Journey
to Adulthood
| What's
the matter with kids today?
They go
through a rigorous confirmation program then leave the church at
the time of the most profound changes in their lives.
They are
bombarded with ideas and books and images and questions from a secular
popular culture that does not speak to them the words of faith,
humility and obedience.
They come
back, eventually--when they marry; to baptize their children.
Questioning
their faith is good for them, isn't it?
There's
something wrong with this picture.
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Journey
to Adulthood was created 20 years ago by a concerned group of parents
in North Carolina because they didn't like this picture, at all.
They felt that getting kids confirmed then letting them go wasn't
working. Instead, they created a program that welcomes young people
back into God's temple and assures them that we will be with them
for as long as it takes to find the truth of God in Christ Jesus--together.
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Confirmation is not,
nor was it intended to be, a coming-of-age ritual.
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There are two "givens"
in the J2A program:
- Manhood and womanhood are free gifts from God.
- Adulthood must be earned.
What does it mean to "be
a man" or "be a woman?"
The aim of this program
is to channel the power of procreative energy responsibly:
work for justice; build for peace; stand side-by-side and join hands
for meaningful and purposeful work. To show the teens how to become
adults--something more than just being a man or a woman. Adulthood
is the status awarded by the community for attaining the basic skills
and commitments necessary to take responsibility for yourself and
those whom God sets in your path. |
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There are three
segments in the program:
| Rite 13 |
Celebrates the gift of gender and provides a foundation
for the rest of the program. Turning 13 is celebrated in the church
with a service loosely modeled on the Jewish bar mitzvah.
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| J2A
Journey to Adulthood |
Trains
in the six necessary skills of adulthood:
- listening
- assertion
- negotiation
- research and information management
- partnership
- leadership.
Teens learn to take responsibility
by recognizing and owning roles and their responsibilities. This
program segment ends with a pilgrimage. |
| YAC
Young Adults in the Church |
Provides practice with the newly-acquired skills in
the context of a supportive parish community. The young adults, no
longer led, are assisted in running their own program. |
The curriculum
looks to develop aspects of a whole person: self, society, sexuality,
and spirituality.
Each aspect is
covered in depth in light of the Gospel to stenghthen, encourage, heal,
correct and
and empower the
reality of young people's lives by the life and wisdom of Jesus Christ.
Epiphany's program
started with it's first Rite 13 class in the Fall of 2004. The current
Rite13 adult leaders are Anthony DeRose, Donna Hall, and Marsha Pulhamus.
Currently both
the J2A and Rite 13 classes are in progress and the 3rd segment of the
program, YAC, will begin in the fall of 2008. Newcomers to the Rite 13
class are welcome at any time. Please contact any of the adulst leaders
listed on this page. Current J2A leaders are Susan Gaskill, Heidi McGrath,
Don Metzinger, and Steve Mancini.
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