CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

The mission of Children and Family Ministries at St. Paul’s is to foster a rich inner life in the Episcopal tradition that will accompany our children through both the tempestuous storms and peaceful mountaintops of life. We attempt faith formation that is well-rounded, attending both to the needs of one’s own spirit as well as to the importance of compassionate self-giving in response to the needs of the world. We also strive to forge meaningful bonds among the various families within our community by offering a variety of opportunities for engagement. 


We are sometimes in need of additional teachers or classroom assistants for our Church School, as well as volunteers for the nursery. Teachers and assistants are usually scheduled once a month, while some serve only occasionally as subs.


All classroom helpers receive training in our style of classroom management as well as skills for protecting children from any kind of mistreatment. We work hard to maintain a safe, nurturing environment where children can flourish personally and spiritually.

If you are interested in being part of the Children's Ministry team, please contact our Children and Family Minister, Cassie Lewis, at cassie@stpauls.org.

Church Sch00l

Professional nursery care is available for ages 0-5 during the 9:30 am service (9 am during summer). 


Church school is held during the 9:30 am service (9 am during summer) with an elementary class for Kinder through 5th grade, and a middle school class for grades 6-8. Be sure to have kids arrive at least 5 minutes early to get settled in. 


Goals of Church School:

  • To provide our children with language for expressing and understanding spiritual experience
  • To foster a safe, delightful, loving community in which to explore spirituality
  • To expose them to the tools of the Christian Tradition that can lead to a grounded, satisfying, and consciously-lived life
  • To help them form an ethical way of living • To give them the assurance that they are loved fully by God and can be agents of God’s love in their own world
  • To nurture theological reflection from a progressive perspective, using stories from the Bible as well as other sources  Curriculum

Curriculum

We use a variety of curricula throughout the year for the elementary class, interspersing special lessons from the Montessori-based Godly Play, Illustrated Children’s Ministry, and Progressive Christianity. For Middle School, we use a beautiful, engaging curriculum from Seasons of the Spirit.  


Registration

Please fill out a registration form for each child participating so we can ensure everyone’s safety and well-being while you’re on site with us. The forms can be found in the classroom. 


Joining Parents in Church

Midway through the service, children will be escorted to the sanctuary during the Passing of the Peace. Please watch for your kids at that time and help them find you. They are most welcome to participate fully in Communion. If you have kids in the nursery, you are welcome to retrieve them to join you for Communion, in you like. We look forward to meeting you and your little ones!

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY NEWS

Advent Women's Quiet Day

"Becoming Still and Getting Ready"

Saturday 12/14 at St. Paul's

9:00am-1:00pm

*Child Care Provided ($5 donation requested)

Take a morning to go deep into quiet. We will spend some time with the Scriptural stories of Advent and their themes of preparation, hope, and expectancy; we will have sessions of deep stillness and rest. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that slip off easily. We’ll end our time together with lunch.

Cost of the day is $10 to cover lunch and materials. 

Please RSVP to: kay@stpauls.org



Christmas Eve Pageant

12/24 at 5pm

It's time to sign up for the Pageant! All kids are welcome and encouraged to participate. Certain roles for older kids require attendance at the short rehearsal on 12/22 right after the 9:30am service, and all participants should plan to arrive by 4:25pm on 12/24 to get into costumes.


Let me know what role your child would like to play (see options below). Otherwise, just come on 12/24 at 4:25pm and we'll dress them up in whatever is available (there's always plenty of spare costumes). We can't wait!

 

Here are the roles available:


Ages 5 and under: sheep

Ages 4-11: angels and shepherds, with optional speaking parts

Ages 7-14: wise people, camel, inn keepers (requires attending rehearsal on 12/22)

 


Moms' Gathering

Saturday January 4, 9:30-11am

Home of Christina Coggins

Mom's Gathering is back! We will gather around warm drinks and light treats at the home of Christina Coggins. Join other moms as we open our hearts to each other about the challenges and joys of parenting. We make time both for personal sharing as well as discussion around a relevant parenting topic. Please RSVP to Cassie. 

 


Topic for this month:

What are your hopes for your children's character formation in the coming year? And what might you or others do to contribute to it? 


Ideas for future topics? Please send them my way!

 


News from the Pews

 

Church School in December

Children continue to gather in Adult Ed (behind the Parish Hall) while final details are completed on the Parish Hall. We're so close! We'll be in the remodeled Parish Hall in January!


For Advent, the kids are kept together for the annual Godly Play Advent series and are split into two groups afterwards to respond to the story (Primary Group: age 4 through 2nd grade, Intermediate group: grade 3-5), with the older group moving into the Preschool Teacher Lounge for their time.



Anchored Families: Parenting Resources

Advent Countdown Calendar

This resource was provided in your Advent Wreath kits, but if you didn't get it, or you prefer it electronically to share with others, please email me for it. (I'm not able to upload it here unfortunately!). 


Use it as a means to deepen your time with your children, shifting your family's focus during the weeks of readying our hearts for the mystery of Christmas. The activities listed on the backside of the coloring calendar can launch meaningful discussions and help shape the habit of using Advent as a time to reflect and expand the compassion in our hearts.

 

Be Well, in every way!