Sunday Morning
Worship
for Children
Holy Baptism
Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's
Body, the Church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble.
It is appropriately administered within the Eucharist as the chief service
on a Sunday or other feast. The baptism of a child into the church involves
a commitment by all members of the congregation to educate and nurture
that child in the faith. The aim of that process is two-fold: to celebrate
and support the child's role in the life of the church at every stage
of his or her development, and to nurture the child into mature adult
participation in the worship, service, and witness that mark the life
of the Eucharistic community. Pease
call the church office for additional information or contact The Reverend
Beverley Elliott for further details.
Children's Liturgy of
the Word -
Ages 4-7
The children begin their worship with the adults at the 10:30 a.m.
service and are encouraged to participate in the entire Eucharist
whenever they and their parents they they are ready.
We also present a Child's Service
of the Word during the first half of the Eucharist. Children
should sit with their parents (so they will know where to find them) as
the service begins in the Nave. During the last verse of the processional hymn, the children move toward
the baptismal font where an adult leader will be standing with a cross.
The children will then process out to Children's Chapel in Wardens' Hall
for prayers, gospel reading and simple activities. The Children's
Liturgy follows the order of the Prayer Book's Liturgy of the Word tailored
to fit our children's developmental needs. With songs, dance, movement,
stories, and more we connect children - body, mind, and heart - to the
rhythms of our common worship. The children re-enter the church
as part of the offertory procession. We encourage children to bring
canned good for Toco Hills Ministry and to pick up and fill their own
Children's Offertory Envelopes which are available in the Narthex. Please contact
Christen Erskine for further details.
Acolytes
Participating actively in the worship is an opportunity offered to children
in grades 3-5 as Acolytes for the 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. All youth
in grades 6 through 12 are invited to serve as acolytes for the 10:30
a.m. Holy Eucharist. Requirements for serving as an acolyte are a commitment
to serve one Sunday every four weeks, the completion of basic acolyte
training, and a commitment to serve with responsibility and consistency.
To find out more, contact
Ben Wells. Click here to view the current
Acolyte
Schedule.
Sunday School For Children
Please contact Christen Erskine for further details.
Nursery
The Nursery opens each Sunday at 7:45 a.m. prior to the 8:00 a.m. Holy
Eucharist and remains open during Christian Education and the 10:30 Holy
Eucharist. During the 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist both infants and toddlers
are cared for in the Nursery by two professional childcare workers. During
the Christian Education hour, infants remain in the Nursery while toddlers
go to their class in the Toddler Room. Infants and toddlers remain in
their separate rooms at the beginning of 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. It
is customary for parents to pick up their children from the Nursery and
Toddler Room during the offertory so that families can receive communion
together and the nursery volunteers are free to join the service.
Pagers are available for use by
parents with children in the nursery.
A team of parent helps augment the
child-care workers with simple Bible stories and activities for the
tw0-year olds during the education hour. This will serve to
prepare our toddlers for the
Catechesis of the
Good Shepherd Program.
Pre-school (Ages 3-5)
The
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Atrium is located next to the main church offices. Our trained
catechists and the hands-on materials help the children develop a personal
relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd, while introducing key Bible
stories, and the sacraments and worship of our church.
Intermediate Classes
 St.
Bartholomew's uses the Episcopal Children's Curriculum
(ECC)
for all classes for Grades 1-6. Unlike lectionary-based curricula, the ECC
is structured thematically and narratively in relation to the liturgical
year (in a 3-year cycle). This is a well thought out and resourced
overview of the Christian Faith which introduces our children to the basic
themes of Christian scripture, sacraments, church history and worship.
It helps the children develop their own sense of faith and ministry. and
is closely suited to children's learning styles, helping them to
internalize the characters and events of the biblical story as their
story, within a sacramental context. These classes are held in
Wardens' Hall.
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