Children and Youth Ministry
Nursery
Nursery care is available on Sunday mornings from 8:45 a.m. until the end of the worship service for children ages Birth to 3 years. Parents may also leave children up to age 4 in the nursery during the 10:30 a.m. worship service.
A major goal of our nursery ministry is to create a calm and comfortable atmosphere in which the littlest among us can play safely.
Click here to view an informational brochure about the Nursery at FPC and the practical steps parents can take to help facilitate a smooth transition for their child into the church Nursery.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
"Catechesis of the Good Shepherd" is the Sunday School program for the children of Faith Presbyterian Church. Classes meet every Sunday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. throughout the fall, winter and spring.
2011-2012 Ministry Year
Beginning September 11, there will be three separate classes (called 'atria') that meet downstairs from the church offices and nurseries.
The Good Shepherd Atrium is for children ages 4 through Kindergarten.
The True Vine 1 Atrium is for children in First Grade to age 9.
The True Vine 2 Atrium is for children ages 10 to 12.
Our Atria are dedicated spaces reserved solely for the Catechesis classes in order to facilitate quiet, reverence and reflection when the children come to work in them. (The children enter each room knowing exactly what they have come there to do!)
Why Catechesis of the Good Shepherd?
We believe that it is a very important endeavor to spiritually nurture the children in our community of faith, but such an endeavor raises questions about the nature of children, the nature of the Scripture and its message, and how to best facilitate bringing children into relationship with God.
To what degree do we think our children can comprehend the Bible?
What is the best way for our church to teach the Bible to children while maintaining the integrity of the Scriptures?
How do we create an atmosphere in which children can explore, take in, and respond to the truths of the Scriptures?
Many children’s Sunday School materials tend toward either trivializing or moralizing the Scriptures. For example, consider that, in many children's books and Sunday School lessons, King David is sometimes portrayed as a ‘hero’ who has the ‘courage’ to face Goliath and, therefore, we all need to be courageous for God, as well. Another children's ministries' slant on the David and Goliath story is that ‘being small doesn’t matter when facing giants’. These approaches, while well-intended, assume that the Scripture must be reduced to "child-friendly" ideas in order to appeal to children.
These kind of approaches to the Bible are quite problematic because so many of the stories of the Scriptures themselves were not written for the purpose of teaching a moral lesson or to build self-esteem, but rather to teach us in the larger story of knowing God. Therefore, the widespread practice of striving to make a moral lesson or a feel-good story out of the Scriptures has caused generations of kids to miss seeing the very heart of God that is revealed in the Bible.
Our concern is that if our children get anything out of their time in Sunday School, we want it to be a desire to know God that results in a deepening of their faith. We believe that the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program best enables us to help our kids do this. It comes down to a matter of preferred pedagogy – a little known word that simply means ‘the science of teaching’. The ‘pedagogy’ of the Catechesis is rooted in the Bible, in the liturgy of the church, and in the educational principles of Maria Montessori. It is an approach to spiritual formation for children. We don’t typically hear the words ‘spiritual formation’ and ‘children’ mentioned in the same sentence. Many churches can sometimes operate as if the process of spiritual formation does not begin to take place in a person until they reach their teenage years. We strongly beg to differ on that assumption!
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program is used in 35 countries around the world – primarily in Catholic and Episcopal churches. Where the material does not square with our understanding of the Scriptures and with our theological beliefs, we have prepared lessons that reflect a Reformed view of the Scriptures. While some may question the use of a program developed in a faith tradition other than our own, we think it is necessary to consider the idea of appropriating an effective teaching method by which to convey a different theological content. In other words, you may have a different theological perspective from your neighbor who goes to a Roman Catholic church, but you will each drive your respective mini-vans to arrive at your respective places of worship. It is in exactly this way that we are implementing the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd curriculum. We see it as an effective vehicle to bring our kids to the story of the Bible and into a restored relationship with God.
Parents and adults who are interested in learning more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at Faith Presbyterian Church are invited to visit the Atria and talk with Pastor Matt or one of our four catechists--Cheryl Dorsch, Suzanne Dorsch, Claire Cross, and Lisa Cadora.
Kidz Time (formerly Children's Church)
Children ages 4 to 10 years are invited to particiate in "Kidz Time" during the worship service. Please note that this is a more expanded age group for children than we have done in the past.
Because our primary Sunday morning teaching time for children is during the 9:00 a.m. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classes, Kidz Time is an energetic time with structured activities that include singing, a very brief lesson, games and play. Children are dismissed to Kidz Time and return to join their parents in the worship service just before communion.
Please note that Kidz Time is optional. Those children who wish to remain with their parents in the service, rather than attending Kidz Time, are most welcome to do so.
Youth Group
The focus of our Youth Group this year will be three-fold:
One-to-one mentoring relationships
Sunday morning youth group time
Sunday evening Gathering Nights (held every four to six weeks).
One-to-One Mentoring Relationships
It goes without saying that parents must play an invaluable role in shaping their children. It also goes without saying that, as a child becomes a teenager, they value having an older adult (who is not their parent and not quite as “old” as their parents) with whom they can trust and talk to. To that end, Faith’s Youth Ministry will take on a one-to-one mentoring focus beginning this ministry year. A number of our young adult church members have expressed their interest and availability to be in a mentoring relationship with the teenagers of our church.
We are grateful to Phil and Kristin Johnson, Tim Smile, Elizabeth Shaffer, and Archie Gleason who will be participating in leadership and mentoring roles within Faith’s Youth Ministry. We will be pairing adults and kids together beginning at our first Youth Group Sunday morning time on September 11, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.
Sunday Morning Youth Group Time
We will be making a slight change from last year’s format. Whereas, last year, our Youth Group would meet together (boys and girls) for about 20 minutes and then separate with boys going to one room and girls remaining in the youth room, this year the entire group will meet for the full hour together. The group will begin by getting to know the New Testament letter written by James. Additional topics that we will be covering this year include the Old Testament book of Proverbs, the Sermon on the Mount and simply learning and discussing the matter of drawing closer to God.
Please note that, with the change in the format, there will also be a change in the location of the Sunday morning time. This year, we will be meeting upstairs in ‘Room 3.'
Sunday evening Gathering Nights
Every six weeks or so, our Youth Group will be regularly holding Gathering Nights that will involve food, fun and time together. Activities may include some game nights, a bowling night, Laser Tag and going to a ball game (or two). You will remember that we began having these gatherings last year, but will do so more often this coming year. Stay tuned for a complete schedule! |
