Children aren’t just our future – they are people who matter now! And so they deserve interesting and inviting church services, and formation opportunities to help them understand and grow in their faith. We also want to help parents engage their children’s imagination in a life of faith and the love of God. Gospel means Good News, and in order to feel like Good News to kids (of all ages), a life of faith ought to be joyful, interesting, and helpful in their daily lives.
Sundays at St. John’s
During the “school year” there are three main components to Spiritual Formation for kids: Worship, 10:00 formation, and Family Activities.
Worship (9:00 Service): Worship is a primary formation experience for everyone, including kids of all ages. Parents often worry about bringing their children into church, but we genuinely welcome children in the service, and encourage you to bring them! We know they sometimes “make a joyful noise,” but that just makes church more like family! We have “Worship bags” for younger kids, which can help wiggy little ones stay busy. We also have terrific worship bulletins from the folks at Illustrated Children’s Ministry with word searches, word scrambles, connect-the-dots, and lots of creative coloring opportunities! And for those who prefer it, we have warm, friendly childcare in our beautiful atrium.
Twice a year we turn things upside down and do church from their perspective! We have at least two “theme” Sundays each year. In the past, we have had Lion King and Harry Potter Sundays, In August, 2022 was our Encanto Sunday. Click here for the Irreverends Lion King Sunday podcast episode.
Every Sunday at 10:00, we will either be doing Lego My Bible, Service Projects (the Second Sunday) or activities and coloring posters from the gifted artists at Illustrated Children’s Ministry. The posters link with 12 Bible stories about compassion – loving the way God loves – which is something the world desperately needs. They also connect with activities we’ve made available for families to use at home. Everyone will enjoy coloring these gorgeous posters!
LEGO my Bible – is the Third Sunday of every month: Lego my Bible was created by Emily Slichter Given, when she was the Director of Children and Family Ministries at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas, TX. She developed the curriculum and published it in a book, Building Faith, Brick by Brick: An Imaginative Way to Explore the Bible with Children. Basically, everyone gets a jar of random Legos (or Duplos for smaller hands!) Then we tell a Bible story, and invite everyone to respond with Legos. Then we talk a bit about what people have made. It is SO much fun! It is a great way to practice Bible Study and Theological Reflection at home. For once, we can give this advice for something so cool and fun – please DO try this at home!
Family Activities: We want help your family to explore and practice faith together. This helps children see that God is everywhere, everything is sacred, and every moment holds possibilities for resurrection and love. We have purchased fantastic resources from Illustrated Children’s Ministry for you to download and use at home or anywhere! It has story cards, ideas for family devotions, coloring pages, and more that explore Bible stories on different themes. We have corresponding coloring posters and Children’s Bulletins at church every Sunday during Kids’ Coffee Hour.
Contact Gini to receive access to the Illustrated Children’s Ministry family activity packet and more.