Children’s Ministry
Summer Forms for Vacation Bible School/Afternoon Camp and Music Day Camp 2012 are now available.
Vacation Bible School & Afternoon Camp is set for M-F, June 18 – 22, 2012
Music Day Camp is set for M-F, July 30 – August 3, 2012
Special Events
The Christian Education Committee sponsors exciting programs for the Children of St. Stephen along with family friendly events through the year. Here are several of our highlights for the year.
Children’s Sabbath – Currently held on a Sunday in September annually. The children of the church lead the congregation in worship leadership by preparing and reading the lection, saying prayers, welcoming the congregation to worship, ushering, and singing. This was held gloriously most recently on September 25, 2011.
Advent Family Celebration – for all ages, held on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 5 – 7:30 p.m.. As a Kick Off for the Advent Season, the Christian Education Committee, we gather for a simple supper and craft making for the Advent Season. Advent Banners are created, stories told, cookies decorated, Advent Bingo exclaimed and prizes won, gift tags created, and “Christmas Angel” Names distributed for helping the underprivileged during the holiday season. It is concluded in the Sanctuary Crossing in a simple worship service led by the Youth (teens) of the church in candlelight. 2011 date is November 27, 5 – 7:30 p.m.
Christmas on the Hill.
What a dazzling way to enjoy the ambiance of the St. Stephen location. Always held on the Wednesday, the week prior to Christmas week, 6 – 8 p.m. on the grounds of St. Stephen, Christmas is celebrated in cultural fashion. December 14, 2011, signals a Las Posadas latino celebration with pinatas, Hispanic musicians, games, crafts, and food on the plaza of the church grounds. Inside the Sanctuary, one can encounter a sombero clad narrator who introduces you to the Holy Family searching for a place to stay in Bethlehem. Our church family humorously portrays the characters in costume for the observers 4 – 5 times that night. On the east bordered street, we always have an old fashioned means of transportation for participants including hay rides, carriage rides or tractor rides. Bring a sack for your crafts, an empty stomach, and a camera for the photo opportunities. Lots of ambiance.
Christmas Eve, Child – Friendly Candlelight Service, 5 – 6 p.m. on December 24. A lovely tradition at St. Stephen where the children of the church are invited to retell the birth of Jesus in simple costumes in the Crossing during the sermon. Carols fill the air, candles punctuate the dark atmosphere and remind us of the bright and glorious news of the birth of the Messiah.
Epiphany March -
held on the Sunday closest to January 6 (Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas), for 2012, the date is January 8, 9:45 – 10:45 a.m. during the Sunday School hour. This celebrates the Magi coming to meet Mary, Joseph, and the child, Jesus, and the presentation of the gifts. Children from Pre-School ages – 5th grade dress up as the characters of the Holy Family, shepherds, Magi (Wise Men), and Angels and parade around the Education Building looking for the Christ Child by visiting all the Adult Sunday School Classes in session. Children’s costumes are freshly sewn and magnificent; children’s voices ring out the good news that the Magi discovered – that Jesus is the King!
Ash Wednesday, Child – Friendly Service, February 22, 2012, 5:15 – 6 p.m. in the Crossing of the Sanctuary. Children are invited to a fresh re-telling of the reasons for Lent, receive a ash cross on their forehead and go home with a trinket to remind them of the power of the cross and the Lenten Season. This is followed by an All Church Dinner in Parish Hall, between the service for older children, teens and adults at 7:00 p.m.
Caterpillars Metamorphosis. Each year during the later stages of the Lenten Season (40 days not including Sundays), we have a live exhibit, in the south entry of the Education Building, of live caterpillars as they eat their way to the Chrysalis stage of dormancy until they magically burst through their “tombs” of confinement to beautiful butterflies. Their transformation reminds us of Jesus Christ’s triumphant bursting forth out of the tomb conquering death. The butterflies are released on Easter Sunday (weather permitting) after the 11 a.m. worship service, this year, April 8, 2012.
Palm Sunday Spring Festival on the Hill, April 1, 2012,. It all starts after Sunday School on the Plaza with 100′s of people carrying palms waving as a church member dressed as Jesus leads a donkey to the steps of the Sanctuary as we begin Holy Week with shouts of “Hosanna” as Jesus is welcomed into his humble reign. After Worship, the children and families are invited to a dandy lunch in Parish Hall and games, butterfly or Easter symboled pinatas filled with candy, lots of bounce houses, and an Easter Egg Hunt on the Hill for the different age groups. 12:15 – 1:30 p.m. Lots of chances for beautiful photos this day!
Easter Day, April 8, begins with a Youth-led Easter Celebration of music, Bible readings, skits, and breakfast at 7 a.m. This is followed by full Easter services at both the 8:30 a.m. worship or the 11 a.m. worship service. In between, the children are invited to participate once more in an Easter Egg Hunt at the end of the Sunday School Hour. After the 11 a.m. worship service, our mature butterflies are released into the air for reminders of the symbolism of conquering the grave. Releasing the confines of the chrysalis and transformation to life outside of the tomb, outside of seeming death. Jesus Christ has conquered death and is resurrected as are our caterpillars.
Pentecost is a Wonderful Celebration of the Birthday of the Church as told in the story of the fiery tongues coming down to the disciples in Jerusalem after Jesus’ Ascension back to Heaven. The disciples shared the Gospel (the Good News) of Jesus Christ in multi-languages and spread the knowledge of Christianity to the world. Children are an important part of our Pentecost Service and receive “fiery sticks” to remind them of this important part of our Church calendar.
