Our youth range from 6th to 12th grade and attend schools all around Winchester, Arlington, Lexington, Woburn, and surrounding areas. Some love basketball and others love Dungeons & Dragons. Some are neurodivergent and others are neurotypical. Some love to talk, while others are content drawing in their journal in the corner. Some love books and shows about fantasy while others prefer fantasy football.
All are welcome. We laugh together, pray together, and eat together. We think church is one of those rare spaces where we learn to be in community together across perceived boundaries or differences. All are welcome at the table, whether that be the Eucharist table at church on Sundays or the dinner table on a Wednesday night at Youth Faith Circle. We love all our tweens and teens and want to be a space that provides acceptance so that they can bring their full selves to church, to our community, and in our world. For youth formation, we provide a variety of opportunities such as shared meals, movie nights, game nights, community volunteering, or playing sports/games, knowing tweens and teens will prefer some events over others.
Together, we learn to embody God’s vision of community here on earth. We don’t always get it right, but we commit to showing up and working to bring out the best in each other as a way to live out our faith. We are always excited to welcome someone new into our community! Please contact Rev. Janelle Hiroshige for more information.
Youth Faith Circle
Our Youth Faith Circle is a small group opportunity for youth in grades 6-12 to gather for dinner and time together on second and fourth (non-Midweek) Wednesdays from 6:15-7:30 pm. Youth are invited for community, intentional faith formation, and caring adult leadership. The Youth Faith Circle is hosted by parishioners in their homes.
Showing Up In Our Community
A big component of youth formation at Epiphany is offering opportunities for our youth to show up in their community in acts of justice and compassion. Every other month, we help provide food and share it at The Dwelling Place, a soup kitchen in Woburn. We also volunteer at The Malden Warming Center, which offers overnight housing for guests during the cold winter months. Every fall, we collaborate with the youth at Temple Shir Tikvah to cook meals for The Dwelling Place. There are many opportunities for tweens and teens to live out their faith in this way.
Having Fun Together
Our youth are often overwhelmed with activities and pressures they receive at school. It is important to us that we also provide opportunities for our youth to have fun and get to be kids! Play is also part of formation, and we do this by going on outings together and having events that are for fun and community-building.
Confirmation
Every spring we invite our youth who are 10th grade or older to join us for Confirmation classes. According to the Book of Common Prayer, “Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.” This is a special time when our students get to take intentional time to reflect on their faith journey and what kind of person they want to be in the world. Confirmation classes are taught by our clergy and guests.
Youth Trips
Trips are a powerful way to build community and have transformational experiences. As a youth group, we have gone on hiking trips in the mountains of New Hampshire and a service trip to New Haven, CT to volunteer with local non-profits.
The Reverend Janelle Hiroshige
Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships
Meet The Reverend Janelle
Janelle works with our youth and community partnerships. You can ask her about anything youth (6th-12th grade), young adult (20s and 30s), or social justice related. If you would like to volunteer in the community or get connected to our Journey to Justice community, she is the person to ask! She is also available for pastoral care needs, is always interested in connecting with non-profits in the area, and would be glad to grab coffee with you.