The God’s Children Sing program is a branch of Musikgarten designed for young children to discover the sounds of God’s world. Through singing, dancing, and listening, our little children and their parents join our volunteer teachers, Karen Work and Emily Knorr, to explore the Friends in God’s World curriculum.

The Godly Play curriculum, taught by Pastor Daryl Nelson and Amy Newman, engages young children through story-telling of foundational Bible stories, coupled with “I wonder” statements that encourage them to think more about the stories. They also learn the basics of the sacraments and the liturgical year.

Continuing to enjoy their faith in deep and more mature ways, including a growing awareness of how God is revealed in the world around them, the Voyagers class is taught by Arianna Druckenmiller, and Kim Iacovella. They bring to light God’s Word in our children’s worlds through crafts, memorizing verses together, playing games, and more. The Voyagers class sometimes joins with other classes for special projects.

Our middle school children practice making the link between childhood and young adulthood in creative ways, seeing God’s world in unexpected ways, and newly discovering the foundations of faith with their growing skill of abstract thinking and worldly awareness. Their class is taught by Andrew Strite, Tina and Brandon Michener with online and in-person gatherings.

Our high school aged kids are walking toward adulthood and their journey of discernment with the guidance of their teachers, Rick Alderfer and Alex Dadio. One of the most important aspects of the Pilgrims Sunday School program is the preparation of the youth for their pilgrimage – both the lifelong pilgrimage of spiritual formation and faith, and the Pilgrimage trip to Salisbury, England. Our faith journey is undertaken in companionship with others; together, we ask questions, make new discoveries, learn from one another, express our doubts, serve others, and learn what it means to be part of a community of faith.

Each January, our youth grades 6-12+ are invited to attend the annual Spruce Lake youth retreat. The Spruce Lake camp in Canadensis, PA, is a beautiful campground in the Pennsylvania Poconos with several cabins and many activities for our youth and adult chaperones to enjoy. Each year our retreat is spiritually and uniquely themed, and offers our youth chances to share their stories, engage in spiritual music, create, serve one another, play games and sports, go hiking and tubing, and more! Our youth often look forward to entering 6th grade so they can participate in the retreat, and many of our college aged “Post-Pilgrims” join us during their winter break from school as well.

Our youth grades 6+ volunteer at least once a year in the kitchen at St. John’s, Norristown, to cook and serve breakfast to those who are homeless or hungry in our community. In the past, our youth of all ages have prepared Blessing Bags with support and donations from our COHS congregation to give to our friends and neighbors at the breakfast. Serving breakfast at St. Augustine is a humbling experience that all of our youth should have throughout their journey to adulthood.

Every three to four years since 2004, Holy Spirit high-school aged teens have made a pilgrimage as the apex of our Youth Christian Education program. This vibrant curriculum encourages young people to be intentional, curious, and discerning in their faith as they make the winding journey of adolescence towards healthy and engaged adulthood. An important part of this journey is undertaking a pilgrimage that allows young people the opportunity to more deeply explore and practice their evolving faith in an unfamiliar, yet hospitable, spiritual setting in the company of peers and trusted adult chaperones. Without exception, our pilgrims have found this journey to be life-changing. Five groups of COHS high-school teens have participated in the pilgrimage to Lindisfarne, England; Dublin, Ireland; Salisbury, England; and Canterbury, England (two groups).

In the Summer of 2022, the sixth group of pilgrims will travel to Salisbury, England.

The pilgrimage trip is only part of the journey, however; it is preceded by many months, even years, of spiritual, relational, and educational preparation in our Sunday School classes, special gatherings for worship and discussion, outreach projects, fundraising events, and social activities. In the months leading up to the pilgrimage, our youth learn about the history and theology of Christianity and the particular ethos of the Episcopal Church; the importance of the sacraments and sacramental living; and be supported as they ask questions, discern new ideas, and grow in their faith. This is an essential part of the pilgrimage; in fact, the pilgrimage cannot happen without faithful preparation and the development of a sense of community with the other pilgrims.

An emerging area of interest for our young people and their families is caring for creation through both personal and community actions. Our youth participate in annual clean-up events along Perkiomen Creek, assist with the care of the COHS bird and butterfly sanctuary, help to plant new trees, and learn about the environment through walks and activities on our nearly 30-acre wooded property.