PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Age Range
All children ages 5 to 12 are welcome to participate in our Sunday School program. Childcare for younger children is available during the worship service.
Dates and Time
The fall semester will run from September 19th to December 19th. The spring semester will run from January 9th to June 26th. Students should arrive at the church by 10:50 and meet in the sanctuary. After participating in the beginning of the worship service they will be dismissed to their classrooms for class.
Class Structure
Students will be grouped into classes according to age and the total enrollment.
Participation in Church Life
Children are valued members of our community and we seek to involve them in the many facets of our worship life. As part of the Sunday School program they will have the opportunity to participate in our worship services in a number of capacities: lighting candles, reading scripture, serving communion, singing, and performing in Christmas and Easter pageants.
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WHY SUNDAY SCHOOL?
Sunday School is not about handing out ready-made answers about God – we do not pretend to have all the answers. Sunday School is about equipping children with language and traditions that will help them develop a personal relationship with God, a relationship that will continue to grow and change over the course of their entire lives. As such, we believe that a Sunday School education is one of the most important things you can provide a child and we are committed to offering a program that will engage and nurture children’s relationships with God inside of a safe, caring, and creative environment.
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WHAT IS A TYPICAL CLASS LIKE?
Each class has four components: gathering, engaging, responding and blessing.
Gathering:
Students are welcomed into the room by their teacher and sit in a circle. After everyone has entered the room, we say a brief prayer.
Engaging:
The teacher shares a Bible story with the students. When the story is finished, students are asked to think about it in a variety of ways (What was your favorite part of the story? Which character in the story would you be?).
Responding:
After students have heard and had a chance to think about the story, they can pick one of several response activities in which to participate. These activities may include anything from drawing a picture to writing a poem to making a mobile. We believe there is no one way to experience God and so we want to provide each child with the opportunity to build this relationship in his or her own way.
Blessing:
At the end of our time we re-form a circle, say another short prayer, and then send each other off with a word of blessing.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Download our brochure or contact Thomas Hathaway, the Minister of Christian Education, at thomas.r.hathaway@gmail.com.