KiDS Worship Center
Sunday mornings, weekly during worship
10:00am-11:15am
Located in the sanctuary, the KiDS Worship Center™ is an integral component of our kids’ spiritual formation. While their hands are busy in the KiDS Worship Center, their heads and hearts are open and receptive to God’s Spirit.
Keeping young kids in the worship service allows them to actively participate in the prayers of the people, the Lord’s prayer, the offering, and communion. Repetition - holy order - and community are critical to young kids’ spiritual formation.
Maria Montessori said, “The mind remembers what the hands have done.” In the KiDS Worship Center™ the kids are invited to play with nativity figures and Advent candles (battery operated candles) and wreaths. They have money to put in the offering plate and are encouraged to write their own “prayers of the people.”
Ushers can invite young kids to “help” them hand out bulletins, collect the prayer cards, and take the offering. This would provide opportunities to build intergenerational relationships and give the kids an opportunity to serve and participate in the worship service and cultivate a sense of belonging.
Questions? Contact the Chairman of the Spiritual Formation Committee here
Sunday School
During Sunday Services, weekly
Sunday School happens during the church service. After the Children's Message, children ages 4-10 will be led downstairs by the Sunday School teachers. Kids will have a lesson, do crafts, and sing songs!
At least two adults are in the room with the children at all times (see our Child Protection Policy here). Parents of new kids are welcome to join us!
Youth grades 6-12 meet once per month during the Sunday Service to work on service projects.
Questions? Contact the Chairman of the Spiritual Formation Committee here
Young Children in Worship
This program is paused and will restart in January 2025
Thursday evenings, weekly
6:30-7:30pm
Thursday evenings combine Bible stories, music, and imaginative play to create a kid-focused learning environment. Young Children in Worship, created by Sonja Steward and Jerome Berryman, is rooted in Montessori principles and practices. Each lesson invites the children into the story, asking them to reflect and wonder about the story. This style of teaching engages each child where he/she is developmentally.
Former Spiritual Formation Director, Dr. Lori Tate says, “I fell in love with the Young Children in Worship curriculum because where education attempts to explain and interpret mystery, worship allows us to experience and dwell in the presence of God as a way of knowing.” Biblical stories are told in a simplistic manner and the children are invited to play and interact with the material.
Music touches everyone's heart. It develops a foundataion for reading, social, pre-math, and problem-solving skills, AND it's fun, says,
Jackie Livesay. "I am so priviledged to lead the kids music program."
Jackie holds Levels 1-3 in Orff certification, in addition to several
masters, one in sacred music and another in education. With over
25 years of public-school teaching and as a teacher at the JSO Community Music School, your kids will have a rich musical
experience.
Questions? Contact the Chairman of the Spiritual Formation Committee here
