FAITH AT HOME FOR CHILDREN
101 Ways to Pray at Home booklet: |
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Sue's video on: 101 Ways to Pray Video |
Marian's video on praying at home |
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We are here to support parents through the birth or adoption of their child and their entire faith life. If you are interested in having a child baptized; you can talk with the clergy. When a child is baptized, they receive a faith chest filled with a bible and other things to help grow their faith. We have a staffed nursery with changing table, nursing area and age appropriate toys and books for infants and toddlers. But they are also welcome to stay in church with their family! We love having the sights and sounds of so many little ones in our midst!
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Kid's Word: Children begin the Sunday 10 am service with their families, then are led down to our children's room where they will engage in Love First learning about loving self, neighbor and God through contemporary literature and age-appropriate biblical stories.
On Wednesday evenings preK-1st graders will engage in Music and Movement; the children will enjoy songs, instruments, games and crafts. The hour will end with a quieting time of kids yoga and mediation. Love Self is an introduction to thinking about ourselves as unique, lovable beings, to God and others, and also the importance of loving ourselves. Themes of mindfulness, self-care, and self-worth are presented through literature that deliberately portrays characters from underrepresented populations. The heart of our curriculum is the commitment to Love Neighbor. Emphasis is placed on addressing the needs of vulnerable parishioners, and how children of this age can alleviate their suffering. Children and their teachers will discuss the complexities of poverty, homelessness and hunger, animal treatment, environmentalism, equality and justice, and our obligation to care for those in need. Love God invites children to ponder what/who God is, what we mean when we say “God is Love,” and where God can be found in the work we do for others. Time will be spent reflecting on previous activities about loving others, making the connection that God is present whenever and wherever love is found. |
On Wednesday nights: Grades 2/3 and 4/5 will also explore how to love self, neighbor and God, but on a deeper level than the younger children and with an emphasis on addressing the challenges children face today. They meet twice a month on Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm
Love Self is a deeper exploration of what makes each of us unique and lovable, to ourselves and to God, with open conversations about courage, friendship, family, and how to overcome adversity. Love Neighbor is the heart of the program. This unit emphasizes loving and caring for others in need, and provides children multiple opportunities to ponder and discuss the complexity of issues like poverty, homelessness, hunger, and equality. Children will explore themes of empathy, gratitude, and justice, and how and when they intersect with loving others. Love God focuses on various forms of prayer and how to verbally express ways of talking about God that are flexible enough to address the complexities of our lives. Children are exposed to multiple ways of praying, including using color, beads, journals, etc. and are encouraged to use these ways to communicate with God as a way to alleviate the suffering of others, to calm oneself, or to cope with adversity. |
Grades 10-12 |
Grades 6/7 will also focus on these core areas of love while starting the first year of year years of formation programming; the first year focusing on challenging questions they might be pondering and the second year focuses on our sexuality education program and Exploring other Faiths. Grades 8-9 learn more about their Episcopal faith as they prepare for Confirmation in a two year program These grades meet twice a month on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 pm
We will have a monthly senior high gathering after the 10 am service which will include lunch and time to gather together. Many are active in our acolyte program. Our senior high have several opportunities to attend overnight retreats throughout the year in collaboration with other youth groups and the wider Episcopal Church in Minnesota youth ministry program. |