Nursery

A nursery is staffed by a paid attendant and available for children birth through age 2 years. A volunteer coordinator assists with the parent volunteer coordination for their assistance each Sunday for one or both worship services. The nursery is available from 8:15 a.m. until after the 10:00 a.m. worship service (approximately 11:15 a.m.). There is a sign-in and sign-out sheet to be used by parents or guardians for all children who are brought to the nursery.

Three-, Four-, & Five-Year-Olds

Children between three and five years of age have a regular Sunday School class that meets from 10:15 until 11:15 a.m. each Sunday during the program year (September through May). Children are encouraged to be present during the summer months so that they learn about the rituals of worship—baptism and Lord’s Supper particularly. The classes are taught in teams who teach for three month rotations. We use the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum material, which follows the revised common lectionary year.

Kindergarten

Children of this age are engaged in a program called “Young Children and Worship,” which is based on a book by Sonja Stewart and Jerome Berryman.

Students learn about the Bible though a worship model using manipulatives (little wooden figures) to tell the story. This is a unique program that models quiet time for students of this age. Quiet time that allows themselves and others to talk to God; quiet time that allows for walking slowly because with God we have all the time we need. This program also meets only during the program year (September through May).  The class meets from 10:15 until 11:15 a.m.

Grades 1 through 5

Grades 1 through 5

Students of this age group participate in a workshop rotation model multi-dimensional learning program. They meet each Sunday during the program year from 10:15 until 11:15 a.m. A shepherd with a crook and a pennant with their grade number on it meets them in the upper or lower gathering space just outside the worship area. Students move through a rotation of classes for 4 – 5 weeks where they will study the same subject for those weeks but from a different learning perspective. Workshops they might encounter during a rotation include

Super Sixes

Sixth grade students meet together from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Students use the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum and study a wide range of topics related to the revised common lectionary texts and themes during the year. They meet during the program year from September through May.

Fisher Folk

Fisher Folk

This is a two-year confirmation program for 7th and 8th grade students. During the year students will earn 10 service hours and have 16 bulletins signed by a pastor.

As 8th graders students will complete other requirements and make a decision about church membership. This group meets on Sunday afternoons from 4:00 until 5:30 pm during the program year. 8th grade youth who make a decision to join the church will meet with the Session and their parents over a meal and then be examined for membership.

These students also volunteer as castle tour guides or food servers during the Olde English Faire at Stronghold, a camp and conference center in Oregon, IL, owned by the Presbytery.  Thousands of visitors attend the weekend festival.

Fellowship of the Carpenter

Fellowship of the Carpenter

This program is offered for all high school students and meets from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. each Sunday during the program year (September through May). The activities of this group are many are varied (often suggested by the youth themselves). The youth and their parents run fund raisers during the year to offset the costs of the annual mission trip called “Go ’n’ Serve.” We are trying to continue the plan for a four-year rotation for the mission trips including urban, environmental, and cross-cultural mission and leadership development. Students also offer a “Youth Sunday” the last week in April where they are the creators of a worship service, complete with music they choose and play, and the seniors give their testimonies of how the church has been a part of their lives.