Religious Education for Children and Teenagers at St. Luke's

Why We Do What We Do
Children are the future of our faith and our world, therefore we offer opportunities for children, teenagers and families to experience the joy, challenge, relevance and beauty of Christian faith. Young people at St. Luke's:

Worship in a welcoming community where all participate in liturgy and Eucharist regardless of age.

Engage the Bible, Christian traditions and liturgy with creative and critical minds in Church School.

Serve the parish and world by volunteering for one-time, occasional, or weekly ministry commitments.

Young Children
Nursery care is offered for our youngest members through age six during worship (9am-12:30pm); parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring children to the service, especially at communion time.

Sunday Church School
Church School is offered at 10:15am on appointed Sunday mornings for young people age two through high school. "Young Learners" hear stories and sing songs with parents. Preschool and elementary classes offer age appropriate engagement with Biblical stories through art, movement and service. To register your child or teenager for Church School 2010-11, please click here to download the form (pdf) and bring it to church on Sunday or the parish office during the week.

To download the full 2010-2011 Church School Calendar, please click here.

There is no Sunday School during the summer.

Junior Acolytes
Children in third grade and above are encouraged to lead and learn in the liturgy by serving as acolytes: carrying the cross, lighting candles, serving at the altar provide close-up learning experiences while leading the congregation.

Choristers
Young people in third through eighth grade are invited to audition for the choir which sings at most 9:15 services during the academic year. While not a religious education program itself, Choristers offers a marvelous musical education and a small stipend to those who wish to lead the congregation through song; for more information contact David Shuler.

Youth Confirmation
Teenagers in the ninth grade or age fifteen and above are beginning to make adult decisions about who they are and how they will live. Confirmation classes are offered every other year to engage the major doctrines of faith and to discern what Christian commitment means for young adults in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.

Family Education at St. Luke’s
Children learn most about Christian life by watching their parents and other adults practice their faith. At St. Luke's we provide times for parents to learn with their children so that Christian formation is understood as a process that reaches beyond the walls of church or classroom to family life in general. Parents, children and teenagers worship together every Sunday at 9:15a.m.

Monthly all class events invite parents and different age groups to come together to explore particular aspects of our faith tradition. Special events, like Shrove Tuesday supper and palm burning, offer time to meet other families and to strengthen understanding about Christian practices.

Finally, Parenting and Faith is an occasional seminar to address the joys and challenges of faithful parenting with Bart Baldwin, Head of St. Luke's School and/or Mary Foulke, Associate for Christian Formation, on given Sundays at 10:15.

For more information about religious education for children at St. Luke's,
please call Mother Mary Foulke at 212-633-2099. For programs for teenagers, contact Father Hugh Grant at 212-924-9327.