Christ Church Kids: Messy Church!

Our Christian Education program for children and youth goes beyond instruction based solely on a curriculum. It involves the formation of faith through participation in the church and in the community.

Messy Church is a very flexible format for Christian formation (the term recognizes that all ages need 'Sunday School'). It offers opportunities for a church community to experience the love of Christ through creativity, education, fellowship, and worship--together.

"The first Messy Church began in 2004 when a group at St. Wilfrid's in Cowplain [England] were frustrated because, as a church we were hardly reaching any children with God's story. We had lovely buildings and facilities but we weren't using them enough. We had wonderful creative people in the church, and the area we lived in needed as much community-building as possible . . . We decided very early on to try to do something for all ages together, partly out of a belief that we grow best as a church when we walk the journey with as many different people as possible, and partly from a desire to help families grow together in their walk of faith, not see Christianity as something you grow out of when you're eleven." [from the introduction to Messy Church by Lucy Moore]

Messy Church has been here already every Sunday morning when our kids gather as one family from 10:00 am till the Peace. It has been here on Art Sundays and Pretzel Sundays and Candlemas coffee hours and Advent Wreath Saturdays. You've seen the 'theatre' in Advent and Epiphany.

And of course no program for kids is complete without grown-ups (Jesus will back me up on this) . . . it was a grown-up who noticed that Jesus age 12, was missing on the road home from Jerusalem. we need your talents (patience, curiosity, maturity, mobility, et alii). Never underestimate the value of a third and fourth set of hands!

Babysitting for infants through age 4 or 5 is provided in the “Cherub Room” on Sundays from 9.45 a.m. to 11.45 a.m. under the loving guidance of our Nanny, Mrs. Dionne Boisvert. If parents prefer to have their family with them in church, we welcome people of all ages to our services and celebrate the sounds of all God’s children!

Messy Church for grades K – 8th begins at 10.00 a.m. Children join their parents in the Sanctuary at the Peace. Teachers for the Confirmation i/ii/iii class (grades 6-7-8) use the Rite 13 curriculum in preparation for “AP Confirmation” taught by the Rector or the Seminary Intern to 9th graders and up. Curriculum for the lower grades is a blend of bible lessons and play, laying the groundwork for what becomes a cohesive group of teens in our church.

Questions? Please call our Church School Director, Meredith McClung, at 938-4035.

Communion Classes for Children

The rector will be offering a series of three classes for kids in spring, on demand, so that they can learn more about what Holy Communion is and about the shape of our services. We’ll practice receiving bread and wine (unconsecrated) and we’ll show the kids the special linens and vestments and prayers we use. We’ll have lots of time for them to ask questions.

Who are these classes for?

They’re for children, approximately age 7 and up, whom you think are curious and eager to connect with their faith in a deeper way. They’re for kids who have not yet received Communion, and they’re for kids who are already receiving Communion.

When are the classes?

The dates will be announced after the New Year. Please give your children a snack at home after school and then bring them over.

Is there “First Communion” in the Episcopal Church?

We are much less formal than the Roman Catholic Church. As you may know, children are eligible to receive Communion immediately after Baptism, though many parents decide to wait on that till their kids are at least toddlers. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism initiates people of all ages into the church and her sacraments. So, many of our kids are already receiving Communion by the time they’re toddlers. And some are not. That’s up to you parents. These classes are timed so that if your child will be receiving Communion for the first time, it could be at Easter, if you wish.

So that means that there isn’t a formal “First Communion” for the class as a whole?

Yes, that’s correct. We downplay First Communion for the reasons above. However, for some families it’s an important step. So, if you’d like your family to be the first to receive Communion on the day of your child’s first time, please let me know and we’ll make that special for you.

What else do we need from parents, besides being chauffeurs?

I need one parent to help with each class. Please let me know if you can stay one day.

Please let the rector know if you are interested in this opportunity. She’ll be offering these classes each spring, if parents and kids request it.

Christ Church Kids Music

Posted: Monday, March 31 2008 @ 08:30 AM EDT   Our children's choir, led by Music Minister Martha Meyer, lead worship for the parish on the first Sundays of the month during the school year. They also lead worship on Christmas Eve (at the 5:00 pm service). At each of those services there will also be a children's sermon, aimed at kids but with a take-home nugget for adults as well. The children's choir rehearses usually on the Friday late afternoon before each first Sunday. For more information, please speak with Martha Meyer. We are also quite blessed to have talented musicians among our high school students. They contribute their skills on occasion to enhance our worship. We have been graced on major feasts by guest flutists, trumpeters, and guitarists from among our youth.

Pancake Breakfast
Posted: Friday, March 16 2007 @ 09:27 AM EDT   Some of our Church School students having fun in the pancake races held on the last Sunday of Epiphany season

Cherub Room
Posted: Monday, February 12 2007 @ 07:10 PM EST

Christ Church Kids Outreach
Posted: Friday, August 25 2006 @ 08:29 PM EDT   The children assist in local outreach by donating food to the Redding Food Pantry. They have also aided in our global mission by sending clothing and supplies to the Kigata School in Uganda. The children will engage in at least one outreach project a year in order to have a taste of what it means to be a community on mission.