The Youth of Christ Church
The Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) of Christ Church is for everyone in grades 5 through 12. EYC is a place where kids grow in their relationship with God through Christ. We have fun, play games and break bread together. EYC Fish and Jr. and Sr. EYC, grades 5 through 12, meet every Wednesday evening in the Parish Hall. Jr. EYC meets beginning at 6:00 p.m., and Sr. EYC meets beginning at 7:00 p.m., and dinner is served. Discussion during EYC centers on what is relative to the kids such as their school day, their friends, and social and political events. The overriding question is always ‘Where is God in this’? Scavenger hunts, trips to the State Fair, the Global Village at Heifer International in Perryville, AR and other great places are all part of the fun of EYC.

Christian Education
Sunday school begins at 10:00 a.m. Christ Church uses a combined curriculum of the Journey to Adulthood (J2A) program and the Episcopal Curriculum for Youth. The middle school class, grades 6 - 8, meet downstairs in the Power and Glory classroom. The 9th-12th grade class meets upstairs in Vance Garvey's office. The Journey to Adulthood program was developed at St. Philips Episcopal Church in Durham, N. C. in 1984. It has three components based on two guiding principles.

• Manhood and Womanhood are free gifts from God.
• Adulthood must be earned.

The first component is Rite 13 for students anywhere from to ages to 11 to 13 years old. The component’s name Rite 13 is derived from the liturgical celebration integral to the program loosely modeled on the Jewish bar mitzvah. We study Holy Scripture, explore various forms of prayer and play lots of games! All activities are geared to establish trust and safety in the community.

The second component is J2A. The goal is to celebrate the transition from youth to adulthood and to train youth in the skills of adulthood of listening, assertion, negotiation, research and information management, partnership and leadership. Students in J2A are around the ages of 14 to 16. At the end of this component, the J2A group will make a religious pilgrimage.

The third component is the Young Adults in Church (YAC). These students have returned from the pilgrimage and are encouraged to take ownership in the life of the parish. They are encouraged to actively participate in church through their time and talents as well as nurture their individual spiritual development through scripture, reason and tradition.

Service Opportunities
Service is a large part of EYC and Sunday school. Once a month, the senior high Sunday school class delivers “brown bags” of groceries to people living on limited incomes. In months with a fifth Thursday, the youth of all ages serve dinner to the working poor and homeless of Tyler in our Loaves & Fishes ministry. In December, the EYC assists the Rose City Kiwanis Club in sorting food for distribution at Christmas to the needy families in Tyler and by ringing bells for the Salvation Army.

Mission & Outreach
Mission is a part of every summer. For information on mission trips, please click here.

Everyone is Welcome!
Again, everyone in grades 6 through 12 is welcomed and encouraged to participate in the youth program of Christ Church. Whether it is EYC, Sunday school (or both!), it is a place for being oneself in a safe, fun and loving environment. We have wonderful sponsors and teachers who truly care about our kids and who give freely of their time and talents. Please contact Bobbie Schroeder at bschroeder@christchurchtyler.org or Vance Garvey at vgarvey@christchurchtyler.org with any questions on how to get involved with our wonderful youth!