Children's Ministry of First Presbyterian Church
Children's Department
On Sunday, April 5 at 9:35 a.m. parents with children who were three in August 2019 will meet to talk with Sunday School leaders about what your child has been learning this year. This is a great time to learn in what ways our faith community supports you as your child ages out of the nursery this summer and next fall.
We hope you will join us for this time of conversation and fellowship. The Gathering will conclude by 10:00 so you have time to get to your Sunday school group as well.
Our Love and Grace groups (children who were 5 and 6 in the fall of 2019) will hold their Milestone Celebration with parents in Grundy Hall on March 29.
The Reaching Out Together Milestone invites children to look past themselves and differences they see in people to see common elements, look for ways to show kindness to new friends and see each person they meet as a child of God.
During the Sunday School year guests have visited each group and shared something about themselves.
One guest who uses a walker for safe mobility asked the children if they saw anything different about her and the group was puzzled by the question. They saw the person, not the walker. May we all reach out in this way using the example of this group of children.
During the months of March and April, several of our pastors will make guest appearances in the third grade Sunday School groups. They will share their favorite Bible verse as well as answer questions from the children.
These guest visits offer our third graders a chance to meet pastors whom they often only see at the pulpit.
Our first graders and their parents gathered on Sunday, February 2 for the Milestone celebration that concluded three weeks of Sunday School session on the sacrament of Baptism. 5th graders offered a dramatic presentation on Jesus’ baptism, Pastor Ryan spoke to the children and surprised them with a sprinkle of water, and Ms. Roxie Gibson shared her book, Hey God, What’s Baptism?
On March 1, 2020 at 9:45 a.m. second graders and their parents will gather in Stanford Chapel with Pastor Sarah Bird to celebrate and participate in a service of the Lord’s Supper. This event culminates three weeks of sessions on the Lord’s Supper, its’ connection to the Jewish Passover Festival, and exploring, during Sunday School, the story of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples .
Milestone celebrations help families mark key times in a child’s faith development.
Our 5th graders met for a day long retreat on January 25, 2020. Their day was filled with getting acquainted activities, planning a worship service for families, preparing a meal and serving at Preston Taylor Ministries.
Our 4th graders will gather on Sunday, February 23, 2020 to celebrate their connection to the community of faith we call First Presbyterian. Their time together will include Sunday School, worship, lunch, service project for Room in the Inn and lots of fun and games that will culminate with dessert with parents and a blessing circle.
Retreat begins at 9;45 in C 118. Parents are invited to return to Courtenay Hall at 3:10 for dessert and formal closing with the retreat concluding at 3:30.
To participate in the 4th grade retreat, please register here.
Dear Galatians parents,
This Sunday, January 12, your first grader will begin their 3-week Milestone study, Exploring the Sacrament of Baptism.
The leaders of your child’s Sunday School group, Ramsey and Chase Corn, Keats and Phil Leach, Gena and John Moran, and Meredith and Mike Stewart, will be guiding the children through this unit. Children will use their senses, symbols, and Scripture to learn what a sacrament is, what baptism means to them and remember their own baptism (or look forward to the time when they will be baptized).
You can be an integral part of this exploration of baptism. We have created some activities and talking points that you can use during the study to reflect with your child on their experience on Sunday and then look ahead to what will be explored the following week. These can be done at any time during your week together as a family or one-on-one with your first grader.
We’ve also provided the catechism language from Belonging to God: A First Catechism to give you language to talk about the Trinity, baptism and Sacraments.
You can find the activities, talking points, and catechism for use at home here.
We encourage you to check it out this week to introduce your child to the unit and begin the conversation about the symbol of water used at baptism.
Looking ahead, please put Sunday, Feb. 2 at 9:45 on your calendar. This is the Milestone Celebration for you and your first grader. We encourage you to attend with your child as we culminate our time of learning about this important part of discipleship and worship.
We invite 4 year olds and their parents to join us in the Sanctuary on September 29 at 9:45 a.m. for a Milestone Celebration that welcomes our 4 year olds into our corporate time of worship. Children and their parents will explore the sanctuary and be provided with concrete ways that help young children appreciate and participate in worship at First Presbyterian Church.
Families are invited to then worship together at the 11:00 service in the Sanctuary where each of our 4 year olds will be presented with their own hymnal – “Sing to God.”
Our three year olds in the Moon group will receive a gift Bible on October 6, 2019 as part of their Milestone Celebration. Three year olds and their parents will gather in Grundy Hall at 9:45 to gather and create materials to use in a worship space at home. Families will create a worship mat and a collection of finger plays. The children will receive a copy of The Read and Learn Bible to use at home for family worship and reading.