Children's Ministries
Ministries for Children from birth through 5thgrade: These are years when ‘seeds are planted,’ beginning for Christians a life of spiritual growth. Starting with the youngest children, our Christian Education ministry provides the foundation for future learning, all accomplished in a loving and supportive environment.
Children in Worship: Children of all ages are welcome to attend and participate with their families in the Sanctuary worship services. Worship bags, filled with a variety of quiet and creative items, are available in the narthex for children 3 years through 2nd grade. Special activity bulletins for older children are available from the ushers or can be found on the ledge outside the Sanctuary.
Worship Experience for 3 years through kindergarten: During the school year, children remain in Sunday worship until after the children’s sermon. Children are then invited to participate in this unique program that prepares them for understanding worship. Using hands-on-activities, they learn why and how Christians worship. During the summer and on Communion Sundays, children remain in the Sanctuary and worship with their families
Child Care: Child care is provided during Sunday worship and the education hour. It is also available during our Wednesday night programs, as well as during many special events. A dedicated staff of trained caregivers provides a safe and nurturing environment
3-Year Old Sunday School Class
Sundays, 10:00-10:50 a.m., during the school year
Children begin their first Bible lessons in a fun, nurturing environment. Using music and creative activities, they discover God’s love for them and develop friendships with other Children. We use the curriculum, We Believe, published by Presbyterian Church, USA. This year’s theme centers on how following God is having faith.
Pre-Kindergarten Sunday School Class
Sundays, 10:00-10:50 a.m., during the school year
Children continue to grow and blossom learning more about the love of Jesus Christ and learning how to share that love with others. We use the curriculum, Explorations of Faith published by Cokesbury.
Rotation Workshop Sunday School Class
1st through 5th grades, Sundays, 10:00-10:50 a.m., during the school year
Using the Rotation Workshop model, Children experience the feeling and meaning of God's Word through active participation. The program allows us teach the Bible more creatively and effectively, and makes Bible learning last.
The program follows a five-year scope and sequence with a yearly focus on specific Scripture-based themes of faith. Each theme is developed over five weeks. The Children rotate to a different workshop learning environment each week to understand various aspects of the current theme. The workshops include activities such as Bible games, art, computer lab, cooking, drama, science, and video theater.
The approach is simple, but powerful: transform standard classrooms into customized workshops which utilize one specific teaching tool. A teaching tool is anything that can be used to aid and enhance learning which increase student attention, involvement and transformation.
In the Rotation Workshop model, rather that assigning a room to a particular class (i.e third grade), rooms are based on one specific teaching tool and used by all grades over the course of several weeks. As classes rotate to a different workshop each week, they learn the same Bible lesson in a variety of ways.
What is Rotation?
The Rotation Workshop Sunday School teaches one Bible lesson over a five week period of time, giving each grade level the opportunity to learn a Bible story in a different way. It provides repetition without boredom, increases retention, and gives an opportunity to work beyond the superficial details of a story.
Workshop Rotation Themes
The six themes for grades 1–5, during school year 2008/2009, are:
- Jacob and Esau
- Psalms
- A Child Is Born
- People Jesus Knew — The beginning of the Christian Church
- Mary Remembers
- Gentiles Welcome Here
Parents can learn about upcoming rotation themes in the monthly Notes Along the Way newsletter. The weekly schedule is also posted on the lower level bulletin board.