Our youth program is currently in the rebuilding process. Our program St. Anne's youth has been Journey to Adulthood (J2A). The Journey to Adulthood is a complete youth ministry program of spiritual formation for 6th-12th grades. It encourages relational ministry and uses Bible study, prayer, rites of passage, outreach ministries, and both serious and playful activities to help cultivate Christian faith within our youth. 

There are two guiding principles of the program: 1) Manhood and womanhood are free gifts from God; and 2) Adulthood must be earned. It includes in-depth exploration of Self, Spirituality, Sexuality and Society. There are three two-year segments included in the program:

Rite-13: The first two years of the program (Grades 6-7 or 7-8) are called Rite-13, a name that comes from a liturgical rite of passage we celebrate with the young people around their 13th birthday. This rite is loosely based on the bar/bat mitzvah tradition and is a way for the entire congregation to celebrate the unique gifts and abilities of their young men and women. The Rite-13 program assists young people as they begin to take the first steps of independence from their families into their own lives. During these two years, the community acknowledges the gift of gender, celebrates the amazing creative power and potential of these young people, and creates a safe haven in which to explore new ideas, new interests and new abilities.

J2A: The next segment (Grades 8-9 or 9-10) helps teens create and understand the importance of Christian community as they develop critical thinking and other skills they will need in adulthood. This segment is called J2A an acronym for the Journey to Adulthood. It may seem a little confusing for this second phase to have the same name as the entire six-year program, but this section was the first piece developed and many young people find that the bulk of their formational work gets done in these two years. In many ways, the J2A years are the heart of the entire program. (https://www.leaderresources.org/J2A-C)