Rites of Passage is a course specially designed for seniors in high school to help equip and encourage them for the paths that lie ahead upon graduation. We believe that, as do most societies, that there is a certain point in time when young people are granted ‘passage’ into adulthood. In American society that time is graduation from high school, ergo we want to recognize and emphasize proudly the hard work and perseverance they put in during this long awaited but often scary moment in time.
We want to target this specific age group of young people and supply them with some tools to make great next step decisions in the arenas of: developing or sustaining a faith of their own as they leave the ‘nest’, strategies for being successful in college, military or other schooling/the work force upon leaving high school, contributing positively to society, building successful marriages, raising godly children, living outward/others focused lives and more. We have all the students complete a ’5, 10, 20 & 50 Year Life Plan’ that helps them to have measurable goals they can pursue in their lives and look back upon to see if they’ve stayed the course down the road.
We are here to shower the students with love, support and wisdom during their Jr. high and high school years and want to give them a double portion during this event! We will conclude the event with a semi-formal dress ceremony of blessing. There is a tasty dinner catered by Cascone’s Italian Restaurant for the graduates and their immediate families, grandparents and closest friends. We follow this with a ‘Rite’ in the main auditorium with a presentation of parental blessings, gifts, a special speaker and prayer. This portion of the ceremony is open to all church members, family and friends. Please join us upon this monumentous occasion in blessing and releasing our young people into the rest of their lives- adulthood!