Children’s Christian Education
We offer several levels of Christian Education programs depending on the age of your child. (Use this form to register your child(ren) for the year.)
For infants through age 2:
Although children of all ages are welcome in worship any time, parents who choose can participate fully and joyfully in worship knowing their babies are safe and secure in our professionally-staffed Nursery and Toddler rooms. Childcare is available from 9:30am to 12:30pm for infants and toddlers before and during worship.
Tracy Long, our Nursery Supervisor & Caregiver, will greet, soothe, and care for your children. Age-appropriate toys are sanitized and kept in good repair by volunteers under the direction of Kate Burleigh, our Director of Children’s Christian Education.
For children ages 3, 4, and Kindergartners:
We offer a Children’s Worship program for younger children during the 11:00am Sunday worship service.* In Children’s Worship, the children are guided through a short worship service and encouraged to respond to Bible stories through songs, art, questions and retelling of the stories. Each story has an activity response to help the children better understand the story.
For children in grades 1 – 5:
Children in these grades start each worship service with their families before leaving before the sermon for Pathways to the Promise Land: a kid-friendly, teacher-friendly way of teaching Bible stories and truths. It’s active, engaging, thought-provoking, and just plain fun. Pathways classes follow a workshop rotation model that engages children through different learning styles. Each week the children visit a different workshop, exploring the same Biblical story or concept but with different activities each week. Every 3-4 weeks, a new theme is introduced.
Pathways children during an Advent rotation
Pathways children meet, from September through May*, during the 11:00am worship service. At least one Sunday each month the Pathways children remain in worship with their families for the entire service.
Guests: If your child is reluctant to attend a Pathways rotation, feel free to accompany them to their classroom and remain until they’re comfortable with you leaving.
*In the summer months, we worship at 10:00am and offer childcare for Kindergartners and younger beginning at 9:30am. A revised version of Pathways meets several times during the summer.
Curious about the paintings on the walls? The first floor of our Children’s Education Wing resembles a New Testament town in the style of ancient Jerusalem, with Pathways to the Promise Land classrooms, including:
Temple Square – a replica of an ancient temple courtyard with a giant Bedouin tent, fire pit and lounging pillows.
Art in Heaven – plenty of space for children to create real art.
Mary and Martha’s Kitchen – shares space with the small kitchen adjacent to the Bodwell Hall meeting room and serves as the inside of a Hebrew home during the Seder rotation.
Also on this level is the office of Kate Burleigh, our Children’s Christian Education director, and Shannon Headen, our Youth Ministry director.
The second floor depicts an Old Testament environment with camels, a desert oasis, and children listening to stories, and includes the Chapel, Children’s Library, Nursery and Childcare rooms, and Children in Worship (ages 3-5) classrooms, along with a new small group classroom for adults.
Many heartfelt thanks to the legions of teachers who volunteer their time teaching God’s love to the younger generation. All volunteers are trained in our Child Protection Policy, which allows only safe, known, trained teachers in our classrooms and includes safety measures such as insuring that there is always more than one adult in a room with your children.
