Cathedral Children

Your family is important here.
We believe that all people are made in God's image, including our children and youth.

We at Saint Paul’s are committed to helping children grow in faith. While it may seem that they don’t always understand what is going on, they often understand more than we realize. By our attitude, they understand church is a special and sacred place where they are loved and accepted. Our church service provides an excellent opportunity for parents to be involved in the spiritual nurturing of their children. Church School, led by people who are engaged in communicating the love of God to children, offers children age-appropriate learning opportunities led by loving people using sound resources.

At Saint Paul's Cathedral we provide weekly Sunday morning Church School for all children ages 2 until 5th grade when children enter into our youth program. Presently church school begins at 10:15 with a gathering and snack time in the garden. Starting at 10:30 we will divide into age groups to have a bible story and discussion or craft time. Mask are required for all adults who are within three feet of a child. Masks are highly recommended for all children.

Below are some reminders and helpful information:

Reminders

1. Church school begins at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday (September through late December & January through late May) unless noted in the Calendar. Please try to be prompt as we begin each class in prayer and with a liturgy developed specifically for each classroom.

2. Church school ends at 11:15 a.m.

3. If your child is an acolyte (grades 3 and up) at the 11:15 a.m. service, they will be released by their teachers at 11:00 a.m.

4. If your child still needs assistance going to the bathroom or wears a diaper/pull ups, we ask that you hang around in the garden during class time to assist with any bathroom needs.

Classes and Curriculum:

St. Paul's Church School is the Sunday morning program for children and youth. As previously mentioned, church school has two sessions throughout the year:

• Fall Session: September through late December
• Spring Session: Early January through late May

At St. Paul's, we use a variety of curricula - each selected to best engage children at different stages of physical, mental and spiritual development.

• 2 Year Olds to K: This year, the SPARK picture Bible is being combined various picture books and are following the Episcopal Children's Curriculum weekly themes. We will cover the following through the church year: God Keeps his Promises; Jesus the Storyteller, preparing for Advent; Eucharist the Sacred meal and The Church Prays.
• Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Godly Play: St. Paul's Church School uses a Montessori-esque curriculum called Godly Play. Developed by the Rev. Jerome Berryman, Godly Play is primarily Episcopal curriculum focused on telling the sacred stories of God in an interactive, tactile manner. It desires that children "play" and "work" with the stories by recreating them at home or through craft materials. In addition, Godly Play places emphasis on our liturgical life together and the changing of our church calendar.
• 3rd - 4th Grades Building Faith Brick by Brick: This is an imaginative way to explore the Bible with children using Legos. Bible stories based our weekly themes are read while children wonder aloud about God and encounter stories of faith in a rich new way.
• Junior High 6th - 8th Grades: The 2019/2020 year starts Year 2 of the Episcopal Curriculum, Weaving God's Promises. It is intended to deepen the connection of the young person to the Episcopal theology, practice, worship and scripture aspects of our faith. It is a three-year curriculum so youth attending from 6th-8th grades will be exposed to all three years of the program. The second year also focuses on the people of the Bible in the fall then transitions to the stories of Jesus' ministry in the spring.
• Senior High 9th - 12th Grades: This group will continuing using The Bible Project as the basis of the curriculum. This curriculum was written to show that the entire story of the Bible is a series of stories that are all parts of a story arc that eventually fits together into one epic story. The Bible Project uses videos which are informative, theologically sound, age appropriate and engaging. They can also be viewed at home so the church school class discussion can continue. www.thebibleproject.com

• Youth Group (6th - 12th Grades): The Youth Group meets every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in the youth room unless otherwise noted on the Calendar. The St. Paul's Youth Group is a safe place where youth gather to discuss, pray, worship and enjoy fellowship. The also engage in service projects both within the St. Paul's community and also the community at large.

Special Events for Cathedral Kids:

In addition to our Sunday morning programs we also offer a number of special events that help our Cathedral kids and their families grow in faith. We arrange our activities thematically throughout the year. Several of our big events include:

Advent Event: During the 10:30 church school time we have an intergenerational event to prepare for all things Christmas. We assemble Advent wreaths, make ornaments and begin to celebrate the coming of Christ.

Journey to the Cross: A Good Friday Stations of the Cross for families that includes interactive stations at 5:00 p.m. on Good Friday followed by a meal.

Easter Festival: Holy Saturday events at the Cathedral including an Egg Hunt, flowering of the cross, activities, breakfast burritos and more!

Check back often for more information about these and other activities for Cathedral families.