Sunday School is our central program for children, where we learn about God in a safe, loving and caring environment. Our underlying motto is “Where kids can be kids” is steeped in the belief that children nowadays are forced to grow up so fast- too fast! So often, kids find themselves in environments where they dress, talk and act older than they are, lest they be picked on. Not here. We want kids to develop at a comfortable pace in a nurturing way so that every year spent learning about God is special. I guess if I had to put our teachers’ philosophy into one phrase, I’d say we believe that “Our children only get to be kids once. Let them enjoy it.”

In our Sunday School, we work hard to create a place where kids can just be kids and have age-appropriate teachings and fill the rooms with laughter and joy as they learn. In this way, we try to foster fellowship, fun and trust.

The children begin together in a room that's a little like a sacred space where they sing a song or pray together. Then, they are brought into grade specific groups where they learn from a gifted teacher. Most of our teachers have done this for a long time or been school teachers themselves.

We group the kids for classes into three groups with one teacher and one helper per group: Pre-K-K, 1-3, and 4-6.

The timing for our classes run from 9:45am-10:10am for the gathering time, Bible Lesson and teaching. Then, from 10:10 until around 10:40 (when we get to “The Peace” up in church), kids are kept safe in more of a “childcare” environment with crafts, songs, etc. During the transition at 10:10, kids 4th grade and up and some teachers leave to go upstairs. The kids can’t participate if they’re downstairs for half the service, and we’ve determined that 4th grade and older kids should feel welcome to help lead worship as Acolytes and Ushers. After all, kids are the present church not just the future, and we want them to feel a part of it early. Also, the 1-2 teachers who come up can take turns being in church the whole time.

For our curriculum, we follow “Weaving God’s Promises,” which is a relatively new Episcopal-themed resource. This gives teachers a great starting place for lessons, crafts, etc. and each of the groups follow the same lessons, but with age-specific lessons. You can learn about this curriculum by clicking HERE

Music is also a large part of what we do, since it helps the kids remember easily and it’s a lot of fun. Sometimes, we will practice with the kids so they can sing a song up in church, thanks to the loving work of our amazing Minister of Music, Ann.

Your kids are a blessing to us, and we look forward to working with them in St. Luke’s Sunday School this year!

Sunday School Teachers: You can access the lesson plans for each week by clicking HERE. Parents and visitors are very welcome to look at these lessons to see what and how we teach at St. Luke's.