Here at St. Andrew's we have a dedicated team of Sunday School teachers who are passionate about serving kids and supporting families in their journey of faith. We use the Spark! Sunday School curriculum for our Sunday School aged kids (ages 5-12ish) and we've been getting rave reviews about it from kids and parents alike. Interested in knowing more about what your kids are learning at church? You can find more information about the Spark! Lectionary program here.
Sunday School
The Sunday School program runs from Rally Back Sunday (usually the first Sunday after school starts) until mid-June. During the summer months, the Faith Formation team provides age-appropriate activity sheets and art materials. There's also a Children's "Book Bin" in the narthex (the space right outside the sanctuary) for families to use during the worship service.
Nursery Class (Toddlers/Preschoolers)
We care about our youngest congregants, and we provide year-round quality care for toddlers and preschoolers ages 1-4 years old in our Nursery Class. A program of simple songs, stories, activities, play time, and snack time (always popular) in a comfortable space designed with young children's developmental needs and safety in mind will be provided. The Nursery room is also overseen by the lead Sunday School Teacher, who checks in from time to time. Occasionally the Nursery and Sunday School class are combined for an all-ages activity, story or craft.
Worshipping Together
Our service begins with everyone together in the church sanctuary. This allows children to experience church for themselves and promotes intergenerational connections between older and younger congregants, too. About a quarter of the way through the worship service, the children will be called forward for a special story or activity time that illustrates the spiritual theme of the day using practical materials that kids love. This theme time is followed by a short prayer and a song (usually a praise hymn) that the whole congregation sings; after this hymn, the children head to Sunday School or Nursery class downstairs.
A Few Things for Families to Know
Please note that our children's programs are entirely optional. If you or your kids would prefer to stay in the sanctuary throughout the worship service, that is perfectly fine. We do NOT believe that children should be "seen, but not heard" in worship, or anywhere else! Children learn about church from being in church, and we want to do everything we can to make your experience here a positive one. So parents, please relax! Children are a blessing from God, and they are vital for the health and wellbeing of the congregation. We welcome the sound of young voices in our midst, and we expect some noise on Sunday mornings.
On the other hand, if you feel that your children/grandchildren are being loud enough to bother other worshippers, you are also welcome to use the narthex (the large room right behind the sanctuary). The narthex is equipped with speakers, comfortable couches and armchairs, and a large window into the sanctuary so that you can still see and hear what is going on while you attend to the needs of your child/ren. There are some toys inside the coffee table (just lift the lid) and there's plenty of space if your little ones need to run around). Some breastfeeding mothers prefer to use the narthex instead of the sanctuary when their baby gets hungry, but please feel free to nurse wherever you are most comfortable.
Seasonal Activities for Sunday Schoolers
In addition to our regular Sunday programming for children, we are pleased to offer some special seasonal activities, as well. Highlights include the fall "Stone Soup" potluck, the annual Sunday School Christmas presentation, White Gift/Joy of Giving Sunday in December, handing out flowers on Mother's Day, auctioning homemade pies on Father's Day (proceeds to the Mission & Service fund), Sunday School promotion Sunday in June (typically followed by hot dogs for everyone on the BBQ) and our Community VBS (Vacation Bible School) in July - a collaborative project of several local churches, including ours, that provides a week of free fun and faith formation to local children aged 4-12 (plus some teen helpers).
A Word About Safety
Anyone involved in our children and youth ministries is accountable to the Faith Formation Team, and the Official Board of the Church. We follow all relevant United Church policies on child abuse prevention, classroom management through positive discipline, and the Spark! curricular guidelines on nurturing child development. All ministry personnel, must provide periodic criminal record checks to the Office of Vocation, including a vulnerable sector check, and the local RCMP detachment also offers this service to our volunteer teachers/helpers on an annual basis.
In short, we take your children's safety seriously, and that impacts every aspect of our programming, people, and physical environment while they are with us. From working with our volunteers regularly to bolting shelving units to the wall; from disinfecting toys in our industrial dishwasher during flu season to serving peanut-free, gluten-free snacks in our nursery class; from revamping our curriculum to refreshing the classrooms; from stocking family-friendly DVD's in the church library to making sure kids who use mobility aids can access all areas of the church, the well-being of your children matters to us. Parents, have you noticed something that you really love about our children's ministries or something that we could improve? Please go to the "Contact + Map" button at the top of the page, and let us know!