Children

At St. John’s, our mission is to help children experience the love of God through our own expressions of love. We hope that by giving children our time, our care, our efforts, and our instruction we are modeling for them an idea of what it means to be a Child of God.

Sunday School, 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM

Infants and Toddlers - Are loved and cared for by our weekly volunteers. They experience the presence of God through gentle hands, kind words, and a comforting environment. They meet in the Broach Hall nursery and on the preschool hall in the 2’s room. Children at this age stay in their room for the full morning.
Preschool - Children ages 3 and 4 make a weekly craft, hear a Bible story, have a snack and play together. They meet in the 3’s room on the downstairs preschool hall. Children at this age stay in their room for the full morning.
Elementary - Children in K-5th grades meet on the second floor. They use the “Rock Solid” curriculum to learn Bible stories and explore the lives of Bible characters. They practice Bible knowledge through fun games and drills, and work on projects for mission and performance.

Sunday Worship Hour for K-5, 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM

K-2 - This age is a time to introduce children to worship and worship practices. Children begin a schedule of time in worship and time in worship education classes:
- 1st Sunday - in worship with parents - worship kit is provided;
- 2nd Sunday - Quiet Worship - children learn practices of silence and meditation;
- 3rd Sunday - A Time for Prayer - children learn about different types of prayer;
- 4th Sunday - Baptist Democracy - children learn about the congregational model of decision-making by choosing together their activity
3rd-5th –This age group is ready to experience more time in worship with adults, but still benefits from instruction:
- 1st and 2nd Sunday - in worship with parents - worship kit is provided;
- 3rd Sunday - Worship 101 - instruction (usually with a game) on church seasons, worship practices, communion and baptism, church history, and Bible history.
- 4th Sunday - option to join Baptist Democracy

Fellowship Opportunities
Building relationships is part of the job of the children’s program - one way we do that is by offering special events for children to build memories together, such as a sleepover at the Great Wolf Lodge or a trip to see a play at Children’s Theater. Children also experience time together on our annual trips: Passport Kids Camp or our Family Mission Trip.

Missions
Missions are a vital part of the life of St. John’s, and children play their own role in this important work. Sunday School classes periodically take on a mission project, such as making gift bags for the children’s department in our neighboring hospitals or making blankets for children in need. Our Mission Friends program on Wednesday nights is focused on learning about missions going on in the world and on things children can do. In our program we have made medical kits for children in Haiti, made hand-out bags to give to those we see in need on the street, earned thousands of grains of rice at www.freerice.com and helped pack the backpacks for our backpack program with Highland Renaissance School.

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