Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

Education Ministries – There’s so much to learn at every age

Christian education is an important part of Holy Trinity’s commitment to our future, to our community and to our world.

Children are always welcome at Holy Trinity

The first Sunday of every month is Children’s Celebration Sunday during which children are invited to take part in the worship service helping Father John by serving as greeters and ushers (helping the big people), bringing the wine and bread to the altar, and participating in a special sermon. For those who find it a challenge to make it through the service, there is an activities table in the connector between the church and the parish hall with coloring materials. For children under four years of age there is also supervised child care available. The Child Care room is located through the Parish Hall – follow the white signs.

Confirmation Class

The Confirmation class will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday, July 9, 2023 when the Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisley, Bishop of Rhode Island comes to Holy Trinity Church for his visitation to the church.

Re-opening of the Holy Trinity Church Sunday School and Child Care

After shutting down the Sunday Church  School and Child Care for almost three years. It is about time we are going to have a Sunday School and Child Care at our 10:00 service.

For older children and young adults

We feel that Christian education is important not only for our children but for our community and the world, and we provide engaging learning experiences for all ages.

We also have a youth group which meets for fun activities as well as community service. Youth of all ages have taken part in a number of outings such as corn mazes, pizza-and-movie nights, and paintball excursions as well as fundraising events for the church including pancake breakfasts and baking pies for holiday bake sales.

Sunday School

The Toddlers and Pre-K have handouts which are coloring pages along with very basic activities that follow the liturgical calendar and the lessons that parents and older children will be following.

Ages 3 through 10 – Godly Play is an education program for children ages 4 through 10. They meet Sunday mornings from 9:45 until 10:40 and join the church service just after the sing of peace when they join their families in the pews for communion and the remainder of the service.

Godly Play is a discovery program that gives children the language that they need to discover and explore their faith. Each class is divided into five sections: the Greeting is when each child is welcomed to the class and joins the circle where they get ready to listen to the story. The storyteller then tells the story for the week, sacred stories from the Old Testament, parables or liturgy, using three-dimensional materials which help engage the children. Afterwards, the children are asked questions and are invited to share their thoughts as well as to spend some time with art materials as a way to process the story. They end by sharing a snack and giving thanks.

Tweens (ages 11 through 13) and teens of pre-confirmation age meet together and use the re:form Ancestors program with the older kids leading and mentoring group discussions. This is a Bible study that helps students get to know personalities from the Old and New Testaments. Examples include “Adam & Eve: The lovable screw-ups”, and “Simon Peter: The earnest blockhead.” In each session, the group gathers to watch a funny animated video, tap their creativity for activities that involve doodling, connecting and journaling with their own workbooks and then share their thoughts and ideas in a discussion. This program is approved as a two-to-three-year pre-confirmation program in the Episcopal Church. It is designed to incorporate today’s struggles for teenage children and how they can use these lessons from the bible to help them navigate through their uncertainties.

Journey to Adulthood (J2A) – This program is for children and young adults in grades 6 through 12. It balances Bible study and prayer with both serious and playful activities to nurture the whole person during the challenging passage from childhood to adulthood. It enables young people to discover and experience the love of god and provides sacred space for teens to question, wonder and work on their relationships with God and each other.