Part-time Children and Youth Coordinator

Overview

Hope Lutheran Church is a welcoming community of individuals, couples and families of all ages. Since 1962, we have gathered to offer praise and prayer to God, grow in our Christian faith and extend God’s care for one another.

Today, we are in a hopeful and renewing season.

• Fresh Leadership: We recently welcomed a new Pastor and a new Manager of Parish Operations, providing a fresh, coordinated leadership team with a clear call to lead us in transformation while staying rooted in the essence of who we are—a Christ-following, grace-filled Lutheran community.
• Post-Secondary Partnerships: We are committed to our long-term partnership with Lutheran Campus Ministry in support of their work with post-secondary students across Calgary.
• Multicultural Ministry: We are working with our Synod of Alberta and the Territories office and Unity Lutheran (a mission congregation serving newcomers from Hong Kong) toward supporting their mission as a Chinese Ministry within our congregation. Together, we are building a vibrant, multicultural ministry to serve the wider Calgary community.
• City-Wide Collaboration: There is strong momentum and energy for collaboration among Calgary Lutheran churches, especially around children and youth ministries, creating exciting new opportunities for shared events and programs.
• Beautiful Facility: We have a beautiful physical space that we can utilize to its greatest potential for both our congregation and the local community.

Our Core Values

Belonging

At Hope, we believe everyone deserves a place to call home. Belonging means being known, valued, and accepted for who you are — not who you “should” be. It’s about building relationships that draw us closer to one another and to God.

Compassion

We are called to love our neighbours as ourselves. Compassion means seeing the needs of others and responding with care, presence, and empathy — both within our church family and in the wider community.

Faithfulness

Our life together is grounded in God’s grace and guided by the Word. Faithfulness means trusting that we are saved by grace through faith — not by our own effort — and that God continues to renew and call us daily through Word and Sacrament. It’s about showing up with open hearts, listening for God’s voice, and following where Christ leads.

Grace

Grace is the heart of our faith — the reminder that we are loved, forgiven, and free to begin again. We extend that same grace to one another through patience, understanding, and kindness.

These values reflect both who we already are and who we are continually becoming: a community grounded in God’s grace, rooted in Lutheran tradition, and committed to caring for one another and the world God loves.

A Time of Transition

Like many communities of faith, Hope Lutheran Church is navigating a season of changing demographics, declining youth engagement, and an aging congregation. Recognizing these shifts, we are actively re-examining our ministries to ensure we remain vibrant and deeply relevant to families in Calgary. We firmly believe that to sustain our future growth and fulfill our mission of extending God’s love for decades to come, we must intentionally invest in our children and youth.

While this shifting landscape brings uncertainty, it also opens the door for incredible creativity, renewal, and re-creation. We are not just looking to fill a vacancy; we are seeking a visionary staff leader to help us build momentum, breathe fresh energy into our Next Generations ministry, and walk with us into a hopeful future. By anchoring our children and youth in faith, grace, and community today, we are building the foundation for Hope’s tomorrow.

Role Emphasis

The part-time Children & Youth Coordinator (CYC) is responsible for supporting, revitalizing, and leading Hope Lutheran Church’s ministry to children, youth, and their families. This role focuses on rebuilding momentum after a period of limited programming and establishing a consistent, engaging foundation for faith formation.

This role is ideally suited for an organized individual looking for a meaningful, community-oriented role with excellent flexibility. Aside from requiring a reliable presence on most Sunday mornings for Children’s Programming (e.g. Sunday School) and participating in a monthly youth event , the administrative and lesson-planning hours offer excellent flexibility and can largely be completed remotely on a self-directed schedule. The monthly youth events will provide unique opportunities for collaboration, as they will frequently be co-organized alongside other Lutheran churches within Calgary.

Working closely with the Faith Formation Ministry Team, Council liaison, volunteers, the Pastor, and the Manager of Parish Operations, the CYC will prepare and lead weekly Sunday School, establish a dynamic monthly youth group, and recruit, equip, and coordinate volunteers. The CYC reports directly to the Manager of Parish Operations for operational and policy alignment.

