Children's Ministries
Christian Education News

NURSERY  (birth to 21/2 yrs. old)

Nursery care is available for children up to 2 ½ years old and is staffed by parents and volunteers from the congregation.  Our nursery volunteer coordinators ensure a safe and loving environment for our youngest members.  They recruit parents and other members of the congregation to staff the nursery each week.  In addition to registering your child for the nursery, parents are encouraged to complete an information sheet yearly so that our coordinators and volunteers will know how to best care for your little one.  A beeper system is also in place for safety reasons and ease of mind. 

Sunday School for all our children is primarily relational – the curriculum is just one of the many “tools” that they use to help their students find a closer relationship with God through their relationship with one another.

BEGINNERS  (2 ½ - 4 yrs. old)

Our youngest Sunday School class abounds with nurturing love and laugher, animated singing and storytelling, playtime and snacks. This fall children will hear stories about the joy of being a beloved member of a family: their own little family, their church family and God’s larger family.  They will have fun responding through praise and thanksgiving.  Bible Quest curriculum and children’s bibles are the primary source of curriculum. Each week the children take home with a Bible picture card to share with their family.  These cards may be used to help children respond to God and the world around them through an acquaintance with selected Bible verses, stories and related life experiences.  Lessons for the fall include, “God Creates a Place for Us,” “God Leads Rebekah,” “God Leads Joseph’s Family,” “The People Thank God,” and “God Leads David.”

PRE-KINDERGARTEN – 6^th GRADE

The curriculum of choice for this age group is based on comprehensive Bible study. Exploring Faith covers the major Bible stories over a four year period so children experience the stories and messages in ways appropriate to their increasing maturity.  Exploring Faith employs multiple learning styles and hands-on activities, making connections to life issues and incorporating worship experiences into each lesson.  Church/Home connections and Bible memory verses are also provided and encouraged.  We hope all our parents will share in their child’s religious education by helping in the classroom, reading with their child and the take-home leaflets and/or Bible stories, and discussing  what was learned.  At the  beginning of  each  season,  parents will receive information about the themes and stories covered in Sunday School along with ideas for faith nurturing in the home.

 The following units will be covered in Pre-K – 4^th grade:

            Unit 1:  House of David
            Unit 2:  Beginning a Nation
            Unit 3:  In the Royal Palace

 The following units will be covered in the 5^th and 6^th grade:

            Unit 1: Creation and Sin
            Unit 2:  Old Testament Patriarchs
            Unit 3:  Judges, Kings and Prophets

 Children will hear stories of Old Testament Bible Heroes and Heroines, people who are often just like us, who make good and bad decisions as they strive to live together in peace as God’s people.

GRADES 7^TH/8^TH   

Our 7th/8th grade teacher’s work conscientiously with the Director of Christian Education and Youth Minister to locate biblically based resources that match the maturity level and interests of their students.  Inspiring curriculum is important, yet not as important as the relations that are formed in the classroom Teachers emphasize the Holy Spirit working through people and their lives, not the curriculum. 

HIGH SCHOOL  

High school students are encouraged to attend worship and take leadership in the service in a variety of ways.  Opportunities include greeting and ushering, liturgical readings, prayers, children’s conversations, drama, storytelling, and special musical offerings.  They may also join the handbell and/or Sanctuary Choir.

After the Children’s Conversation portion of worship, high school youth also attend Sunday School class for thought provoking discussion about their Christian faith and its relationship to their life.  Various books, videos, news articles and field trips will be used to enhance conversation, spiritual growth and a sense of community. 

Sunday School for all our children is primarily relational – the curriculum is just one of the many “tools” that they use to help their students find a closer relationship with God through their relationship with one another.

ACOLYTES

The office of acolyte was established very early in Christian history, around 250 AD.  Samuel is considered to have been the first acolyte to serve in the temple.  Acolytes in South Church bring Christ’s light in the sanctuary to remind us of His presence by lighting the altar candles for worship and extinguishing them to bring the light out in the world.  It is a very important role in the church’s ministry.  Our children in fifth and sixth grade serve as acolytes.

Participation in worship is one of the important ways children learn and grow in faith and is an integral part of the whole Sunday School program.  In worship we learn to live with gratitude for the past goodness of God, in joy as we recognize God’s continuing presence, and in hope for a future which will bring God’s purposes to fulfillment.  We learn by belonging and participating.  Children need opportunities before they become adults to learn not only how we worship, but also to find out what it really means for them.

During the school year, children, Kindergarten age and older, attend the first part of the Sunday worship service with their families.  They are present for hymn singing and special music, prayers, scripture readings, our two sacraments—baptism and communion, and a brief children’s sermon.  After the children’s sermon they are dismissed to their Sunday School classrooms.  Third graders and up remain in worship during the summer months and all the children participate in the entire service during intergenerational worship Sundays.  These include Christmas Eve, the Sunday after Christmas, Easter, and Children’s Celebration Sunday at the end of the school year.  A nursery is always provided for children under the age of five.   

An exception to this is the last Sunday of some months during the school year when children in grades K-6^th participate and take leadership in their own Children’s Worship Service in Fellowship Hall.  On these mornings, children go directly to their classroom at 10:30, instead of to worship, where they prepare for their leadership responsibility in the service before coming to Fellowship Hall at 10:45 with their teachers. This year’s CWSs will take place on Oct.28^th, Nov. 25^th, Jan. 27^th and June 1^st.

THIRD GRADE BIBLE PRESENTATION

A long-standing tradition at South Church is the presentation to each third grader of a Bible imprinted with her/his name.  This will take place during the November 11^th worship service.  To make this gift more meaningful for the children, we ask 3^rd graders to bring their Bible to Sunday School each week to use in the Bible study.  Information will be mailed to parents of 3^rd graders in September.

CHILDREN & STEWARDSHIP

One of our objectives in the Christian Education program is to encourage our children to know the blessing of service and giving by introducing stewardship as part of our response to God’s love.  Children can experience this in a variety of ways.  In Sunday School a special time is set aside each week for prayer, thanking God for our many blessings and remembering those in need.  During this time of worship the children are encouraged to contribute an offering that they themselves may have earned or collected.  Offerings have enabled us to purchase a number of animals through Heifer Project International and a trained helping dog for one of our members, Tom Larsen, through the NEADS program.  Children also contributed to the Building Fund, UNICEF, and Neighbors in Need (NIN).

This year’s focus is Children Helping Children around the globe.  World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide, makes it possible for us to sponsor four children:  Saimah, (11), of Indonesia; Felipe (10),of Brazil: Marie, (5),of the Congo and Evariste, of Rwanda (5).  In addition to sending their Sunday School offering to World Vision and learning about the children’s homeland and lives, our children are encouraged to send their prayers and letters directly to their new sponsored friends , as well.  Perhaps Saimah, Evariste, Marie and Felipe will all become lasting members of four or more South Church families in the years to come!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
August 4 - 8, 2008
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
ages 4 and up

Each summer through the sponsorship of Greater Lawrence Council of Churches, South Church and area churches join together to provide a whole week of Vacation Bible School as an outreach to the community and enrichment for our own children’s faith. This may be the largest ecumenical VBS in the country!

THE GRAND CONNECTION

Sunday School children and youth are continuing the “Grand Connection” for the 8^th year and are abundantly blessed by caring relationships with our elderly members who say they are equally blessed through this connection.  Each class has enthusiastically been adopted by one or more of our members and this intergenerational mingling is well underway again this year!