Young Children and Worship is an exciting way to present biblical stories through worship with young children to help them experience as well as learn about God. The program was influenced by the philosophy of Maria Montessori and was developed by Sonja Stewart and Jerome Berryman. Young Children and Worship has transformed and renewed children’s ministries in churches across North America and around the world.
Jacquie Reimer is our Sunday School Coordinator. Children ages three through eleven are invited to join the classes downstairs during the 10:00 a.m. service.
Some comments from our leaders:
“I wonder…how I will do this..how on earth I’ll remember all the details of the story…how the kids will learn anything…I had nothing to worry about…by inviting the kids to wonder I found myself responding to the Bible stories and wondering about them in ways I had not done before.”
“Is it daycare, education, or worship? The story is told in a quiet way so the children can wonder. As the service upstairs is a continual act of worship, I now know that our Sunday school is also a continual act of worship.”
“Children are invited to respond to the Bible story in their own special way. Some choose to write, most choose to draw. I invite those interested to share their responses with the group; it is a wonderful opportunity to be provided with a “snapshot” of what has been stirring in their hearts during our time of worship together.”
“The Bible is full of sacred stories and storytelling is at the heart of Children’s Worship. So, on a Sunday morning, both children & adults hear a sacred story of God. The storyteller has the story memorized so that the words come from inside the storyteller, not just from a book. The children love to listen and wonder and see with their hearts. In this way they grow in a kind of wisdom and knowledge that comes from an encounter with God.”