Christian Education

Sunday School

All youngsters age 3 through High School are invited to participate in our Rotation Workshop Sunday School Program.

Preschool classes work with the story of the time with wooden figures and age appropriate activities to prepare them to learn the stories of our faith.

Elementary classes begin to rotate each week to a different workshop on a 4-week basis to learn the stories of that time.  For example the first rotation of the 2008 school year was “Jesus and the Woman at the Well.” Through this the kids learn that Jesus’ living water isn’t water at all, but God’s truth and spirit that nurtures and refreshes our lives — like water…

Four different workshops teach this story in different ways and with different emphasis.  The workshops are:

Drama Workshop:  “A commercial for Jesus’ living water.”  The kids are shown puppets of everyday characters such as fireman, baker, nurse, family, carpenter, farmer, etc. and they are asked to think of the stresses that these people face everyday and how the living water can help them.  Then they are given the chance to make a TV commercial with their puppet trying to sell living water by explaining how it helped them.

Watercolor Art Workshop:   Again the kids review the story and, by looking at an example, paint a watercolor picture of Jesus and the woman at the well.  The children can also draw the picture with colored pencils, then we brush over it with water and get the effect of what the “living water” can do… It makes it just like a water color painting.

Experiments with Water:  After reviewing the story the children learn that God’s love penetrates.  It goes completely and thoroughly through us.  Water can penetrate living things – OSMOSIS – we color water and dip a white carnation in it.  This shows that over time, the water reaches every part of the living thing, just like God’s love.  ADHESION – Just like God’s love sticks to us – water also sticks to things and itself.  Kids try to stick their finger into a bucket of water without getting wet.  Ha Ha — water sticks to our skin.   Pour water over a dry string and the water proceeds down due to gravity.  But, if you wet the string, you can pour horizontally across an entire room because water sticks to itself…God’s love and our faith in Him adhere and sticks to us and to others who have faith in Him.

Game:  During one of the last workshops, the kids play a game similar to Jeopardy to see how much they have learned about our story.  They also make their own “living water” consisting of 1 Tbls of powered milk, 1 Tbls of orange drink mix, 2 tsp instant vanilla pudding and 1/2 cup of cold water.  Just as the pudding, milk and juice gives our bodies needed fuel and nutrients, Jesus gives us God’s love and forgiveness to make us healthy and strong also.

The Fifth week pulls all of us together for review, fun and games and snacks to reinforce what we have all learned during the previous four weeks.

Volunteer to Help Teach

We always need people to assist with teaching for a 4-week class for our Rotation Sunday School.  Each week the same lesson (which has been prepared by the CE Committee) is presented to a different group of youngsters. The sign up sheet is on the CE entrance table. Please look at the lesson plans for rotations to come and help us teach our children the faith.

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School is offered in early June to give our youngsters another opportunity to learn the stories of our faith and to learn God’s love and care. This program lasts Monday through Friday from 8:30-11:30 and is open to all who would like to attend. Non-members welcome!