Children during services

Sunday School is held in the hall during the 9.30am service when there is a leader.

Young parishioners wait with adults on arrival at church, then they go to the hall* after the priest welcomes everyone. Here they enjoy discussion and reflective work, returning again in time for Holy Communion.

We explore many different topics. without telling our young parishioners what to think or what to believe – we encourage them to wonder and to develop their own relationship with God at they choose to. We speak about the sacred stories, the parables, the saints, how the church works, Jesus and his disciples, liturgical symbols, and how to take to contemplate whatever they want to wonder about. We sometimes use Godly Play – a friendly and engaging method of teaching traditions and sacred stories for all ages, encouraging children to think about God in their own way.

^{* Adults are encouraged to join their children if they need support staying settled.}

Coming up:

Pentecost	28-May-23	Greg W	Pippa C	Pentecost
Trinity	04-Jun-23	Nikki L	Josh C	tba

Other topics we have covered:

All Saints
– the Saints & Prophets

Easter:
– Lent and what it means
– All-age service of the Palms
– What is Palm Sunday about?
– Crosses – meaning and use in the church (there is a G.P. story)
– The Mystery of Easter (G.P. story)
– The Faces of Easter (G.P. story)

Wondering about life:
– Affirmation – we belong and are loved (Supp story: baptism)
– Courage – God made us brave. (Supp story: The Good Shepherd)
– Love – how to remember we are loved despite the Valentine’s / commercial hype
– What do we do when the bad guys win and why doesn’t God stop the bad stuff?
– Loving our enemies. How do we love those who are difficult to love? (Supp story: Good Samaritan)

The mystery of Pentecost

Ordinary Time:
– The Prophets
– The Fishermen
– Jesus & the Twelve
– Music workshop – piece for All Age svc

Sacred Stories – there are Godly Play resources for these if required:
– Creation
– Flood and the Ark
– The Great Family (Abraham)
– Exodus
– Ten Best Ways (The Ten Commandments)
– Exile & Return
– Ark and the Tent
– Ark & the Temple

Parables – there are Godly Play resources for some of these if required: :
– The Good Shepherd

The Church, liturgy, scriptures, practices:
– Holy Baptism
– The Apostles’ Creed
– How can we use The Bible (Supp story – the ‘Books of the Bible’)
– Symbols of the Holy Eucharist

Advent:
– Circle of the Church Year
– journaling through advent
– The Mystery of Christmas
– Nativity Play costumes and parts
– Nativity Play rehearsal