Youth Ministries

Welcome

Welcome to St. Alban’s Church! Every Sunday, and most days in between, people gather in this place to worship, to learn, to grow, to share the joys and struggles of our lives, and to seek God’s grace in the midst of our lives. We do not come because we have it all figured out, but because we are seeking light on the way. We come as we are and welcome one another.

On this website, you can find information about our worship, our classes for people of all ages, membership at St. Alban's, and about how we seek to make a difference in this world. We warmly encourage you to join us for a Sunday service or for some of the many other events that happen here. You belong at St. Alban’s.

Please fill out this welcome form to connect with us.

Directions

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church is located next to the Washington National Cathedral at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest section of the District of Columbia.

From either direction on the north loop of the Capital Beltway/I-495 follow signs for Route 355/Wisconsin Ave south toward DC. St. Alban’s is located on the left just before the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Make a left onto Lych Gate Rd before you reach Massachusetts Ave. As you enter the drive, the church will be on your left and Satterlee Hall and the Rectory on the right. Stay on Lych Gate until it becomes Pilgrim Rd.

From any Virginia main in-bound thoroughfare (George Washington Memorial Parkway, I-395, Route 50, I-66), follow signs to Rosslyn and take the Key Bridge from Rosslyn north across the Potomac River into Georgetown. Go right on M St, left on Wisconsin Ave. St. Alban’s is located on the right just after the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Make a right onto Lych Gate Rd after passing Massachusetts. As you enter the drive, the church will be on your left and Satterlee Hall and the Rectory on the right. Stay on Lych Gate until it becomes Pilgrim Rd.

Parking is available on Pilgrim Road Monday-Friday after 3:30 pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking is also available in the Cathedral’s underground garage for a fee Monday- Saturday and for free on Sunday. You may also park on neighborhood streets according to DC parking signs.

For Your Kids

At St. Alban’s Parish the formation of our children is a high priority. While we know that a significant amount of a child’s faith comes from the home, we aim to provide excellent children’s formation throughout the year to complement the formation that is ongoing in a child’s life. Our goal is to help children easily point to the love of God in their lives.

Worship: Children’s Chapel meets at the start of the 9:00 a.m. service in Nourse Hall. Children join the congregation in "big church" at the Peace, in time for Eucharist.

Education: All church school classes resume the Sunday after Labor Day with our annual Open House. Instruction starts the following Sunday.

Nursery care: Child care is available from 9:00 to 11:05 a.m. during the program year (September to May) for infants and children under 3 who aren’t quite ready for our 2s & 3s class.

Learn more about Children's Ministries

Youth Ministry

Four teen groups participate in formation classes at St. Alban’s on Sunday mornings. We use the nationally recognized Episcopal curriculum “Journey to Adulthood," or J2A. J2A has two guiding principles: 1) Manhood and womanhood are gifts of God; and 2) Adulthood must be earned. This is a strong program with over 50 youth participating, many of whom engage in a wide variety of ministries at St. Alban’s. Two or three adults mentor each of the groups for two years, sharing their own faith journeys and forming strong bonds of fellowship with the participants.

Worship: St. Alban’s Teen Service Fellowship starts at 9:00 a.m. and is a separate service just for our teens held in the Little Sanctuary at St. Albans School. This interactive service offers teens time to talk about life, the Gospel, and to celebrate Eucharist together. The teens return to "big church," before heading to their classes at the conclusion of the 9:00 a.m. worship service. Friends are always welcome.

Learn more about Youth Ministries

The Episcopal Church

As Episcopalians, we follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe God is active in our everyday lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and with each other in Christ. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the gospel, and promotes justice, peace and love. The Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all of its members.

We uphold the Bible and worship with the Book of Common Prayer. We believe the Holy Scriptures are the revealed Word of God. In worship we unite ourselves with one another to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God's Word, to offer prayer and praise, and to celebrate the Sacraments. The Celebration of Holy Eucharist is the central act of worship in accordance with Jesus' command to His disciples. Holy Communion may be received by all baptized Christians, not only members of the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion with 70 million members in 165 countries. The word "Episcopal" refers to government by bishops. The historic episcopate continues the work of the first apostles in the Church, guarding the faith, unity and discipline of the Church. Both men and women, including those who are married, are eligible for ordination as deacons, priests and bishops.

We strive to love our neighbors as ourselves and respect the dignity of every person. We welcome all to find a spiritual home in the Episcopal Church.

Registration for all Youth Groups

Online Registration for the 2020-2021 Program Year for all four youth groups (grades 6-12) can be found here. Please complete a separate form for each youth being enrolled. Thanks!

Education

All Youth Groups meet immediately following the 9:00 a.m. service until 11:15 a.m.

Youth Group Class Locations:

Class Name	Grade	Room Name	Location
Rite 13	6th-7th	Phoebe Nourse	Rectory, Lower Level
J2A Group	8th-9th	St. Patrick	Rectory, Upper Level
Sr. Youth	10th-11th	St. Columba	Rectory, Upper Level
12th Grade	12th		Rectory

Rite 13

The first two years of the Journey to Adulthood program (Grades 6 & 7) celebrate the individual gifts and abilities of each young person and their creative potential. Students build a strong foundation of faith in a supportive community of their peers while exploring biblical stories. Learn more about the Rite 13 Group.

J2A

Following Rite 13, teens in the J2A class continue to develop skills they will need in adulthood. These include active listening, assertion, negotiation, partnership and leadership in Christian community. Learn more about the J2A Group.

Senior Youth Group

The Senior Youth Group moves the conversations started in Rite 13 and fostered and developed in J2A toward application of the Christian faith in one’s daily life. Learn more about Senior Youth Group.

12th Grade Youth Group

This special class, solely for seniors in high school, focuses exclusively on analyzing current events through the lens of our Christian faith. Conversations are led by the group and cover any number of current topics. This is a critical year for many who are preparing to attend college in the coming fall, and examining their faith with their peers and the adult mentors continues their formation as Christians about to go out into the world. For more information about 12th Grade Youth Group please contact the Rev'd Yoimel Gonzalez Hernandez.

Youth in Service

Youth at St. Alban’s have many opportunities to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, both here at St. Alban's as ushers, acolytes, lay readers and singers, as well as more broadly in the DC area and in our region. Programs like the Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol and St. Timothy's Episcopal Outreach Center in Kentucky help address the chronic issues of homelessness, hunger and substandard housing. Friends are always welcome to these events. Our youth rank both Grate Patrol and their mission trip as two of the key ways they put their faith into action.

Grate Patrol

For over a decade St. Alban's youth have participated in Grate Patrol. One of our youth groups participates each month in rotation, meeting on the 2^nd Friday of each month from September to June. We distribute the food we’ve prepared and often other items that have been collected. We put the food directly in the hands of the homeless of our nation’s capital. The connection to our baptismal covenant is made real over and over again. Learn more about Youth Grate Patrol.

Youth Mission Trip

This week-long annual mission trip takes youth ages 14-18 and their adult mentors to locations in rural Appalachia to repair homes in some of the poorest counties in our country. Working with St. Timothy's Episcopal Outreach Center in Kentucky, St. Alban's youth and adults repair homes and get to know the people of Estill County.

The mission trip is typically scheduled for the third week in June. Learn more about it here. For additional information, contact the Rev'd Yoimel Gonzalez Hernandez.