Key Accountabilities

1. Planning and Coordination

Provide Vibrant Children’s Programming (Sunday School) Leadership

• Prepare and deliver weekly, age-appropriate lessons, crafts, and faith-building activities.
• Lead the Sunday School program during the designated portion of the weekly worship service.
• Create a physically and emotionally safe, welcoming, and hospitable environment for all children.

Develop and Grow Youth Group Programming

• Plan, coordinate, and facilitate regular (monthly) youth gatherings and fellowship events.
• Organize service-based learning projects and special events tailored to middle and high school demographics.

2. Communication & Administration

Family and Community Engagement

• Maintain consistent, proactive communication with parents and youth using modern, reliable channels (e.g., email, WhatsApp, bulletin updates).

Operational Inputs and Safety

• Support the recruitment, scheduling, and appreciation of Sunday School and youth volunteers.
• Ensure strict compliance with Hope’s child safety policies.
• Contribute to Hope’s communication channels (website, social media) to highlight and celebrate children and youth initiatives.

Required Characteristics

Our Children & Youth Coordinator is an energetic, relational, and deeply patient leader who possesses a natural warmth and passion for working with the next generation. Highly organized and collaborative, our CYC understands that building a ministry requires building trust—both with children exploring their faith and parents looking for a safe community.

Grounded in grace, you maintain a healthy sense of fun and adaptability, recognizing that working with kids requires flexibility and a joyful heart. This position is a perfect fit for someone who loves early childhood development and wants to make a positive impact while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Required Experience & Skills

• Experience Working with Children: Demonstrated experience working in a school, daycare, preschool, or early childhood education setting is highly preferred.
• Sunday Availability: Ability to work consistently on most Sunday mornings throughout the school year.
• Mobility: A valid driver's license and access to a reliable vehicle is required (useful for picking up ministry supplies, crafts, or coordinating off-site youth events).
• Relational Leadership: Proven capability to engage, motivate, and work alongside adult volunteers, parents, and pastoral staff.
• Strong Administration: Good digital literacy, highly responsive communication skills (email, messaging apps), and strong time-management habits.

Education & Background Requirements

• Background or coursework in Early Childhood Education (ECE), Child & Youth Studies, Education, or a related field is considered a strong asset.
• Mandatory: A current, satisfactory Police Information Check, including a Vulnerable Sector Verification, is required prior to employment.

Hours, Compensation & Schedule

• Position Type: This is a casual employment position.
• Employment Term: August 2026 to June 2027, with the possibility of extension.
• Hours: 20 to 30 hours per month.
• Compensation: $20.00 to $25.00 per hour, depending on experience.
• Benefits: This is a casual employment position and does not include extended health benefits or a pension.
• Administration: Submission of a monthly timesheet to the Manager of Parish Operations is required.
• Schedule & Presence:

In-Person Commitments (Approx. 10–15 hours/month)

• Sunday School: Expect 1.5 to 2 hours on-site on Sunday mornings (approx. 6–10 hours/month, depending on whether the month has 4 or 5 Sundays).
• Youth Group: Expect roughly 4 to 5 hours once a month to prepare, co-organize, and attend the collaborative youth group event.
• Staff Check-ins: Occasional meetings with the staff team will be scheduled based on mutual availability.

Remote Flexibility

• The remaining hours each month are highly flexible and can be completed remotely for curriculum review, family communications, inter-church coordination, and ordering supplies, allowing for ease of scheduling alongside external commitments.

Application Process

Interested applicants are invited to submit a cover letter and resume to Deborah Leung, Manager of Parish Operations and Administration , at ***email_hidden*** . Please include “Part-time Children and Youth Coordinator Position Application” in the subject line.

Applications will be accepted until Aug 9, 2026, after which shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. We thank all applicants for their interest in serving with Hope Lutheran Church.