Ministries

Children

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At St John, we are committed to helping children and their families grow together and experience faith changing life. We welcome all children into a safe and enriching environment where they come first!

Children, Youth & Family Ministries resources

Handbook

Vacation Bible School (2013 Athens) Register Online

We have designed age appropriate activities for children, beginning with a warm and loving nursery. Pagers are available for parents attending worship or studies.

Our curriculum is from Augsburg Fortress called Spark! Spark is a faith formation program that gets children ages 2 through grade 6 excited about God’s Word. Spark lessons bring to life 150 stories from the Old and New Testament through games, art, music, and science, to accommodate all the different ways kids learn.

Worship: Each Sunday morning, students will participate in an opening or closing time with singing and learning about worship. Preschool children will have a time of singing in their classroom. Kindergarten—2nd grade students will attend the opening and 3rd—6th grade students will attend the closing.

Our curriculum is from Augsburg Fortress entitled, Firelight II. This year’s unit is entitled Circle of Seasons: Living the Church Year. It uses experiences and activities to get learners moving — living what is taught. Firelight II is based on Bible stories. This year’s unit focuses specifically on anticipating Advent, celebrating Christmas and Epiphany, exploring hope in Lent and Holy Week, experiencing Easter, and playing through Pentecost.

Firelight does not meet during Advent and Lent.

Club 56 students will 'connect' with each other by discovering Bible stories and relating them to their everyday lives using large group gathering and games follwowed by small group time to dig into the lesson.

Milestones are about marking the journey of faith for children, youth and families. The entire congregation is involved in celebrating during worship and partnering with parents to pass on a passionate and life-changing faith in Jesus Christ to the future generations.

Holy Baptism: We celebrate with those being washed clean by the water and welcome them into the community of faith.

Baptismal Birthday: We invite everyone to think about what it means to live out their baptism each day and specifically lift up those baptized in the last year and their families.

Prayer and Worship: We start introducing talking with God and praising him with our kindergarten children and their families

Bible 101: 3rd grade students and their families open up Scripture together and start discovering the Word of God

First Communion: 5th grade students and their families dig deeper into what communion is and celebrate with the congregation receiving the body and blood of Christ

Faith-Filled Relationships: As 6th grade students end their elementary years and look towards junior high, we invite them and their families to think about what it means to have faith-filled relationships

Beginning of Confirmation: Seventh grade students and their families celebrate the entrance into junior high and into confirmation

Affirmation of Baptism: Ninth grade students and their families remember their baptism as the students become adults in the church and move to take on the promises of their baptism

Graduation: We celebrate with our high school seniors and their families as they take a new step in their life and are sent out into the world knowing they are embraced and lifted up by this congregation