YOUNG PEOPLE’S REPORT

Sunday School
(ages 3 to 10)

2009 was a successful year for our Sunday School. We started out with fifteen children, and although in September three children moved up to Rite 13, we still have a group of twelve exuberant children who attend fairly regulary. Until September we had four teachers: Louise Finlayson, Doug McLean, Kathy Thornton and me, ably assisted by Cassidy Scott. In September, Cassidy left us to take over Rite 13, but happily the number of teachers expanded to eleven, as we were joined by Frances Fagan, Kathy Van Allen, Alice Bush, Wendy White, Gill Leakey, Anna Morgan and Donna Shultz. This has been a wonderful opportunity for the children to enjoy a wide variety of activities organized by committed and caring teachers, all of whom have done a stellar job of sharing their faith and knowledge.

Every month Holy Trinity has a Kids’ Day in which the children greet parishioners at the door, read or act out the lesson, or put on a performance. Some of these Kids’ Days have been quite memorable: parishioners may remember the ‘Green Quiz’ led by our celebrated quiz master, Janice Lowell, as well as the spirited production by the children and youth to honour St. Francis, and the lively presentation on All Saints’ Day when the children dressed up and each represented a different saint.

In the spring, we decided to collect money for a charity, ‘Heifer International’, which works to help families in impoverished areas of the world to become self-sufficient. Initially we hoped to collect enough money to purchase one goat for $120, but the children’’s enthusiasm was hard to resist as they circulated during coffee hour with their collection tin. The generosity of Holy Trinity parishioners resulted in the final tally being sufficient to buy not one but several goats.

The Sunday School also participated in the ‘greening of the parish’ activities, and we dedicated a number of Sundays to ‘green’ topics to increase children’s awareness of the need to take care of our environment. On Mother’s Day the children had a gloriously messy time, when we went out to the garden and planted flowering plants in small pots to give to the children’s mothers. In June, Father’s Day coincided with the summer Food Bank Drive, and the children helped take in the donations of groceries and money and place them around the altar.

On the last day of Sunday School in December, Rite 13 hosted a party for the Sunday School, with stations such as making Christmas cards and writing letters to Santa, followed by an abundance of treats. The Sunday School pageant on Christmas Eve was another opportunity for the children to participate in church, and they did an outstanding job to help make the multigenerational pageant a success.
Thanks to all who helped out in the Sunday School this year.

Respectfully submitted,
Veronica Wright

Rite 13/Journey to Adulthood

Journey to Adulthood is 6 years of spiritual formation for youth that ....

• provides a liturgical framework for the teenage experience of modern culture.
• celebrates young people’s individuality and their creative potential.
• offers training in some basic life skills needed for adult living and interaction.

The program falls into 3 distinct phases, each of which is 2 years in length. Rite 13, J2A (Journey to Adulthood) and YAC (Young Adults in the Church). We currently have 3 young people in our Rite 13 phase under the direction of Cassidy Scott. The J2A program has 7 youth taught by me.

Fundraising
We had 2 bake sales this year which raised $278.36 We also “cleaned the attic” and had a garage sale with the items and raised $300.00.

Donations
The group donated $200.00 to our Foster Child Lydia.
The proceeds from the garage sale ($300.00) were given to the Green Team towards greening our parish.

Events
In June we had a movie night with the Rev. Janice Lowell. There was lots of laughter and much candy consumed!

In November an Italian feast was cooked and served by the group to parents, priests and grandparents. It was an evening full of fun and fellowship.

Classroom The J2A created a wall mural for their classroom depicting the creation story.

The program continues to grow and I continue to be inspired by these thoughtful and intelligent children. They keep me on my toes!

Respectfully submitted,
Janet Scott