates on a weekly basis:
Popcorn Theology: On the first Sunday night of the month, the youth gather in the Parish Hall to reflect theologically on recent films. This is our form of “bible study,” where we pick out theological themes or scenes and apply them to our lives.
Game Night: We gather in the Parish Hall for fun games, some with a point, and some just to be silly. Highlight game nights include our annual Messy Games night and Video Game night.
Mission Project: We engage in a variety of mission projects. We have made care packages for college students and our armed forces, served at soup kitchens, visited children in the hospital, and participated in the Humane Society’s annual Mutt Strut.
Fellowship: We occasionally go out on the town for bowling, dock partying, go-cart racing, paint balling, or ice skating, among other things.
SPY is at 6:00pm on most Sundays, unless otherwise noted. Dinner is always included, as well as some form of worship, either Compline, Evening Prayer, or Evening Devotion. We also gather with other youth groups regularly, including Skidaway Island Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches, St. James Catholic Church, or other Episcopal churches in the Savannah area including St. Thomas, Isle of Hope and St. Francis of the Islands, Wilmington Island. SPY also organizes two parish dinners, the annual Chili Cookoff and the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner. SPY is led by parents and adult leaders as well as the older youth, and is coordinated by our Youth Director Matt Rice.
Worship -- At St. Peter’s, we usually don’t have “Youth Sunday,” because our youth are already active in Sunday worship.
Acolytes -- Being an acolyte allows youth to be a part of the litugy of the Episcopal Church while teaching them how to be God’s servant. Youth Acolytes serve at the 10:00am service as Crucifers (9th – 12th graders) and Gospel Bearers (6th – 8th graders). We offer training workshops for them at St. Peter’s as well as encourage them to attend the Diocese of Georgia’s annual Acolyte Festival, where they learn more about liturgy and being an acolyte while having fun meeting other acolytes from around Georgia.
Readers – Reading Scripture in church is a high honor, and allows youth an opportunity to engage the Bible by proclaiming it to the congregation. Just like acolytes, we offer training for our readers. The reader schedule is coordinated by Parish Secretary Gerry McLean and training is done by the Parish Staff.
Lay Eucharistic Ministers – Youth who are at least 16-years-old may wish to serve as Lay Eucharistic Ministers at any of the services.
Other – Youth are encouraged to be a part of the Choir, Altar Guild, Sound Board Operators, Ushers, or any other ministry that enhances our worship. Contact the Staff if you’re interested.
SPY Trips - One of the best ways to build community is by traveling together! We take a variety of trips that serve many purposes, the utmost of which is building relationships with one another as we learn and grow as faithful people.
Retreats: Every semester, we take a retreat with our Journey to Adulthood groups. These retreats are focused on team building and spirituality building and include lots of fun, activities, worship, and food.
Parish Weekend: Once a year, the whole congregation gathers for a weekend of fellowship and spiritual growth. Sometimes this is at Honey Creek, our diocesan camp and conference center, and other times we do an “in-house” weekend at St. Peter’s.
Theme Park & Ski Trips: We also take many other trips that focus on fellowship and fun. We have taken ski trips and trips to Orlando for bouncing around theme parks. We typically join with other youth groups to get better group rates.
Mission Trips: Every summer, we do mission trips. During a summer when the J2A group goes on Pilgrimage, we do a mini-mission trip (5-6 days) to a local place. This past year we went to Albany, Georgia and worked with Habitat for Humanity. On summers we don’t do a Pilgrimage, we take a big mission trip (10-12 days). Our last big mission trip was to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi to do hurricane relief.
Pilgrimage: The culmination of the J2A piece of Journey to Adulthood is a spiritual pilgrimage. The J2A group gets to pick where they go and for two years they raise funds. Pilgrimage is a chance to travel to a historically holy site to experience God in a new and amazing way. Most recently, we journeyed to the Isle of Iona, Scotland.
Episcopal Diocese of Georgia Youth Group
Diocesan Youth Events: We also encourage our youth to get involved with our diocesan youth programs, especially Happening and New Beginnings.Happening is a weekend retreat for 10th-12th graders, while New Beginnings is for 7th-9th graders, both at Honey Creek.Both weekends have been known to change lives and are a great chance to meet new friends and learn about our relationships to God.
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