Formation of Children
There are three primary elements to the Christian formation of children: the family, worship and Sunday School.
The Family
The family is the most important part of a child's Christian Formation. Sunday School and/or the weekly church service typically last only one hour per week. It is the church's responsibility to complement and supplement the Christian formation that takes place in the family. It is also the responsibility of the church to help and support the parents in this task by making available resources and continuing adult formation.
Worship
Worship is a central to the Christian formation of children. In weekly worship children learn about our faith through participation in the worship of God. Children are welcome are all services and participate weekly. In addition, Saint Peter's offers two worship opportunities particularly appropriate for children. They are:
9:00 Holy Eucharist for Families with Young Children
This service is an abbreviated and informal service of Holy Communion designed primarily for families with children as young as infants up to age 4 or 5. The children learn about our Christian faith by experiencing the worship, by age-appropriate stories, and when possible by helping with the worship.
10:00 Family Church
(Typically the second Sunday of the month from September to June)
Family Church is an intergenerational worship service in which children and youth take leadership of many ministries. Children read, usher, bring up the elements and assist in the Holy Communion. Sunday School does not meet on these Sundays. The St. Peter's Boys and Girls Choir sings at these services, accompanied by our Praise Band.
If your children are interesting in participating in family church, please email Ronald at rbyoung.stpeters@gmail.com.
Sunday School
Church School for children ages pre-kindergarten through grade 6 meets at 10:00 AM and uses multi-intelligence learning models that accommodate different learning styles. The children will join their parents for Holy Communion
Pre-kindergarten through Grade 2
Children through grade 2 uses Godly Play which teaches children the art of using religious language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action which help them become more aware of the mystery of God's presence in their lives.
Grades 3-6
These intermediate grades use a lectionary based curriculum in which the children study the same biblical lessons that their parents are hearing in church. Art, crafts, role-playing, and music are all used to enhance the children's learning experience.
copyright 2010, St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Please contact us at info.saintpeters@gmail.com
271 Roseland Ave., P.O. Box 96, Essex Fells, NJ, 07021
Phone: (973) 226-6500 Fax: (973) 226-5477