Vacation Bible School and Afternoon Camp – St. Stephen offers a June Vacation Bible School, June 18 – 22, 2012, for children ages 3 years old – 5th graders. We offer music, cooking, recreation, crafts, Bible Story, mission, movies, and fun in the morning. All this is Adult led and is at a low cost for the morning, 9 a.m. – 12 noon. However, if you wish to have your children stay all day, the youth of St. Stephen offer an extension of the day, an afternoon option. From 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., your child can experience both the VBS in the morning and the youth-led activities in the afternoon including slip and slide fun (bring swim suits), more recreation, more crafts, more snacks, movies, quiet time, and more music. Loads of fun. The cost is $75 for the week per child benefits the annual Youth Mission Trip 2012.
Multiple child discounts are available to bigger families. A tee shirt is offered to all participants. VBS and Afternoon Camp end with a picnic and songfest on Friday of VBS at 5 p.m. starting in Parish Hall and continuing on the Grounds. VBS/Afternoon Camp registration forms available for download in March.
Music Day Camp is now a six year tradition at St. Stephen, held July 30 – August 3, 2012. Children ages Kindergarten through Sixth Grade are invited to come learn a Biblical children’s musical starting Monday, July 30th, and performing the entire musical on Friday night, August 3rd following dinner 6 – 8 p.m. You will be amazed at what your child can learn, sing, and dance and perform in one week.
Parish Hall is filled with talented children showcasing their faces, their voices, their performances for a full audience. Cost is $80 for the week, 9 – 5 p.m. daily; Friday, 9 – 3 p.m. Registration forms available for download in March 2012.
Children’s Fellowship - Held periodically on Sundays after worship with a focus on mission projects and fun. The children love to gather food and decorate sacks for the Thanksgiving Baskets for South Central Alliance of Churches.They love to carve pumpkins and plant flowers in the church gardens.
Children’s Choirs (3 yrs. old – Kindergarten) – Cherub Choir…
Rehearses each Thursday from 4:15-5:00 p.m., September to May, in Room 223 of the Education
Building.
Bethlehem & Junior Choirs (Grades K – 5) rehearse each Sunday, 9:45 – 10:00 a.m. August – June, in Room 223 of the Education Building. Goals:
Basic instruction in music including recognition of musical signs and symbols; study of church symbols; “singing” repertoire is taken exclusively from Presbyterian Hymnal – learning the first verses of many hymns – plus a few “silly-songs.” Our aim is to acquaint each child with the hymns and service music of the church so that when they do begin to sit with their parents in church there are “anchors” throughout the service which are familiar to them and in which they can participate, even if it means singing the first verse of a hymn four or five times as the rest of the congregation sings the different printed verses. This group sings at the Advent Lessons and Carols Service, Easter Lessons and Carols Service, and 2-3 times per year in the 11:00 a.m.
Children’s Sunday School (Church School)
All Sunday School Classes meet in the Parish Hall of the Education Building at 9:30 a.m. for a Continental Breakfast and Fellowship. At 9:45 a.m., all Sunday School classes both children, youth, and adult proceed to their individual classrooms for instruction.
Infants – 2 Year Olds are taking care of by our strong and friendly Nursery Staff headed by loyal and loving adults and TCU students. Parents sign in children and are provided a buzzer if needed for worship attendance.
The 2 Year Olds – Pre-K meet in Class Room “3 Year Olds” (so titled by the Day School) for Sunday School instruction about major stories of the Bible, art activities, prayer, and play time which sometimes includes outdoor play on our newly renovated Playground.
Godly Play for Kindergarten – 1st Graders This stylized study of Biblical stories and the Litugical year is housed in the biggest Sunday School classroom upstairs, Room 216. Children are welcomed into a worship area (after Children’s Choir) and introduced to the major characters of the story in wooden figures, various fabrics of sensory importance and slow intentional story telling. Children learn patience and worshipful attitudes in addition to the stories. After the story time, the children are encouraged to respond to the story in art, building blocks, or play dough. This is a favorite class among the children in our church.
Stepping Stones Rotation Classes for 2nd – 5th Graders The rotation classes (post – Children’s Choir) are a recent design philosophy in Christian education that encourages young Christians to explore traditional Bible stories through kid-friendly, interactive workshops. Stories are told through multi-sensory ways by focusing on one Bible story for 4 – 5 Sundays. Our rotations start with Bible story in Disciples Den class, a classroom designed to mimic a tent and fire ring for story telling. Next is our Shepherd’s Studio, our crafts room, where the story is reinforced through visual and sensory ways. We travel to the Kitchen a lot for cooking lessons that help re-tell the story through food preparation and enjoyment. Prophet’s Playhouse is a movie theater where the child can enjoy the Bible story in movie form while enjoying freshly popped popcorn. Finally, we utilize the Church Library for Bible games which helps children review the story for the month. Bible literacy is always a focus as children are encouraged always to look up the Bible story in their Bible, be able to understand the Old & New Testament differences and be able to recite names of books of the Bible.
Children are an important focus to St. Stephen Presbyterian Church family. Programs are constantly reviewed and renewed and new ones added. If you have any questions about our programs, please feel free to discuss them with our Director of Christian Education, Beth Fultz, 817-927-8411 or by e-mail, beth.fultz@ststephen-pcusa.com.