Children’s Ministry at St Johns

We are worshiping together, in new ways!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all St. John’s activities are taking place online. For everyone’s safety, there are no in-person activities at church at this time. To find out more about current children and youth activities, please email Heather Miller.

St. John’s is a part of the Beloved Community of God’s people across time and space. Our mission statement captures our primary values: We celebrate the gift of Christian community and welcome all, without distinction, to share the joy and pain of life’s passages. We commit ourselves to personal and spiritual maturity, both traditional and innovative worship, the healthy nurturing of children, and reaching out, beyond the Church, seeking Christ in all persons. We are a community exploring Jesus’ Way of Love, which centers on spiritual practice, going deeper in our faith, and expressing that faith in love of our neighbors. Children & youth are a vibrant and essential part of our community and ministry. In our welcoming and socially conscious environment, we help children and youth to fulfill our baptismal covenant, which includes seeking and serving Christ in all persons and striving for justice and peace among all people.

Ministry Goals

We encourage lifestyles involving practice, falling down, getting up and deepening in experience of Gods healing, liberating, justice-making love. As children and teens participate from birth through high school, our hoped for outcomes—aligned with church values—for what they know, do and be include:

• KNOW | Children and teens learn who our loving God is through scripture stories, Episcopal tradition, and experiences within community.
• DO | Children and teens engage in opportunities to integrate their faith through action and understand how Jesus’ Way of Love impacts daily life.
• BE | Children and youth welcome all people as created in God’s image and begin to live into who they are created to be through meaningful relationships with peers, adults, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and the earth.

Faith Milestones

• Birth | Baptism
• Age 3 |  Entering Sunday School
• Grade 5/6 |  Entering Youth Group + Becoming Acolyte
• Grades 7/8 |  Pilgrimage Preparation + Trip
• Grade 10/11 |  Confirmation
• Grade 11/12 |  Centennial Fund

Weekly on Sundays

(from mid-September to mid-May)

• Ages 3-Grade K | Parents with their children meet through Zoom 10:30a – 10:45a for Godly Play — exploring faith through story, wonder and play. Teachers introduce the story the first week and invite children to create the same story the following week.
• Grades 1-4 | Parents help children meet on Zoom 11:00a – 11:30a for Sunday School learning Bible stories that incorporate lens of other cultures and multi-cultural resources. They follow the Lectionary using Bible stories in Year A from lessonplansthatwork.org published by the Episcopal Church.
• Grades 5-8 | Students meet on Zoom every other Sunday 6:30p – 7:15p for connection and game before splitting into 5/6 and 7/8 for a foundations of faith “TED talk” and discussion. Over 2 years students learn the arch of God’s story and where they fit as well as learning to love others as God loves them.

Monthly / Quarterly

(mid-September to mid-May)

• Parents | Parents meet quarterly on a Sunday evening on Zoom for connection, support, and to discuss how to talk about and live out faith at home.
• Children’s Outdoor Gathering | Families join Earth Matters either on their own or with other families to practice integrating faith into action.
• Intergenerational | All ages meet quarterly on Sundays 10:00a-10:20a on Zoom for breakouts getting to know others in the St. John’s community and celebrating liturgical day or season.

Annual Events

• All Saints Intergenerational Event November 1
• Advent Intergenerational Event November 29
• Children’s Christmas Pageant December 24
• Epiphany Intergenerational Event January 3
• Lent Intergenerational Event February 21
• Children’s Easter Vigil on April 3
• Easter Intergenerational Event April 11

Fall Zoom Programs

CLICK HERE FOR A PDF OF OUR FALL PROGRAMS

Children’s Choirs

See the music page for information.