Children's Education: September 2009

WACK: Wonder, Arts and Christianity for Kids

4th, 5th, & 6th grades: This year we will be shifting from a Sunday School format to more of a learning “club” format. We are hoping for suggestions from the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders for a name for this new format! We are creating our own curriculum for this group, engaging in 6-8 week learning modules, each finishing with a special activity or event outside of the regular Sunday School hour.

Here are some of our modules: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Worship, Refugees and Immigration, Prayer Practices and the Holy Days of our Christian faith. Our hope is this new format will honor the skills and capacities to truly contribute to the world. We are open to any suggestions and topics for further explorations from parents and participants.

Faithful Parenting Class

Parenting is one of the most challenging responsibilities charged to the human race. As parents we are the primary educators of our children in so many arenas, but particularly in matters of spirituality, religion, and ethics. This year we will be offering a year-long, monthly gathering for parents to gather and discuss their shared labor of parenting Christ Church’s children. By sharing our struggles and insights gained in the parenting journey, we hope to strengthen our own capacity to help our children.

The class will meet on the third Sunday of each month, from 9:15-10:00 a.m., upstairs in the Adult Study room. Good coffee and baked goods will be provided. Our conversation will be primed by shared readings, but will flow to the topics and struggles that participants most want to discuss. Parents are welcome to drop in for the whole series, for just a book that is interesting to them, or even just for one session.

A more detailed schedule will soon be available, but we will be working with the following books:

• Jeanne Harrison Nieuwejaar, The Gift of Faith: Tending the Spiritual Lives of Children (Sept.—Nov.)
• Susan V. Vogt, Raising Kids Who Will Make a Difference: Helping Your Family Live with Integrity, Value Simplicity, and Care for Others (Dec.—Mar.)
• Elizabeth Caldwell, Leaving Home with Faith: Nurturing the Spiritual Life of our Youth (Apr.—May)

Some books will be available for purchase at the church, but all three are easily available online. Even if you choose not to read the books, you will be able to participate in the conversation. The conversation and coffee will be facilitated by Katherine Turpin and Sue Lawson. Hopefully we will all be teachers to one another as we walk this path together.

—Katherine Turpin & Eric Strader