A Loving and Welcoming Community
Through inclusive community and safe spaces, we ensure an atmosphere where all children and youth can learn, grow, wonder, feel accepted, and be loved as God’s children. In supporting our diverse families, we offer a wide-range of events, activities, and opportunities to meet the needs of all ages.
Our dynamic new youth space is called “The Mountaintop.” For on the mountaintop Jesus delivers his greatest set of teachings forever shaping and transforming his followers in faith, hope and love. On the mountaintop, Moses and Elijah encounter the loving presence of the living God. The ascent and descent to the mountaintop represent a journey of spiritual growth where we seek greater vision, perspective, and self-awareness of how we can better live into healthy relationship with God, community, and creation. Through teaching, fellowship, and service we help our youth and teens attain these mountaintop experiences.
The Mountain Top
Our mountaintop program for children ages 3-12 includes a robust interactive Sunday School curriculum. Through art, music, cooking and fun experiential learning we share stories from scripture that bring lessons of love, wisdom, joy, acceptance and gratitude to life.
We explore Biblical stories within the context of God’s presence in our daily lives and examine the small and large questions these stories inspire. We encourage kindness, service, love of neighbor, spiritual growth, and respect and care for God’s good creation.
Join us on the Mountaintop during the 8:30am Morning Song Service and the 10:00 First Sunday Joint Service. Our children begin in the service with participation and a special blessing, and then they leave for their program.
The Summit
The Summit is a community of teens, who come together in fun, fellowship, mission and service. Our interactive programs are designed to be a safe place to form meaningful friendships, explore faith, grow spiritually and be in community with God, one another and creation.
This year, our youth traveled to the U.S./Mexico border to help children and families, volunteered at the Interfaith Community Shelter, and organized the Angel Giving tree to help homeless youth in our community.
We also support opportunities for our youth to attend national and regional events like the Presbyterian Triennium and youth-week at Ghost Ranch Retreat and Education Center.
Join us on the Summit, Sundays at 10:00am.
Special Opportunities for Families
Worship Participation
Our children and youth participate in worship services throughout the year in our Children’s Sermon and blessings, as readers, as Communion servers, and in collecting offerings. Each year, we have a Young Adult Sunday Service where our youth design and deliver the Sunday service and Sermon. Our children are celebrated each fall with our Blessing of the Children liturgy and with our presentation of Bibles to our fourth graders.
Service & Mission
The second Sunday of each month is our way of giving back to the community through service and mission. Our children participate in various service and mission projects throughout the year, including; assembling bagged lunches for the homeless, making Valentines for our homebound members, assembling Dignity Kits for our border ministry, trash clean-ups and helping with donations of food, clothing, books and games! Additionally, our older youth serve meals and volunteer at the Santa Fe Interfaith Shelter as well as travel to El Paso to serve and learn from our immigrant communities.
Confirmation Class
A time of exploration, questioning, learning, and growing in faith! Confirmation is one way that we honor our baptismal promises. It’s an intentional time that we set aside to explore spirituality and the great questions and traditions of our faith. Together we will seek to discover for ourselves what it means to belong to a Christian community. This class is designed for 8th graders and above to: gain a basic knowledge and understanding of the Christian Story; learn about the core beliefs, practices, and emphases of the Presbyterian Church (USA); and explore the vows that confirmands will make.
Spirituality and Hiking Series
Come join us in celebrating the beauty of God’s creation on family friendly, moderately strenuous hikes around Santa Fe. We’ll meet at the church and carpool to the trailhead. Please make sure to wear good hiking shoes, a hat, and sun protection. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water.
Spirituality of Fly Fishing
Join us on our monthly spiritual fly fishing retreats. Varying from day trips to overnight retreats, each month we will visit a different river, and have unique spiritual conversations and reflections in nature. Men, women, couples, families, and even children are encouraged to join us, as there is sure to be something meaningful for everyone.
Movie Night
How are we called toward relationship with God while living a life of social justice, inclusivity, and compassion? In a world often filled with hate and disappointment, how do we continue to love and maintain hope? How do I understand pain, suffering and trauma in my life and what does healing and wholeness look like?
Whether you are someone new looking to be in healthy community and explore life’s deeper questions or are a salty old Christian who’s been at it for years this movie series is for you!
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For more information or to volunteer: contact Jen Black, Director of our Family Ministry.