Sunday School - Journey to Adulthood
Journey to Adulthood is a holistic curriculum that tries to deal with what is real for young people. It provides a scriptural, spiritual, and liturgical framework for youth to be strengthened, encouraged, healed, and empowered by the life and wisdom of Jesus Christ. The Journey to Adulthood is a six year program covering Spirituality, Social Responsibility, Self Awareness and Sexuality. Christ Church uses this Sunday School curriculum for our 7th - 12th graders.

7th and 8th grade Rite-13
7th and 8th grade Rite-13 (a name based on a liturgical celebration integral to the program) celebrates the gift of manhood and womanhood and provides a foundation for the remainder of the program. The two years of Rite-13 begin in 7th grade when the young people are close to their 13th birthdays. There is a special liturgy for them which is celebrated in the church with a service that is loosely modeled after the Jewish bar mitzvah. In this ceremony the young people are charged with the responsibility to use wisely the power given to them at puberty. A portion of Psalm 139 is read, a prayer for parents is read as they watch their children on this journey from child to adult, and wait for their return as adults and friends. A charge to the peers of the Rite-13 class and to the congregation follows asking for their support as the youth are on this journey.

During the second year of Rite-13, in 8th grade, the youth are invited to go through the confirmation process in addition to the continuation of the Rite-13 curriculum. To learn more about Youth Confirmation at Christ Church contact The Rev. John Porter-Acee at porter-aceej@christchurchcharlotte.org or 704-714-6946. These two years incorporate fun, laughter, games, service and learning. A lot of time is spent reading great stories of Holy Scripture and exploring their validity today. We focus on prayer and other ways we see and encounter God. Probably more than anything else, our activities are geared to build this community, to establish trust and safety, and to remind the young people that this is their church and they belong here!

9th and 10th grade J2A (Journey to Adulthood)
9th and 10th grade J2A (Journey to Adulthood) builds on Rite-13 by training young people in six necessary skills of adulthood: Listening, Assertion, Negotiation, Research, Information Management, Partnership and Leadership. In J2A the young people begin to explore what different roles they assume in their community. Do they play the part of teacher, servant, comforter, or facilitator? Whatever their role, they explore how they can learn from it. They begin the work of knowing themselves and how they relate to society and to God.

At the end of the two years of J2A the young people make a holy pilgrimage. The pilgrimage is not a sight-seeing expedition, nor a mission trip or a service opportunity. It is a time set aside to seek Christ and to find Christ both in the world and within. Our pilgrims have gone as far away as Italy, Greece, France, and England, as well as traveling to Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska. It doesn't matter where they go as long as they go in search of their own encounter with Jesus Christ. These young adults are stepping out of their boxes and into unknown territory. They are hoping to grow in faith and in their church community. It is expected that when they return they will take a role in their community of faith that allows them to enact the ample opportunity they have had to develop so many skills.

11th and 12th grade YAC (Young Adults in the Church)
11th and 12th grade YAC (Young Adults in the Church) builds on the previous years of the program by enabling young people to practice their newly-acquired skills in the context of the parish community. The YAC program consists of 11th and 12th graders, many of which have returned from pilgrimage. They are in charge of their own Sunday school program. Advisors are there to assist them, but the Youth lead their own class based on the topics that they identify as being important and relevant to their journey as Christians. They sign up to bring in a topic, research it, present it, and lead the discussion. Like the adults of the church the YAC class participates in service projects, outreach, and ministry within the church and in the community.

Internet Security And Youth
Did you miss our cyber security expert? The Youth Department recognizes that one of the best things we can do to strengthen the faith of our youth is to support and empower the parents of our youth. That's why we asked Former White House Chief Information Officer and current Cyber Consultant, Theresa Payton, to teach a Sunday School class on cyber security. If you missed this opportunity to keep your child's information safe, we've got a back-up plan for you. You can watch Theresa's class online or you can flip through her slides. You and your child can watch together and maybe even get on the same page as you listen to the same conversation. You'd be amazed by what our youth are putting out there!