Children’s Sunday Morning

If you have not registered your children, remember they can join our program any time using the Sunday School Registration Form.  Please print this out and return to the church office or register on your child’s first day of class.

We offer Sunday School for children ages 3 through 14 and provide nursery care for the very young up to the age of two.

Classes begin at 10:00 am. Children join their families for the Peace at about 10:55.

Our curriculum reinforces God’s love for us and our need to be kind to others and love our neighbor as ourselves. We continue to focus on the theme of KINDNESS and we keep KINDNESS JARS in classrooms and have a paper KINDNESS TREE of challenges for children to do an act of KINDNESS and then have it added to the KINDNESS TREE.

Our classes and the Nursery all have a time for music each week.

Our classrooms for this year:

PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN: beginning at age 3, including children who will be five after the school cut-off date. Room #13 on the lower level. Teacher: Dorinda Hicks

LOWER ELEMENTARY: includes First Graders and some Second Grade. Room #9 on the lower level. Teacher: Marnie Pyke.

Our PRESCHOOLERS and LOWER ELEMENTARY classes will follow the “Holy Moly” curriculum which features a video to reinforce the Bible story for that day. We will be using familiar Old Testament Stories such as “Abrahem”, “Abraham and Sarah” “Jacob and Esau”, “David” and “David and Goliath” (Year 1: Unit I).

THIRD GRADE: Room #12 on the lower level. Teacher: Staci Evereart.

FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE: Room #5 (the Phil Room). Teacher: Earle Greene

Our UPPER ELEMENTARY class will follow the “Deep Blue Connect” Bible-based curriculum for children ages seven to nine as well as hands-on projects which relate to their lessons or our theme of KINDNESS. We will follow the CONNECT Program for nine and ten year olds with an emphasis on using their Bible to look up passages and find information.

 MIDDLE SCHOOL: Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grades. Youth Room in the Undercroft, lower level. Teacher: Anne Nelson.

Our MIDDLE SCHOOLERS will have a broad range of Bible-based lessons and topics developed by Anne Nelsen with discussions and Bible activities for the kids to explore. All Acolytes are welcomed to this class. 

Special Sundays

Our classes have certain Sundays when we go all out to help the children make connections between the liturgy and what it means. This year special activities include:

• a skit on October 6 that re-tells the Legend of Saint Francis and the Wolf,
• a focus on the Veterans in our Parish and those known to our children for Veteran’s Sunday, November 10,
• making Jesse Tree ornaments on November 17, and then decorate a Jesse Tree in our Church on the First Sunday of Advent, December 1,
• our traditional Christmas Eve Pageant at the 4pm service on that hallowed night – involving our children as characters from the Nativity. We feature angels and shepherds in costume. You won’t want to miss it!

For more information about Children and Youth Formation contact:

Dorinda Hicks, Director of Children’s Ministry at St.Andrew’s at dhicks811@gmail.com or call her on her cell at 630/709-5135 or evenings at 630-832-3681. 

We provide Nursery every week from 10:00 a.m. until the end of the 10:15 a.m. service. Our nursery is a safe, fun, and loving place for our youngest members.

Our Youth Choir Director visits the Nursery most weeks during the school year for a special Music Time.

Every Sunday from about 10:15 until 10:30 Chris Stansbury makes music with the nursery children as part of a mini church school lesson. They play instruments, hear stories, use scarves, and play musical movement games using skills and activities from the Musik Garten curriculum for churches called God’s Children Sing.

Join our closed Children’s Ministry Facebook page for current information on lessons and activities.

• Go to Facebook
• Search for “St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Children’s Ministry”
• Ask to join the group.
• We will then add you to the group!

Acolytes

Acolytes participate as key members of the team of clergy and lay ministers during the 7:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Sunday services and at special services throughout the year.  Carrying the cross, they lead the procession of the choir and all ministers into the church.

The program is open to youth in grades 4 through 12. Training is held annually or upon request. Acolytes are expected to participate in 12 to 15 services per year.

 

See photos of our recent gathering!

Acolyte Family Gathering sharing the joys and challenges of being an acolyte and acolyte family!

 

 

 

 

 

 

10 Reasons to be an acolyte

10. Dress up in awesome vestments

9. Lead the choir and clergy in procession carrying the cross and candles

8. Play with fire lighting the candles

7. Play with fire big time lighting the pascal fire at Easter Vigil

6. Hang out in the sacristy with other acolytes, Father Gregg and d tom+

5. Not get laughed at or scowled at if you make a mistake so long as you promise not laugh or scowl when Father Gregg and d tom make mistakes (‘cause they do!)

4. Get your parents out of bed in time for the 7:45 am service

3. Get to sleep in when you have the 10:15 service

2. Be part of the action around the altar – up close and personal

1.Be up close and personal with God

Contact Deacon Tom for more information. 

[button size=”small” src=”mailto:tcraighead@saintandrewschurch.net”]Email: tcraighead@saintandrewschurch.net[/button]

Youth Music

Children have several opportunities to praise God through music at St. Andrew’s! New singers are always welcome!

The Youth Choir is open to singers from kindergarten through the older grades.  We rehearse in the Youth Choir room every Sunday after communion for about 30 minutes, or until 11:45.  Our choir is growing, and new voices are always welcome to join the choir.

Our Youth Choir sings once a month, during the school year from September through May, at the 10:15 a.m. service.  They also sing all of the music for the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service, and the Liturgy of the Palms. 

Singing Dates:

• Sunday, October 6
• Sunday, November 3 (at 10 AM for the visitation by Bishop Lee)
• Sunday, December 1
• Tuesday, December 24, 4 PM at the Christmas Eve Service

Worshippers of all ages are involved in the youth music program at St. Andrew’s.  On Sundays, at 10:00-10:15 am, we have a preschool-kindergarten music class in the youth music room. At 10:15, there are songs and music with our youngest parishioners. At 10:35, there is music and song in the youth music room with the children in grades 1-3. The children learn songs that reinforce the lesson of the day.  We sing, play instruments, dance, move, and listen to music before the children go upstairs to join their parents in the church service, at the Peace.

Listen to our Youth singing A Walk With God, written by Parish member Linda Solomon.

 

 Questions? Please contact our Youth Choir Director Chris Stansbury at cpstansbury3@gmail.com or (630) 985-0895.

Baptism

Holy Baptism is administered on designated Sundays during the service.

Holy Baptism is especially appropriate at the Easter Vigil service, on the Day of Pentecost, on All Saints’ Day (or the Sunday after), the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord (the first Sunday after Epiphany) and the Bishop’s visitation. Upcoming suggested dates are:

Sunday, September 8, 2019, 9 AM (St. Andrew Day Celebration)

Sunday, November 3, 2019, 10:00 AM (All Saints’ Sunday, Bishop Lee Visitation)

Sunday, January 12, 2020, 10:15 or 7:45 (The First Sunday after the Epiphany)

Godparents must be baptized Christians, and are to be actively involved in a local church community.

Please call the Parish Office to arrange for the Baptism and to schedule pre-baptismal instruction.

A Prayer for the Care of Children

Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. (BCP pg. 829)