Children and Youth

At Grace Church, children are very important. We believe they are not the future of our church, they are the present of our church - current members of our parish who deserve respect, spiritual nourishment, and nurturing of their special gifts for ministry.


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CHILDREN AT GRACE

Our Sunday school curriculum for children ages 3 through 5th grade is Godly Play. 6th graders through Senior High are part of the youth group, and also meet for Sunday school using the Journey to Adulthood program. Those under 3 are welcome in our nursery during the 10:00am service.

Godly Play is a way of teaching children that aims to make religion come alive for children, assist their spiritual development, and help Christianity become part of their daily life.

In the classroom, teachers will tell stories from the Bible and about the sacraments using storytelling sets made out of wood, felt, and other materials to invite listeners into the stories and to connect the stories to their personal experience. Then, they help the children move to wider dimensions of faith with the use of open "wondering" questions. Children are allowed to decide for themselves on a way of responding to the story, which may be learning to re-tell the story by using games, books, maps or puzzles or by doing some artwork. The time and space of the classroom is organized so that it models the Christian community we seek to be. The room can then become a peaceful place in which the mystery of God can be experienced.

We invite you to visit our Sunday school to learn more about it!

 

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GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH YOUTH GROUP

The Grace Episcopal Church Youth Class meets at 6:30p.m. every other Sunday from September to June. It includes youth in grades 6-12. Friends are always invited. We use the Episcopal Curriculum for Youth for our discussions.

Early in the school year the youth and parents plan the activities for the year. The youth elect their own officers and parents share responsibilities in a cooperative effort to support youth activities. The youth group meets once a month after church to plan and coordinate these activities.

Activities include overnights and camping, holiday parties, pool parties, games, fun and fellowship. The yearly highlight is the youth group annual ski trip, largely funded through the youth group annual Christmas wreath sale.

The youth also work on projects to help in the community, collecting money for the Souper Bowl of Caring, the Food Pantry and other ministries.

Meetings and activities are also an opportunity for the youth to talk with one another and Reverend Kate about their concerns.