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The Youth of Christ Church The Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) of Christ church is designed for students in grades 5-12, and is a place where students can grow in, and connect with, God through Christ. We deepen our relationship with our Lord, and one another, through games, theological discussion, and study, as well as enjoying fellowship as we break bread together. Whether it is Face2Face, Catalyst, Sunday school, or missions and outreach (or all of the above!), EYC is a place for being oneself in a safe, fun, and loving environment. We take trips out of town, attend Diocesan youth functions at Camp Allen, and participate in local service projects. Mission is a very important, central aspect of our EYC time together. We are blessed to have wonderful sponsors and teachers who truly care about our kids, and who give freely of their time and talents. Contact Denise Jarrett at djarrett@christchurchtyler.org or Vance Garvey at vgarvey@christchurchtyler.org with any questions on how to get involved in our wonderful programs. EYC Fish, Jr. EYC and Sr. EYC Students are broken into age-specific groups for most activities and discussions. Youth currently in 5 & 6th grades are considered “Fish,” our 7 & 8th graders are in Jr. EYC, and our 9-12th grades classify as Sr. EYC. Our programs offer a place for Christian fellowship, spiritual development, service to others and of course FUN! All students in these grades, as well as their friends, are welcome to join our fellowship time. We meet Wednesday evenings during the school year from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. on the 4th floor, and on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 12:15 – 2:30 p.m. at various locations for lunch and activities. We play games, eat, talk about our lives, share concerns and of course, pray. Come check us out or email Denise or Vance on how to become a part of this terrific community. Christian Education Sunday school begins at 10:00 am (9:00 am during summer) with snacks served for everyone. We gather as a group for songs, prayer/intercession, and a general lesson before we break off into age-specific small groups for discussion. Our 5th & 6th grade curriculum brings a "stage-specific" approach to faith formation which focuses on five areas of discipleship: Bible, God, Disciple, Church and World. This group meets in "The Pond" (their classroom) which is located on the 1st floor of the Bell Building. Our 7-12th graders meet on the 4th floor for a study designed to reveal how people of the Old Testament encountered God in amazing ways, and how their lives were drastically changed. Students see how an encounter with God will change their lives forever. We gather as a group for songs, prayer/intercession, and a general lesson before we break off into age-specific small groups for discussion. Face2Face/Catalyst During the school year the EYC Fish, Jr. EYC, and Sr. EYC meet every Wednesday evening in the Youth Room on the 4th floor for our midweek programming known as Face2Face (5 – 8th grades) and Catalyst (9-12th grades). All groups meet at 6:00 p.m., and enjoy dinner and fellowship as a group, then break into smaller, age-specific groups for discussion and games. For those in grades 5-8, our Face2Face time centers around Christian virtues and how we can help these youth “find their voice” through Christ. The 9 – 12th grade study theme is "Discipleship". Mission/ Outreach Weekly/Monthly Service Opportunities Service is a large part of our EYC community. We participate in annual and monthly service projects on a local, regional, national, and international scale. The third Saturday of each month is dedicated to local service. The Fish and Jr. EYC partner with P.A.T.H .(People Attempting to Help), and the Sr. EYC work in conjunction with Re-Habitat (of Habitat for Humanity). Our youth work at various project sites in the Tyler area, as needs are presented to our partnering organizations. Also, in the months with a fifth Thursday, all of our youth alternate serving dinner to the working poor and homeless of Tyler through Christ Church’s Loaves and Fishes ministry. Past Mission Projects In 2006, the youth of Christ Church joined a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) group from Denver to work in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana. .During Spring Break, 2007 we traveled to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi to continue aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our host was Christ Episcopal Church. In summer 2007, the Sr. EYC went to Jalonga, Dominican Republic and partnered with the national diocese of the DR to help continue construction on a community center in the village of Jalonga. The trip was an awesome experience for all those who participated. Also in summer of '07 the Jr. EYC headed to Sewanee, TN. In Sewanee, the youth partnered with Housing Sewanee, Inc. an organization of the Outreach Department of the University of the South. Since 1993, Housing Sewanee has built one home each year for a local family in need of decent housing. Approximately 80% of the work completed on the 14 homes has been done by young people ages 13-22. The youth of Christ Church began framing on this year's home. They constructed interior and exterior support structures such as headers, T's and corners. Summer of 2008 Sr. High EYC traveled to the Windy City of Chicago for a week long urban mission project. We worked with worldwide mission organization, YouthWorks, who partners with in-place nonprofits and religious organizations to make a serious difference in the lives of the people of inner city Chicago. We worked in two separate low income neighborhoods remodeling a church office, planting a garden, hosting Vacation Bible School, and playing with kids in the Roberto Clemente Community Center. It was an awesome week of service and sacrifice. Not to mention we also took in some of the best Chicago sites, sounds and flavors! Senior EYC once again partnered with Youthworks! in the summer of 2009 to serve in missions in San Francisco. We spent a week working with children in various inner city programs, serving in a food pantry for the terminally ill, helping out at the San Francisco Food Bank, and serving those who are less fortunate in an inner city soup kitchen. The week was also an amazing time for our group as we learned more about ourselves as individuals and who we are as a group. The Holy Spirit was amazingly present as he touched the life of every student who was blessed to be a part of this amazing opportunity. Houston Urban Adventure, 2010: Christ Church youth and friends in 5th and 6th grades went to Christ Church Cathedral, Houston to learn about the needs of urban homeless. In July, 2010 we held a Tyler Mission week here in Tyler, where our youth donated 583 hours of community service! Summer, 2011 June 10-12, the EYC Fish, in grades 5-6 went to Houston and assisted Christ Church Cathedral at their homeless shelter and helped an AIDS Hospice Center re-work their flower gardens. Also in June, for the second year in a row, our youth sponsored Tyler Mission Week, where they donated 661 hours of service to those in our community. In July, the Jr. EYC, grades 7-8 took a Mission Trip to St. Vincent's House in Galveston helping with the children in their daycare center as well as painting around the campus. The Sr. EYC, grades 9-12 took a Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic at the end of July, where the youth worked on a building project at an Episcopal church in Jalonga.
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