Programs for young people at Trinity

Young People's Sunday is what we customarily call the last Sunday of the month during the school year.

Our children and teens are the ushers, acolytes, readers, and intercessors at the 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist on each Sunday that is so designated. 

If you have children over the age of 7 and have not yet spoken to Pastor Heidi about their participation, please contact her as soon as possible to see how we can include them -- if not this time, then the next time!!

Here are some more Trinity Kids highlights:

...what we do

Trinity Lime Rock is a small parish, but we are a community that is (and has always been) particularly welcoming to young people. 

Young people at Trinity have a series of opportunities for experiences at church in many contexts in addition to the traditional Sunday School classroom.  Through our efforts to involve our young people in all aspects of our church life, we try to make many of our activities for Trinity Kids a "teaching moment" -- This applies whether it's Sunday School itself, rehearsing for the Christmas Pageant, joining a circle to say the Lord's Prayer before Summer Sports, getting involved in an outreach project, or singing with the Junior Choir or serving as an acolyte or a youth usher or a reader on Sunday mornings.

Work, school, travel, extracurricular activities, sports, music lessons, Scouts, riding lessons, all can combine to make family life hectic and disconnected.  For most of us, in fact, Sunday is the only day of the week we have an opportunity to be a real family. Church is a wonderful place to be part both of our own families and the larger Trinity family at the same time. 

It's for this reason that we make a real effort to combine our week-to-week Sunday School curriculum -- as well as the special events and activities mentioned above -- with our worship.  Many of our older young people are involved in specific worship roles.  Our Sunday School joins the main worship service for the Holy Eucharist each Sunday (and leads much of the worship on the 4th Sunday of each month), and, on other special Sundays, we encourage our young people to sit with their families or with their classmates and friends during worship. 

People ask whether it's realistic to expect young people to "sit through" church, even on major Sundays of the church year, like Easter.  Yes, we recognize that young people are not likely to have the same focus on the spoken word as adults do, nor the same attention span.  In some churches this would be a problem.  However, as Episcopalians, our church is a liturgical church -- which means there is constant, predictable activity, with little chance for children to become bored. If you have ever been a part of the celebration and pageantry of an Episcopal service, you will recognize this aspect of our worship. We also provide our young people in church with materials related to the service that appeals to their interests and is appropriate for their developmental stages.  And, we are are always very much open to suggestions for improvement.

But, most important, we are always glad to welcome young people of all ages at Trinity.  We know that many of our young people are not in the area every weekend, and our current lectionary-based Christian Education helps us welcome newcomers, visitors, and those who cannot regularly be here without disrupting a rigid lesson plan in a traditional Sunday School class.  Yet, as flexible as we are, our Sunday School still imparts the basics of Christian education -- and the kids have a great time in the process!

Of course, Trinity's facility provides us with unrivaled flexibility for a parish our size, both indoors and out.  And young people have plenty of opportunity to be with -- and have fun with -- their peers in Sunday School, after the service, during hospitality hour, and when involved in our youth activities.

So, even if you are "just looking" or only in the area for a short time -- or, like many of our families, simply unable to make the time commitment regular Sunday morning Sunday School attendance entails -- we encourage you to visit us at Trinity any Sunday.  As a small parish, every child is an individual, and their interests and preferences are considered whenever we plan programs.

 On this page (and the linked ones) you'll find pictures and information about some of the great (and, we hope, instructive) times our young people have had over the past nine or ten years, and we'll continue to bring you more pictures occasionally.  We hope you enjoy them!

Our innovative Summer Sports program is now five years old! 

 See pictures from our 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 seasons, and for more information about our Summer Sports program,

just click the soccer ball!

Our Sunday School's primary age group created a magnificent Lego model of Trinity (and the cemetery across the street).  Click on the photo below to see a large picture of them -- and their model, which they showed us at hospitality hour after the 10:30 AM Holy Eucharist

That same day, some of our young people enjoyed jump rope in the new cloister (Trinity Field, our eight acre back yard, is in the background).  Click on the photo to see a larger image.

Looking for pictures of a recent Baptism at Trinity?

You'll probably find them in our parish photo album. 

“Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” 

This picture was taken before construction of our new addition.  It's done now, adding great flexibility for projects like this one.

See pictures of this Sunday School project team making their presentation to the Parish (they're on our photo album page)!!

Don't miss the PICTURES OF TRINITY'S FAMOUS

 CHRISTMAS PAGEANTS!!!