Children & Families
During the baptism of an infant or child, the congregation vows to “do all in [its] power to support [a] person in his or her life in Christ” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 303). At Christ Church, we uphold this vow by providing weekly classroom education for children, as well as fellowship and formation opportunities for all members of a family to grow and support each other in faith. For more information about children's or youth education, contact Christine Casey, Youth and Family Minister.
Worship
We believe that participation in worship is central to the development of a young person's faith, just as it is for adults. Worship is where children first hear and become familiar with the Scriptures, prayers, and music that shape our beliefs. We encourage families to bring children of all ages to worship as often as possible, and invite children and their families to become involved with leading worship as they grow. Young people learn to serve in various roles at the 9:00 a.m. service, including:
Greeters and Assisting Ushers:
Children and youth of all ages may sign up on the Sunday School registration form to help welcome congregants, take up the offering, and direct worshippers to Communion.
Acolytes and Lectors: Beginning in fourth grade, students will learn about these roles in Sunday School, and may sign up to serve in them.
Sunday School
Christ Church considers the religious education and formation of children a central priority. With the support of the parish and a team of volunteer teachers, we offer weekly education for children ages three and up. Sunday School classes take place within the context of the 9am Service on the 1st-3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, mid-September through the end of May. A Children's Homily is given during the 9am Service in place of Sunday School class on the 4th Sunday of each month.
Children aged three through first grade use a Montessori-based religious education program called Godly Play. Classes are divided into "Caterpillars" (Pre-K) and "Butterflies" (K-1st grade).
Second through fourth graders use the Spark Lectionary, a curriculum that invites children into deeper exploration of the lectionary readings used in church each week.
Fifth and sixth graders use the Connect curriculum, which looks at the Bible chronologically in an effort to find God’s “big story” of redemption in the countless smaller stories that are sacred to Christians.
For more information on our middle and high school programs, see our Youth Ministry pages.
All classes include prayer, storytelling, discussion, and art projects. Students enjoy routine visits from clergy, a music teacher, and other special guests. Periodic meetings and other formational sessions are offered for parents throughout the year.
Nursery and "Littles & Life"
The Christ Church Nursery, for children four months to three years of age, is open on Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The nursery is a welcoming, safe, and stimulating environment, which reflects to our youngest parishioners the love and warmth of the parish community and enables parents’ participation in adult and youth education programs.
Professional child care providers engage the children in age-appropriate activities. When a child is signed in to the nursery, the parent is asked to provide information essential to the safe care of the child and is given a pager in the event the nursery attendant needs a parent to return to the nursery. The nursery is located on the first floor of the Parish Hall.
Littles and Life is a group for fellowship and faith development for parents and our youngest parishioners. Families with pre-Sunday School children (from birth through 3 years) may participate in Littles and Life, which monthly.
Family Ministry
A significant portion of a child’s or youth’s faith development takes place within the context of the home. To support families in the Christian formation of their child(ren), Christ Church offers seasonal opportunities for worship, fellowship, and service for families with children of all ages, including:
- "All-Ins", gatherings for families at the beginning of a new liturgical season. On "All-In" Sundays, the event takes place in lieu of regularly scheduled Sunday School classes and provides a celebratory lesson and activity for families to complete together;
- An intergenerational evening program during the season of Lent includes supper and a speaker series for adults concurrent with a children's program focused on finding spirituality in classic children's literature;
- An annual guided Eucharist class for parents of nursery through first grade children;
- A Christmas pageant, performed by the Sunday School;
- A Youth Sunday celebration at the end of each program year.