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Implicit in the Rite of Confirmation is the responsibility of the community of faith to spare no effort in communicating the Christian faith to its children. Sunday Church School is a primary tool for this task.
Lessons are centered on story, discussion, music, art, and play time. The pre-school class is for 3 and 4 year olds; the kindergarten class is for 5 year olds and those presently attending kindergarten.
Lessons begin with a brief worship with all grades then break into individual classes for discussion and crafts that help to clarify the theme of the lesson. Music, art and stories are integral parts of these classes.
Grades 7 and 8 (First and Second Year Confirmation)
The focus of the year for First and Second Year Confirmation (grades 7 and 8) is a combination of catechetical work, biblical study, and reflection on faith in daily life. Students meet weekly on Sundays and monthly during the week with the pastor. Third and Final Year Confirmation students join the High School Youth Sunday School class, and continue monthly group discussions with the pastor. The Sunday classes are an essential element of the Confirmation program.
The period of confirmation continues the themes of Sunday Church School, but in a more advanced manner. There is a balance of education, service, experience, and fellowship.
Grades 9,10, 11, 12 (High School Youth)
The themes for each class session will be issues and concerns which particularly address the lives of youth. A variety of resource persons will be used in addition to regular teachers.
In addition to Sunday morning classes, youth in high school are involved in a variety of service projects. These projects include work at Simpson Shelter, Loaves and Fishes and Habitat for Humanity projects. Excursions range from visiting college campuses to the Holocaust Museum and Williamsburg to hiking in the mountains. Sunday Church School curriculum is written by the church staff so as to directly address our constituency. Emphasis is placed on the biblical story, church history, stewardship of the earth and the practice of faith. The lesson themes for all children reflect their developmental characteristics. The youngest children explore themes such as God Loves Me, God Forgives Me, God Loves My Family, God Loves All Families, and so on. Kindergarten children move on to exploring themes such as God as the creator of the world. Pre-School and Kindergarten children study stories about Jesus and his life, largely following the liturgical year. The goal for children in grades 1-6 is that they will study the major stories and themes of the Old and New Testaments. Most of these topics are depicted on the pictorial timelines hung in each classroom. Children are assisted in hearing the story and reflecting on it in developmentally appropriate ways. Our hope is to provide children with a large repertoire of biblical stories they know well, as well as a sense of how the over-arching biblical story unfolds and its individual elements are related. In addition, special themes are interspersed throughout the calendar, such as Church Architecture, The Immigrant Experience, Care of the Earth, and Theological Themes in Children's Literature.
Adult
Education
The Sunday Adult Forum is the primary instrument of 'continuing education' in the congregation, but there are other opportunities. The "Symbols of the Faith" retreat is offered each year. The hope is that everyone in the congregation will at some point participate in this experience.
Holy Trinity is also the frequent host to presentations sponsored by a variety of groups. This provides us with access to persons dealing with many critical issues.
Sunday Adult Forum
9:55 a.m. Sunday mornings in the Library Check This Week page for upcoming forums. Click here for online resources. |
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