From the Pastor's Pen
Along with the downsizing of the American Protestant Church has come many other issues just as painful as decreased revenue and lower attendance. My ministry of forty years has spanned the spectrum from churches bursting at the seams in the 1970’s to today’s declining churches. One of the hallmarks of the “hay day” of the church was the Sunday School, now referred to as the Church School.
It goes without saying that Christian Education in our churches is made even more difficult with declining numbers. Church School was a demanding endeavor back in the day, and it is even more difficult today. Nowhere has this been more evident than here at Pilgrim UCC.
Well, that’s about to change. Enter the new and improved Pilgrim Church School.
After weeks of planning and staffing, the Board of Christian Nurture is proud to announce a new approach to Christian Education. Beginning Sunday September 21st, our children in grades K-5 will be experiencing an adventure on Sunday morning more like our award winning Vacation Bible School. Here’s how it will operate.
Utilizing teams of two or more adult leaders, the children will meet in a large, combined group for the introduction of a themed four week program. As an example, let’s say the theme for the month is Creation. For the first Sunday the emphasis will be on learning about the biblical understanding of creation utilizing the Genesis accounts. The children will read and hear the accounts as a basis for what it means to create and be created.
The second week would entail the children actually creating something. Through a craft experience, the children will learn the intricacies of creation first hand. On the third Sunday, through a song or skit, the children will be visualizing how they can display their knowledge through the arts. And on the final Sunday of the term, the children will perform their skit or song for the congregation during worship and/or display their crafts in the narthex.
To aid in the planning and execution of this bold venture, Pilgrim UCC is proud to announce the hiring of Dana Johnson, our new Director of Family Ministries. Dana will be writing the curriculum and recruiting teachers for this new and exciting phase in our educational endeavor. Join me in welcoming Dana as we launch this exciting chapter in the Christian Education of our most valuable assets – our children.
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