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Programs for Children & Youth
Weekly Sunday School is concurrent with the 9:30 worship service. Children and youth in grades 1-12 worship with their families through the sermonette and then dismiss to their classrooms for Christian Education.
5th through 12th grade students (middle school and senior high age groups) remain in worship on Communion Sundays (the first Sunday of every month).
Our goal is to help children and youth foster a better relationship with Christ, themselves and the community. We aim to help each child develop important spiritual Christian tools for life through action, learning and service.
We strive to meet these goals through Education, Fellowship and Service.
Quick Updates
What's Happening in Sunday School
Christian Education
 Sunday School
Confirmation
Vacation Bible School
Fellowship
Children's Fellowship
Youth Fellowship
Wednesday Family Nights
Regular and Seasonal Activities
Christmas Pageant
Devon Horse Show Parking
Camp Re-Vision
Service
Mission trip
Community service
Sunday School Offering
Throughout the course of Sunday School classes this year, teachers will collect the offering from students just as offering is collected during the service. All the offerings will be donated to the Presbyterian Children Village, our 2010-11 Sunday school mission project recipient We encourage families to give your students opportunities to earn their offering dedication through chores, small fundraisers, etc. so that they can learn the discipline of giving alongside us. Thank you for your support! |
 Christian Education
Sunday School
Our Sunday School program provides age-appropriate instuction for children in all age groups. Thanks to our teachers:
Babies (Nursery downstairs in church building) - Chrissy Bouvier, Christina Fish-
2's and 3's (room below the sanctuary) - Tom Higgins
PreK/Kindergarten (room below the sanctuary) - Stella Urbina
1st and 2nd Grades (bell choir room) - Sue Hardin, Amy Lord, Jen Neely
3rd and 4th Grades (WoRM Program in Carriage House) - Lauren Feldman, Carolyn Repke, Amy Suski, Mimi Wright
5th and 6th Grades (drama room) - Jeanette Scott, Lyn Strickler, Melody Ticknor
7th and 8th Grades (McMillan Room in Carriage House) - Nancy Higgins, Dick Oliver
9th through 12th Grades (Senior High Room in Carriage House) - Chris Clark, Debbie Railton, Mike Wagner
Sermonette
A long-standing St. John's tradition, the Sermonette is a way to relate an everyday object to God and our faith. Each week one of the children contributes to "the box," and during Sunday worship the children gather in the front of the church to hear the Sermonette. Afterwards children are dismissed to Sunday School.
Infant and Toddler Care
Loving child care for infants and young toddlers is always available in our nursery, located downstairs at the end of the hallway. Children, ages 2 and 3 also meet downstairs in their own classroom to share Bible stories, songs and free play using Cokesbury’s Rock-a-Bye curriculum.
Pre-K through Grade 2
PreSchool/Kindergarten and 1st/2nd grade classrooms are downstairs in the church. Lessons include Bible reading, memory verses, stories, games and other age-appropriate activities using the Rock Solid curriculum published by Cokesbury.
Grades 3 &4
Our 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School employs the Workshop Rotation Model (WoRM) format. Students focus on the same story for five weeks, experiencing a different focus and learning style each week in specially equipped Carriage House classrooms: art/cooking, computers, games, movies and drama.
Grades 5 to 12
Using teen-focused curricula, our 5th-12th grade students explore the ways the Word applies to their real-life situations and relationships. Classrooms are located in the Carriage House. Fifth and sixth grade uses the Rock Solid curriculum, while 7th and 8th grade studies are guided by the PC (USA)’s “FAQ” (Faithfully Asking Questions) program. Senior Highs will be studying the book of John for the year. Senior High Youth remain in worship on communion Sundays (the first Sunday of each month).
Confirmation
Eighth graders receive additional Christian Education during a twelve week period of preparation for their confirmation as members of the church. From January-June, Dr. Wilson meets on a weekday evening with the students as a group as they explore their faith and the responsibilities of church membership. In addition, each student is partnered with a mentor for one-on-one conversation about issues of faith. Eighth graders are traditionally confirmed during worship on a communion Sunday in June.
Vacation Bible School
During a fun week in summer, children ages 5 through grade 5 learn more about the Word of God through games, crafts, music, and stories. A family picnic and "show" closes the week-long day-camp adventure, held at St. John's. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.
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Children & Youth Fellowship
Junior High Fellowship
Every Sunday night we will meet in the Carriage House to play games, eat food, sing, and grow in our faith in Jesus Christ. We’ll explore how our faith is an important part of our lives and shapes everything we do in our lives. We meet from 4:30 - 6:00 pm.
Sr. High Fellowship
High schoolers gather each Sunday in the Senior High room on the second floor of our Carriage House. If you join us on a Sunday night you’ll usually find us engaged in fast paced games, enjoying snacks, and engaging in conversations about faith and how it affects our everyday lives. We meet from 6:30 -8:00 pm.
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 Regular and Seasonal Activities
Celebrating and sharing our faith
Christmas Pageant
Every December we celebrate Christ's birth with a special program filled with Christmas hymns and carols, as the children re-enact the Nativity story.
Devon Horse Show Parking
For 10 days each spring, St. John's grounds become a parking lot for visitors attending the famous Devon Horse Show. This "extravaganza" is loads of fun, and provides the fundraising for our annual mission trip, a worthy cause chosen by the youth, and other youth programs.
Camp Re-Vision
An overnight camping week of fun, friendship and faith enrichment for students grades 6 through 12. Children participate in small group discussions, thought-provoking theme presentations, art & woodshop projects, team building games, free time and more! This week is a collaborative project with Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church.
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Service
Senior High Mission Trip
Each summer St. John's senior high students embark on a week-long, Christ-centered, life-changing mission trip, targeted to the needs and capabilities of teenagers. Past trips have been to North Dakota, Mississippi, West Virginia, Maryland, Juarez, Mexico, upstate New York and North Carolina.
The Other Carpenter
Senior High students spend several Saturdays throughout the year in Philadelphia plastering, painting, and tackling house repairs for those who are in need.
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Broad Street Ministries
Over the past two years, we have been working with the leaders of Broad Street Ministries, www.broadstreetministry.org, in Philadelphia to develop a youth mission experience in the city. Bill Golderer, the convening minister and Erika Funk, Youth initiative minister feel called to create a place where youth can do the work of Christ in Philadelphia.
St. John's has been partnering with their initiative and would like bring our youth this fall for the program. Senior highs would share a night at the church with other youth from the mainline. Worship and dinner would be the highlights for that night. On Saturday morning teens would share in a local mission project, lunch and reflection. More information is coming soon.
Won't you consider serving your brothers and sisters?
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| He said to him,"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." – Matthew 22:37-39 |
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