Director of Children & Youth Ministries for St. Peter’s, Essex Fells
Reports to: The Rector
Position Summary: The Part-time Director of Children & Youth Ministry at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will most often be the first point of contact for a young family encountering the parish. This employee should support the goal of nurturing children, youth, and their parents with formation and pastoral care. It is important that the Director understands and supports St. Peter’s mission to worship God and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
General Responsibilities
-In charge of programming for Sunday School classes Sept.-June (PreK-6th)
-Developing lessons during program year
-Scheduling volunteer Sunday School teachers for classes
-Ensuring Sunday School teachers are trained in Godly Play lessons (for younger classes)
-Teaching one of the Sunday School classes on most Sundays
-Facilitating and training child volunteers for monthly Family Eucharist
-Developing seasonal outreach projects for Sunday School classes
-Maintaining an up to database of students
-Welcoming and integrating new students
-Organizing Christmas Pageant and Easter Egg Hunt
-Teaching Communion Recognition Classes
-Assisting with Vacation Bible School in the first week of August
-In charge of the two (SPY) St. Peter’s Youth Groups (grades 6-8 & 9-12) Sept.-June
-Developing spiritual exercises/worship for the two bi-monthly SPY meetings
-Developing activities for SPY meetings after worship
-Scheduling and attending SPYs yearly mission trip
-Developing fundraisers for mission trip
-Communicating to parents (SS and SPY) through weekly emails during program year
-Maintaining an up-to-date database of SPY members
-Making announcements regarding children and family program at Sunday services
-Ensuring Nursery Care workers are scheduled and arrived
-Facilitating pictures and announcements are posted on church social medial sites
-Assisting the Rector as needed
Hours and Expectations
-During the program year, which lasts approximately from the second week of September (Sunday after Labor Day) until the second week of June, the Director is responsible for the following time commitments: (1) The Director is present at the principal worship service for Sunday School and then at Holy Communion, from about 9:45 am to 11:15 am. (2) The Director must be present for all SPY meetings, which are two meetings twice a month for a total of four meetings, which run from 4:45 pm to 6:15 pm and 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm (There are a few months during the program year in which SPY meets only once a month.). (3) The Director should also be present for weekly staff meetings which are approximately from 10:30 am to 11:30 am on Wednesdays. The Director should also be present for other special events as needed. The Director is expected to spend on average about 6 hours per week planning for Sunday School and SPY combined. This means the average work week is approximately 10 hours.
-During the summer (about 13 weeks), the Director’s schedule is flexible, and they are not required to be present every Sunday for worship, though amount must be negotiated with the Rector. During the program year, there are a few Sundays where no Sunday School is held because of a holiday or vacation (i.e., Spring Break).
-Some informal teaching experience is required
-Familiarity with Episcopal Church tradition and liturgy is strongly preferred
-Providing a captivating, educational environment for children and youth
-Exceptional communication (verbal and written) and listening skills
-Desire to nurture and mentor children and youth
-Basic understanding of first aid
-Must have consistent transportation
-Ability to lead groups of children and youth in learning, activities, and outreach
-Safe Church Training (after hiring)
Salary and Benefits
-The position is salaried at $13,200 per year.
-All continuing education for Godly Play will be covered.
-Other opportunities for con. ed. can be provided.
-First aid training will be covered.
-Two weeks paid vacation a year including Sundays.
-Other opportunities for Sundays off when nothing is scheduled and/or time is outside of the program year (c.15 June – 1 September) as negotiated with the Rector
How to apply: Please send your resume along with a brief letter of interest to the Rev. Nathaniel Darville, Rector of St. Peter’s Church at darville@stpetersef.org.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: $13,200.00 per year
Expected hours: 10 per week
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
Schedule:
Education:
Experience:
- Teaching: 1 year (Preferred)
Language:
Ability to Commute:
- Essex Fells, NJ 07021 (Required)
Work Location: In person