Christian Formation

We welcome you and your children to St. Stephen’s! Our Christian Formation Program for children includes educational, spiritual, and community-building offerings based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is our privilege to offer children their initial opportunity to step onto the path of faith and to provide their parents and other adults with a thoughtful palette of study, discussion and education. Our hope is for all to experience St. Stephen’s as their church home - a place where they belong.

Please take a look at our Newcomer's Guide to the Episcopal Church,

Christian Education

Christian Education at St. Stephen’s offers opportunities for all members of the Church and Community to learn and share their faith experiences. Currently, programs are offered for all ages.

Sunday morning offerings include adult forums and educational offerings for children and youth from 9:00 A.M. until 9:50 A.M.

This year our church school classes, pre-school through fifth grade, will be using a program called The Episcopal Children’s Curriculum. This curriculum is designed specifically for use in Episcopal churches and provides a wonderful learning opportunity for our children. This program aims at giving children a strong background in Scriptures, as well as what it means to be an Episcopalian.

About Rite 13

The Journey to Adulthood Program was developed over a ten-year period by parishioners of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina. After many years of unsuccessful youth ministry, their frustration led them to develop something different. The program has taken off and is now offered in over 1500 Episcopal congregations across the country.

The Journey to Adulthood Program is a six year program of spiritual formation. Christian formation is a lifelong process; this program gives young people a firm foundation on which to build. The program falls into three distinct phases, each of which is two years long: Rite 13, J2A (Journey to Adulthood), YAC (Young Adults in the Church).

From time to time, St. Stephen’s starts a Rite 13 Group for our young people in grades 6, 7 and 8. The Rite 13 program assists young people as they take their first steps of passage away from their families and into their own lives. The two years of Rite 13 are fun! Youth play a lot of games, laugh a lot, and learn a lot. A lot of time is devoted to the great stories of the Bible and their validity today. Among other things, the Rite 13 group deals with prayer and the ways we see and encounter God. Perhaps more than anything else, all activities are geared to build community, to establish trust and safety, to remind young people again and again that this is their church, and that they are safe and welcome within it.