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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. Students have chosen to dedicate their offering to Heifer International, an organization that provides sustainable resources to families in need around the globe. You can learn more about them at www.heifer.org. 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. From September to May our Sunday school students have raised more than $150 through their classroom offerings. Thank you for your support! |
 Christian Education
Sunday School
Our Sunday School program has ended for the 2009-2010 program year. We'll look forward to seeing you in the fall. Thanks to all who taught this year:
Babies (Nursery downstairs in church building) - Chrissy Bouvier, Christina Fish-
2's and 3's (room below the sanctuary) - Pat Churchill
PreK/Kindergarten (room below the sanctuary) - Susan Bain , Susanne Engheta
1st and 2nd Grades (bell choir room) - Betsy Friend, Karen Murray, Jen Neely, Carolyn Repke
3rd and 4th Grades (WoRM Program in Carriage House) - Lauren Feldman, Shirley Hughes, Ellen Moeller, Amy Suski, Nancy Wolfe
5th and 6th Grades (drama room) - Lisa Maynard, 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) - Stephanie Eft, Kathy Shaw, Sum Thang
Substitutes: Elizabeth Ator, Sue Chudy, Earline Eck, Lisa Estabrook, Kathy Johnson, Judy Mileto, Sue Parsons
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; Grades 5 through 8
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. Their teachers for the year will be Lauren Feldman (drama), Shirley Hughes (games), Nancy Wolfe (movies), Amy Suski (crafts and cooking) and Ellen Moeller (computer lessons).
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 focus on personal faith stories this year, learning about individuals from the Bible, well-known modern day Christians and even members of our own church family. 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
Sunday evenings from 5:30-6:30 pm, the Carriage House glows with laughter and fellowship as the Junior Highs gather for weekly meetings. We spend time building friendships and learning more about the God we serve through planned activities. Students in sixth through eighth grades are invited to join us for Junior High Fellowship.
Sr. High Fellowship
Sr. High Youth Fellowship will also meet on Sunday nights at St. John’s this year, from 6:30-8:00 pm.
More information and details are to come. We welcome any suggestions or questions as we continue to plan.
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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
Our trip for summer 2010 has been announced! We will travel to Calais, Maine from June 26th-July 3, where we will spend the week engaging in a variety of service projects and spiritual growth. Spots are still available if you are interested in joining us as a student or male chaperone.
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, and upstate New York.
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.
30-Hour Famine
Once a year Junior and Senior High participants collect donations to help provide healthy food and safe water to those in need around the world. Students fast for 30 hours to experience hunger first-hand. Held in St. John's Carriage House, the students learn more about poverty, and social justice.
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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