Service + Hospitality + Justice
HIGH SCHOOL
FAIth formation
For more than thirty years, students in Grades 9-12 have gathered for supper and faith exploration on Wednesday nights from 6:00-7:30 p.m. during the school year. Every family with participating high school youth takes turns each week preparing and serving a meal for Wednesday School. We eat family style, practicing hospitality as we break bread and serve one another. After dinner, we form three classes: freshmen, sophomores (Confirmation Class), and juniors/seniors. Adult teachers facilitate activities and engage students in conversation designed to nurture and explore their faith. Exposure to Christian spiritual practices enables young disciples to strengthen moral development and inform personal decision making. Wednesday School classes often integrate real life experiences with spirituality, leaving space to meet youth where they are. At Wednesday School, we are committed to creating a community that is welcoming and safe for all youth.
GRADE 9
Some youth have “grown up” at South Church. For some, the 9th grade Wednesday School class is their introduction to South Church. Still others come, often because of their friends, in later years. The focus for the 9th grade is on feeling welcomed and accepted, and on the youth building community for each other within a Christian setting. Youth are helped to feel confident to take risks in voicing their thoughts. They begin to trust and support one another. Activities are linked to questions and discussion regarding faith and Christian practices, scripture, rituals, and beliefs. The church becomes a spiritual home for them.
Rev. Melissa Spindler-Smith, our Associate Minister, leads our 9th grade class, providing spiritual guidance and an awesome start to their freshman year.
gRADE 11 & 12
We consider the post confirmation youth to be young adults continuing their faith journey and exploring how to live into their beliefs as they prepare to enter college or other post high school pursuits. We covenant with each other, allowing for a safe space for open dialogue and inclusion. This is a safe environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We strive to build a sense of trust: trust in their peers, trust in their Wednesday School teachers, and trust in their church and God.
Group discussions explore issues of social justice taking cues from the youth as they grapple with current issues that are on their hearts and minds. They are encouraged to embrace their God-given uniqueness and to cultivate a strong sense of self-worth. It is our hope that upon graduating from this program, these young adults leave with the tools of empathy, valuing themselves, each other, and their potential to make a difference in the world.
Paul DeMaio leads our grade 11 and 12 class. Students have an opportunity to explore what it means to be disciples in the world as young adults, knowing they are loved for exactly who they are.
Grade 10
CONFIRMATION PROGRAM
Confirmation at South Church is a matter of sophomores wrestling with their pressing theological questions with support from their peers and Faith Guides. Youth are paired up with sponsors who mentor them and introduce them to the mission and ministry of the church. The Confirmation Faith Guides create a safe environment where the mysteries of faith can be explored collaboratively. Youth gain and share insights into the dynamics of community, their connection with the world around them, and the difference it can make when one believes in God. The Life Map exercise allows participants to see the intersection of their own story with God’s story, thus affirming the sacredness of their own lives. The Spring Retreat prepares confirmands to write a personal statement of faith. Beginning the Confirmation year in September, the youth complete the curriculum in June as young adults responsible for their own spiritual journey.
Rev. Jeffrey Braun, Senior Minister, leads the grade 10 confirmation class inviting them to ponder their own personal faith journeys. With the guidance of Rev. Braun and lay teachers, students experience what it means to wrestle with the angels.
