There are two teachers for every class with additional volunteers to lend a hand when needed. Our teachers' commitment to bringing children closer to the knowledge and love of Christ is the cornerstone of St. John's Sunday School Program.
In addition to classes, there are scheduled activities which typically include an Epiphany Pageant, and the end-of-year beach picnic. All children are invited to be part of Sunday School and parents are encouraged to enroll them.
Children’s Holy Communion Class (First Communion)
The course consists of eight classes beginning at the end of January through Lent. Team-taught by two Lay Volunteer teachers with Fr. Shin it offers a comprehensive curriculum covering the sacrament of Baptism, Exodus, the Last Supper, Passover traditions, a tour of the Sacristy, learning how to set the altar table, a focus on the Eucharist portion of the service, a mock Thanksgiving feast with lessons on why people eat together and baking the Communion bread (the favorite activity of the children).
The children also write their own mini Collects and a part of the Eucharistic Preface, and Fr. Shin combines the Collects into the First Communion service on the Second Sunday of Easter. Other highlights of the service for the children included the solemn procession to the Baptismal font where they are blessed with holy water, sitting in the choir with their teachers and going up to the communion rail to receive as a group. Following the service, as is the custom at St. John’s, the entire parish celebrates the occasion with a congratulatory cake for the candidates.
Vacation Bible School
For a week in the summer (usually in August) St. John’s hosts Vacation Bible School. The volunteer staff selects a program, generally from Group Publishing, as the 2011 “Pandamania: God is Wild about You” and many other volunteers (parishioners, Sunday School and Nursery School teachers and parents, returning college students, high school students and other friends of St. John’s) assist them in decorating the Great Hall around the theme, staffing the activity stations during VBS, preparing and serving the snacks and any other help needed to carry it all off.
During the week itself, the adults have as much fun as the children as they lead them in singing, lessons, crafts and other activities related to the Christian story. These various volunteers are what make the program come alive for the VBS children, and volunteers are ALWAYS needed. High school students are especially encouraged to participate and receive Community Service hours for their time.
Youth Confirmation
The usual age for the Youth Confirmation at St. John’s is 14 of age or older. The student are required to attend all the classes and are expected to attend the worship service regularly and to serve as Acolytes, training for which generally begins in October. They are required to attend all classes. The classes begin in November and consist of about 20 sessions.Students are also required to participate in the Diocesan Youth Retreat, Teens Encounter Christ, in February and to take part in service projects in the church and in the community. They are required to take part in service projects in the church and in the community. The Confirmation Service is usually held in May in the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, however sometimes the Bishop's schedules Confirmation according to his scheduled visitations to one or several of the churches in the Diocese.
Youth Group
The mission of the Youth Group, grades 7-12, is to build relationships with each other, with their leaders, with their community and with God. We seek to guide the young members as they begin to participate in the life of the church.
Most Sunday evenings during the school year, students meet in a supportive, relaxed environment to enjoy fellowship or provide a service to St. John’s or the community or community. Social activities include sporting events (ski trips, bowling, miniature golf, and softball), sleepovers at the church, movies and an end-of-the-year picnic. Service activities include clean-up following the annual Harvest Fair, Christmas carolling to shut-ins, hosting a Lenten supper, organizing the annual “Souper Bowl” fundraiser to combat hunger in community organizations in Huntington, joining in selected Diocesan Youth Programs and a youth-led Mother’s Day service with the youth ushering, reading and preaching.
Fund raising events include a Plant Sale in May and a Wreath Sale in December, with proceeds going to defray the cost of trips and activities. In addition to trips in recent years to Germany, Bermuda and Colorado geared to give our youths the experience of helping others, developing new relationships and exploring the rich history of the Church, our youth visited Costa Rica for an 8-day adventure in early 2012 that combined spending time and working with the native Bribri culture, eco-education and just plain fun. St. John’s also sends Youth Delegates to the Diocesan Convention to further their integration into the life of the Church. In 2011 and continuing into 2012 we have had between 25 and 30 members in the Youth Group.
Kids' Club
Resuming in 2011 after a brief hiatus, Kids’ Club is the junior counterpart to the Youth Group. Open to 1st through 6th graders, it provides our youngest members a Christian environment for fellowship and fun as well as social awareness and service.
An evening at Hogwarts School of Magic (a/k/a The St. John’s Great Hall in Harry Potter guise) kicked off the revitalized Kids’ Club on October 1 and a Pumpkin and Mum sale followed during the early weeks of October..
Meetings have not yet become regular, although monthly meeting are planned around fun activities mixed in with work activities. Examples are the Pizza party and a Movie night in November 2011. Among its community projects, Kids' Club sponsored a Coat Drive in conjunction with the larger Long Island Cares Drive from November 13 through December 4, 2011.The leaders are investigating the logistics of taking the children to volunteer at a Soup Kitchen and other appropriate community work projects that foster the Kids’ Club mission of raising funds and needed items to benefit charities that help children and families right here on Long Island. These projects are intended to help round out the children’s experience.
Attendance at the first few meetings has been about a dozen children. The children are encouraged to bring along their friends from school and other nearby churches, inviting them to join in the fun times and in carrying out the broader mission beyond the doors of St. John’s to help less fortunate children and families in their midst.
