Our Children and Youth Ministries bring together parishioners, staff, and our broader community to nurture the spiritual formation of children and young people at Epiphany. We value the importance of their engagement in our parish life and support their building relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ.
We are committed to creating a place where children are loved, valued, and known.
Sunday School usually occurs on the 2nd-5th Sundays of the month (September – May) in age-level classes:
Covid Times: We will start with virtual gatherings on Sunday mornings for our 1st-5th grade classes at 11:00 am. We will do a check-in, Bible lesson, and prayer time together. Preschool-Kindergarten children are invited to watch our Children’s Sermon videos. Middle school and high school youth are invited to attend our online or in-person worship services, or join our Youth Group calls on Sunday evenings.
Elementary age children are invited to join us for our Children’s Sermon at the 8:45 am and 11:00 am services on Sundays. Children will begin in the main Church for service with their families and be invited to move to the Chapel at the beginning of the Gospel Acclamation. The Children’s Sermon will include songs, the reading of the Gospel, a short sermon, and Prayers of the People. This group will return to the Church during The Peace.
Covid Times: Currently, we offer our Children’s Sermon via YouTube videos each week. We still follow the Sunday morning Gospel reading, and end with a short craft time. Visit our video and livestream page to see weekly Children’s Sermon videos.
Our Everybody Hour formation schedule allows children and youth to learn and build community together during the 10 am hour, and to attend service with their family at 8:45 or 11:00 am.
Nursery care is available to our youngest members of the parish, typically infants through 5 year olds, from 8:30 am–12:15 pm on Sunday mornings. We have a wonderful team of staff who are committed to providing excellent care to our children.
Covid Times: We hope to be able to offer nursery care when we are in Phase 3. We will likely require temperature checks and medical release forms to be signed by parents.
Our programs are intentionally designed to welcome and embrace youth at entry point, no matter where they are in their spiritual journey. Our programming pieces have included: The Well (youth group) on Sunday evenings, monthly activities and events, Confirmation, Mission Trips, Holy Land Pilgrimages, community service opportunities and more.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Naomi Woodrum, Youth Formation Minister, at nwoodrum@epiphanyseattle.org.
Sundays, 6:00-8:00 pm | Christie House
We offer a weekly youth group, The Well, to our middle school and high school youth during the school year (Sept-May). We meet for dinner, devotions, small group discussions, games, and prayer. We combine middle school and high school for part of the night but also schedule in separate small group time as well. The intent and focus for The Well is to offer a safe place where young people can openly talk about relevant issues and topics they are faced with while discovering how God is ever-present in each moment of their lives.
Every three years, high school youth and newly graduated 8th graders are invited to be part of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It is usually a 10-day tour under the leadership of a local guide, and youth are responsible for covering their own trip expenses. Please note, A pilgrimage is not a vacation or sightseeing trip. Its focus and intent is to offer youth a way to experience the life of Jesus by walking in his footsteps. It is an opportunity for enrichment and learning. Our next pilgrimage is scheduled for June 2022.
In the years we do not have a Holy Land Pilgrimage, we will be doing summer mission trips, usually one week in duration. The destination will be decided in the fall (by the youth), and participating youth will be expected to help with three fundraisers in the spring. The focus and intent of a mission trip is for youth to have an opportunity to serve God’s people and be a light to the world. These trips allow youth to grow in their leadership skills and challenge them to step outside of their every-day comforts.
During the school year, we offer activities and events for youth, separate from Youth Group and Sunday Formation. These events could be bowling, Christian concerts, retreats, sleepovers at church, service projects, etc.
The purpose for having monthly events is to provide youth another avenue to connect and grow together.
Covid Times: The onset of Covid-19 has significantly impacted the ways we do ministry with our youth. Our plan is to mirror what our public schools are doing, and resume with regular in-person programming when all students are back to in-person learning at their schools.