The Church of St Jude - Wantagh, New York

“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3, NRSV).

When St. Paul reminded the people of Corinth in Greece that he had “passed along” something he had personally received, he was referring to his understanding of the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection based on his personal experience.  That experience had transformed him from a persecutor of the followers of Jesus to a powerful witness and advocate. 

Christian formation refers to the things we do in the Church to honor our responsibility to pass along, to hand on, the tradition of the Church and our own faith and witness to our Risen Lord.  We do this not only for the benefit of our children, but for ourselves as well.  We are constantly being formed, reformed and transformed in our journey towards Eternal Life.

Our ministry to be witnesses and educators stems from this basic need.  Just as families gather together to share stories of immigrant great-grandparents, favorite vacation experiences, parents meeting and falling in love – so the Church gathers each Sunday to share the stories of the People of God recorded in the Bible and to experience the fellowship of our community in worship.

At St. Jude’s, we offer a variety of programs designed to help members of the parish of all ages continue their Christian formation.