Our theme for the year is “Sharing Our Gifts,” and our theme for September is WELCOME! Please introduce your family here if you would like to participate in our 2023-24 cooperative family ministries. On Sunday mornings when worship isn’t a special occasion for all ages, we offer child- and teen-centered experiences for young people to enjoy while their parents or guardians stay in worship.
Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 7th - 9th Grade Youth provides honest, accurate information about sexuality that dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision-making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we provide Our Whole Lives (OWL) courses about every other year. OWL participation requires a deep commitment to consistent Sunday morning attendance and follows an intensive curriculum, so OWL students will begin in their classroom at 10:30 a.m. Parents/guardians of each OWL student must attend a mandatory orientation after worship on Sunday, September 17. (OWL classes will begin the following Sunday, September 24.)
Children in preschool and up begin by joining the worship service with their families at 10:30 a.m. After a brief Story time, they are invited to exit the Sanctuary to the Social Hall with their mentors to share snacks, help tidy up, and set out more snacks for coffee hour. Then they’ll follow their mentors through the Atrium and into the classroom wing to gather with their class.
Sharing Our Gifts I (preschool through 1st grade) and Sharing Our Gifts II (2nd through 6th grade) classmates will introduce themselves at circle time, open a surprise gift box, and choose between a fun structured activity, free play (sometimes outside!) with friends, or both. Classes on September 17 will be all about introducing ourselves and welcoming one another. Classes on September 24 will celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and the seasonal changes it brings. At 11:30 a.m., the younger class will wait in the classroom for their grownups to pick them up, and the 2nd-6th grade class will be released to join their families in the Atrium and Social Hall for coffee hour.
Youth Group (7th - 12th grade) is for teens in middle and high school who are not taking OWL this year. Youth Group activities are self-directed by the youth with the supervision and support of adult mentors. In the past, our youth group has planned and presented worship services, thrown holiday parties for the whole community, raised money for outside charities and their own projects, gone on field trips, played games, organized sleepovers, and had laid-back social time. Each year, the teens are given the freedom to revive past traditions, come up with brand new ideas, or try out a little of both. Teenagers may gather in the Social Hall before worship, get some refreshments, and then go down the hall to their own meeting room.