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�I had always felt life first as a story:
and if there is a story there is a storyteller.�
-G. K. Chesterton
The Bible is a true love story about how much God loves us, his children, and how he comes to save us. So we share this story with our children. We do this through storytelling within the context of worship. Our teachers endeavor to share all the wonderful stories within the Big Story and most importantly to share with the children how much God loves them. We blend the storytelling methods of Godly Play by Jerome Berryman as well as Young Children and Worship and Following Jesus by Sonja Steward with ages 3 through grade 3.
In preschool and kindergarten, teachers lead the children in playtime activities and Chapel. Chapel leaders introduce worship in a setting that is like church but is not church. Leaders use language the children can grasp, as they sing, laugh, and make a joyful noise to the Lord!
Younger elementary children in 1st through 3rd grades explore the concepts of religious language more deeply using elements of religious language, sacred story, parable and liturgical action. 1st graders are introduced to the significance of our Holy Eucharist during a special six-week unit that culminates in a recognition ceremony during the service.
In 4th & 5th grades, the emphasis is three-fold:
We work with our students to learn more about what it means to be a Christian as we live out our faith each day We gain an understanding of how the Bible is set up and where to find things in it. We study our Episcopalian �roots and work towards comprehending what happens during our worship service.
Our 4th & 5th graders will GRAPPLE with the issues their pre-teen age deals with the most, finding answers by digging into the Bible. The three main themes of focus are relationships, faith and choices.
The 4th & 5th graders also actively participate in worship during Children�s chapel as lay readers, acolytes, ushers and oblationers.
All children in grades 1-5 participate in periodic Children�s Eucharists when a member of the clergy leads them in their own special service. On these Sundays, children will not generally join their families until after the 10:00 AM service.
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