Children and Youth
Jesus told His disciples to “let the little children come to Me.” That line casts a vision for Family Ministries here at Trinity and fuels our planning and programming. We simply want to obey Him and bring the children to Him. That’s why we exist! From our nursery to our kid’s classes, to our Youth Community – every child, student, and young adult is introduced to Jesus.
A rich spiritual legacy for our children
The most important thing we can do as teachers, parents, and guardians is leave our children a rich spiritual legacy. Therefore, we need to be intentional about their formation. That includes making the hard decision to get up in the morning and bring them to church, but also creating an intentional and worthwhile experience for their formation. Starting this fall, we want to introduce a full pipeline of Christian Formation from birth to high school graduation.
Stages of spiritual development
Our desire is to craft a Scope and Sequence according to the unique stages of a person's spiritual development. To put it simply, we are mapping Family Ministries into three categories: WHAT, WHY, and WHO.
WHAT refers to formation in the elementary school years. During the WHAT stage, children are particularly adept at memorization and stories. Young children learn songs and rhymes and recite facts with relative ease. Children will be introduced to the main story of the Bible and to the liturgical year. This challenges them by providing the most important and substantial subject matters for them to know and enjoy. Nursery, Godly Play, Trinity Kids Worship and Vacation Bible School (VBS) are part of the WHAT stage.
Nursery
Ages 6 mo. - 3 years
For our youngest members, we offer a fully equipped and staffed nursery from 9:45-12:15.
Godly Play
Ages: 3 - Kindergarten
During the 10 AM service, children participate in Godly Play, a Montessori-based approach that encourages children to explore faith through Biblical stories and play. Children are encouraged to wonder about the story and discover God on their own while being introduced to faith language and prayer.
Trinity Kids Worship
Ages: 1st - 5th grade
Children begin the service in the sanctuary with their family and then follow the second cross of the procession out of the church where they are led upstairs for worship. Using the award-winning Jesus Storybook Bible curriculum, children love the vivid illustrations that bring Bible stories from both the Old & New Testaments to life.
Using engaging activities, memory verses, and color handouts, they learn that every story in the Bible points to Jesus - and what that means for them! They also learn the structure of a liturgical service and the meaning of worship. Children return to their family in the sanctuary at the Peace.
Vacation Bible School
Every summer our team of amazing volunteers brings a favorite children’s book or movie to life and connects that work of literature with our call to be disciples of Christ. VBS is open for anyone ages 5 to 12.
WHY refers to formation in the middle school years. During the WHY stage, children begin to think independently and often develop a propensity for argument. They ask deeper questions and look to understand why they believe what they have been taught. Here we teach children to think and analyze critically and to argue well by arranging facts into organized statements and arguments, and by exploring the reasons behind our faith in an open environment. Trinity Kids Grow, Confir- mation, and acolyte programs are part of the WHY stage.
Trinity Kids Grow
Ages: 5th - 7th grade
Faith formation begins with the service in the sanctuary with their family and then following the second cross of the procession out of the church where they are led upstairs. Using the Alpha Youth course and the Echo the Story series, we create a space for young people to hold meaningful conversations about life, faith, and purpose by digging into deeper questions while enjoying food and snacks. Students also learn the Bible through storytelling and creativity, which empowers them to grow spiritually in community among their peers.
Confirmation
Confirmation is the sacramental rite in which the baptized Christian expresses a mature commitment to Christ, and receives strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 860). At Trinity, students in 7th Grade enter the Confirmation process.
HOW refers to formation in the high school years. During the HOW stage, young adults learn how to live and communicate the Christian life well. Once a student has obtained knowledge of the facts of Christianity (WHAT) and developed the skills necessary to understand the Christian faith (WHY), the student now develops the skill of effectively living as a Christian (HOW). Students prepare to live their faith in the outside watching world and articu- late it to others. This stage includes our Episcopal Youth Community (EYC), Confirmation, acolyte program, and Senior Conference at Cathedral Domain.
Episcopal Youth Community (EYC)
Ages: 7th - 12th grade
Trinity’s youth group serves teens in grades 7 through 12 and meets Sunday evenings from 6-8pm in the youth room located in the basement level of the church. Our fellowship together begins with supper, followed by activities and worship that encourage our youth to live out their baptismal covenant “to proclaim by word and example the Good News in Christ, to seek and serve all persons, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
Summer Camp
"The Cathedral Domain ministry is where all people are embraced, nurtured, and sustained with open acceptance in God's love."
Covering over 800 acres in the mountains of Lee County, “The Domain” is 1½ hours south of Lexington, Kentucky and adjoins the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Our facilities include a recreational pavilion, playground, activity field, pool, archery range, nature center, rock climbing and repelling stations, hiking, fishing, and much more.