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    There, a group of dedicated teachers works with them both as a group and in appropriate age segments to create a wonderful sense of shared learning … big kids being role models for little kids and little kids sensing that what is taking place is very important since big kids are involved and committed to what is going on. The basic elements of the Faith; its history; the Episcopal Church; life at Saint John’s; carrying the light of Faith into the world and onto the playground; and numerous other areas of Christian learning receive attention through teaching, hands-on projects, and hearing from members of the Parish about their lives and their faith.

    During Sunday School, a beautiful altar built by Steve Morris is put to use as the focus of the children’s worship service. The children and teachers come upstairs to share in Communion with the rest of the congregation as the morning draws to a close.

    One Sunday a month, the Sunday School members (as well as the older children who are members of the Confirmation Class, Youth Group, etc.) participate in the entire liturgy in Church. Sitting together with their families during the service, the younger members support the liturgy by acting as greeters, alms bearers, and oblation bearers. Older members read lessons. Both younger and older members participate in the Junior Choir, which sings at these services.

The following Mission Statement, crafted in Spring 2005 by the Sunday School Steering Committee, is a most complete exposition of Saint John's current approach to Christian Education amongst our younger members.

MISSION STATEMENT:

ST. JOHN’S CHURCH CHRISTIAN EDUCATION PROGRAM

“Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me."

Welcome to St. John’s Christian Education Program.

Christian education is a journey that begins with birth.  Each child making that journey will have many teachers along the way.  This Mission Statement sets forth our vision for teaching the children and young people in our care as they travel from infancy to independence.   The Christian Education Program at St. John’s Church seeks to meet the diverse needs of all its children, with these overarching goals as our foundation: 

--We want to nurture our children, embrace them as important members of our Christian community, and equip them to live out their baptismal covenant.

--We want our children to learn both the basics of their Christian faith and the true meaning of Christian service.

--We want our children to be fully engaged in the life of their church, in a reciprocal relationship with the broader parish community.

--We want to maintain a comprehensive, sustainable and creative approach to educating the children of this parish, while bearing in mind the unique demographics of St. John’s Church.

Our youth education classes are all taught by St. John’s parishioners.  Teachers need not be parents; indeed, one of the most valuable lessons our children can learn is that “outside” adults care enough to offer their time and talents to the Sunday School.  The Vestry is deeply involved in this process.

The St. John’s Christian Education Program is divided into clusters of age groups instead of grades.  This accommodates our varying attendance rates and helps strengthen our philosophy that “big kids help little kids.”  The age groups are flexible.  Sometimes siblings would prefer to be together for their class; some students will feel more comfortable in a class that is either younger or older.  Generally, however, our classes are divided as follows:

Pre-K Through Kindergarten:  What is Church?

For this age group, “Sunday School” should be a fun, loving, and caring place where Christian themes, Bible stories, and key milestones of the church calendar are introduced.  There’s plenty of time to play and move around in addition to sitting still.

First Through Fourth Grade:  Why are we in Church?

Here we use a more structured setting and more in-depth Bible reading to discuss the following Christian themes:

--Why are we in church?  What is the church family?

--What is the purpose of church?

--What does it mean to be a Christian?

--What is the nature of God?

Fifth Through Eighth Grade:  Becoming a Christian

Students in this age group face many challenges to their identity.  This class embraces the tough questions of forming a Christian identity and making the transition into an adult life of faith within St. John’s and the larger community.  Here, students are given the chance to understand Christianity’s traditions—and to take responsibility for their faith--within the context of their own complex and contradictory experiences in today’s world.

These young parishioners will be encouraged to attend the adult service more regularly within the context of their Sunday School experience and with support and direction of their teachers.

Confirmation Class: 

By the time young people in St. John’s Christian Education program reach confirmation age (13 to 14 years old), it is our goal to have helped them understand the creation as a realm consciously brought into being by the creative force we know as God. It is our hope that they will come to know that they were consciously brought into being as part of that creation, and that thus their lives have purpose. The search for this purpose and coming to understand it as having meaning and dignity is at the heart of the Christian journey.  The Nicene Creed and its three seminal statements form the basis of the class material.

Confirmation classes take place over a period of five to six weeks, with one or two meetings offered weekly to accommodate the different needs of the group.  The classes are taught by the Rector.

Ninth Through Twelfth Grades:  Living the Christian Life

This age group represents a diverse mix of young people from different towns and schools.  As such, a program designed for them needs to be flexible, something that they themselves find important and meaningful. One of our goals is to provide something here which is unavailable anywhere else -- a broader understanding of the liturgy, a sense of how they can live as Christians beyond St. John's, and a sense of belonging not only to this parish but to a larger community.  Youth Group should complement the experiences that these young people have had in the church, and give them a foundation of both faith and understanding that they can build on for the rest of their lives.

Just as adults attend church for many reasons, and church means many things to each parishioner, so too with our children.  St. John’s Christian Education program attempts to offer its students each opportunity that the church offers its adults:  formal education, a chance to make friends and to appreciate our differences, opportunities for service, an appreciation of our beautiful liturgy, a sense of tradition, and the knowledge that the Christian journey will continue long into the future.  We very much hope that you will join us as we work to welcome every child to St. John’s.

                               

  
Mimi deLisser and Isabel Gorrivan

 
Sydney O'Conner and Mr. Wright

Adult Education

Saint John’s offers adult education programs on many Sundays during the year in the Parish House Library from 9.00-9.50am. The timing seeks to allow those attending either of the morning’s worship services to take advantage of the Adult Forum conveniently in their schedule.

We are most fortunate to have had, for a number of years, the gift of The Reverend Rowan A. Greer as part of our lives at Saint John’s. Father Greer is the retired Walter H. Gray Professor of Anglican Studies at the Yale Divinity School and a Patristics scholar of considerable repute. Under his guidance, the Adult Forum has explored numerous areas of Church History, Prayer Book Studies, and Scriptural Studies which have greatly benefited those attending. His gracious presence, as noted, is a gift of great worth in our life at Saint John’s.

Adult Forum Schedule - Autumn 2007

Reform and Renewal: Evangelicals and Tractarians
*The Revd Rowan A Greer's marvelous lectures in Fall, 2004*