Children and Youth
Family Space for Worship
All young people are always welcome at every one of our 10 am worship services. We know young children sometimes make spontaneous sound and we celebrate all their exclamations and noises. We have a special area set aside just for families with smaller children where we offer right-sized chairs, carpeting, and quiet activities. Parents can also ask for an activity bag from our ushers to keep hands busy during worship in case you’d like to sit elsewhere in the sanctuary.
You will see other events list on our event calendar that are particularly designed for families and young people. Click here for more information.
Continuing Formation for Children
We have a robust and varied formation program for our youngest members. Each piece is designed to assist in developing their faith.
- First Sundays: Rev. Michelle leads All Ages Worship on the first Sunday of every month. A specially designed worship service, All Ages Worship offers everyone an opportunity to listen to the words of our liturgy in a new way. We love when young people are able to help lead us in worship and the sermon is constructed as a story to engage ears of all ages.
- Second Sundays: Every second Sunday of the month, we offer Godly Play for young people. A Montessori-based program, Godly Play introduces the stories of our scripture and tradition through interactive play. You can read more about Godly Play here.
- Fourth Sundays: On the fourth Sunday of the month, we extend the Godly Play lesson from second Sunday by incorporating it into an activity/lesson designed by one of our parents.
- Take-home Kits: At various times of the year, Rev. Michelle designs take-home kits that help to bring our most sacred stories and rituals into your home.
Intergenerational Community
Young people are full members of Christian community and we believe that everyone has ministry. St. John’s invites all our young members to participate in our worship and parish activities so they learn and feel supported to offer their gifts to one another. If an activity is not appropriate for all ages, we do our best to provide childcare so parents are able to be fully present.