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Christian Education Programs
For Children and Youth
Crib/Toddler
Room
Godly Play
for children ages 3 to Grade 5
Journey to Adulthood
("J2A") for ages 12 and up
Confirmation
Crib/Toddler
Room
Care is provided for babies to toddlers up to age 3 during worship service
starting at 10:30 a.m. Adult volunteers assisted by eager members of
the youth group nurture them. Please click here
for helpful tips and registration for crib/toddler childcare.
Godly
Play
Following the Children's Time in the Worship Service each Sunday, children
from age 3 to grade 6 are invited to leave for Godly Play.
There are four age groupings - Preschool, K to Grade 1, Grades 2 & 3,
Grades 4 & 5. Each room is staffed with a trained storyteller
and greeter who help create "the community of children" who
discover the language of faith together.
Godly Play is based on each child's experience of God; we just supply the language to help them make connections between their everyday lives and God's story. In Godly Play, we tell the core stories of the Bible, of our history and from our tradition. Each Godly Play classroom contains shelves full of multi-sensory objects for children to use. These objects help to make the images of our religious language come alive. Through the use and manipulation of these materials, teachers and children, tell and re-tell and enter into God's story in order to make meaning of their own experience.
Godly Play focuses on the spiritual development of each child as an individual, while encouraging the development of choices and values that are a part of living in a Christian community.
A Typical Sunday Morning Session
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Getting Ready for the Story--The doorway is a very important place. From the moment the child enters the room, the storyteller and greeter and the room itself help the child get ready to hear God's Word.
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Hearing the Story--In the fall, we focus on the stories of Hebrew Scripture. In Advent, we begin with the birth of Jesus and move through the stories of his ministry and resurrection. In the spring, we introduce communion and baptism.
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Responding to the Story--Each child chooses how he or she would like to respond to the story. Everything in the room is for the child to use. Each child has a special folder to store their unfinished work from week to week
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Gathering Again--A time to "share the feast" or just be together!
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Going with God's Blessing--Another threshhold moment! Each child leaves with a special blessing or "good word" from the storyteller. The greeter will meet you at the door and help with the transition into the week ahead.
Godly Play was developed by Episcopal priest, author and teacher Jerome Berryman. For more information on Godly Play we recommend Teaching Godly Play by Jerome W. Berryman, Abingdon Press. The Center for the Theology of Childhood can also be reached at theologychild2@earthlink.net. Please click here to register for Godly Play.
Journey
to Adulthood
The Journey to Adulthood (J2A) includes grades 6 through 11. The J2A
groups meet before worship at 9 a.m. to allow them to be active participants
in our worship service. The curriculum is divided
into 3 segments lasting about 2 years each. The curriculum includes
in-depth discussions of self, society, spirituality and sexuality.
J2A
is based on two key concepts that manhood and womanhood are gifts from
God and that adulthood must be earned.
The first segment is called Rite-13 for those in grades 6 and 7. The
Rite-13 curriculum assists young people as they explore new areas
of
independence in their lives. It celebrates the gift of adulthood, and
the creative power and potential of these young people. It creates
a
safe haven to explore new ideas, new interests and new abilities.
The J2A curriculum for grades 8 and 9 blends action and contemplation
in teaching young people faithful living. To prepare them for adulthood,
they work on six basic skills: active listening, negotiation, assertion,
research/information management, partnership, and leadership.
Our 10th and 11th graders will be part of a new young adult group
in the Church to encourage them to take on adult responsibilities and
participate in
all
aspects
of our congregation's life and in the community, and to become good
stewards of their time, talent and treasure in a lifelong pilgrimage
of faith.
For more information please contact the coordinator for our Children and Youth Programs at the church Georganne Bennett, ce@fcc1651.org.
Confirmation
In our tradition, confirmation is the processs through which a young
person affirms the promises made on his/her behalf at baptism. Confirmation
also celebrates the personal decision a young person makes to join
this particular congregation as a way of fulfilling those baptismal
vows.
If a young person has not yet been baptized, which is not unusual,
he/she would be baptized as part of confirmation. The confirmation
service
itself occurs during morning worship and will next take place in the
fall of 2005.
Preparation for confirmation is mainly through our Journey to Adulthood program on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. Journey to Adulthood will conclude with a pilgrimage experience in 2005. The pilgrimage is designed to be a chance for each young person to explore what their faith commitment means for his/her life. After two years of fundraising, the 10th and 11th graders will be taking their pilgrimage to New Mexico to explore Native American spirituality on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. Confirmands will also be meeting with our pastors, and other church members, and attending a retreat with youth from United Church of Christ churches from all over Massachusetts. And of course, along the way are an assortment of other events and activities to enjoy each other's company scheduled outside Sunday morning.
To register for the Confirmation program or for further information,
please contact Reverend
Vicky Guest.
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