St. James's Episcopal Church
West Hartford Center
© 2012 St. James's Episcopal Church, 19 Walden Street, West Hartford, CT 06107
Children's programs are an integral part of our ministry here at St. James's. From the tiniest babies in the nursery to our seniors in high school, we aim to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help all our children develop into spiritually and emotionally mature Christians and members of this faith community.
We are very blessed here at St. James's with a talented staff of people, who have created a wonderful place for your children to explore their faith and come to know the love of Christ. Please make the most of these programs.
We are very blessed here at St. James's with a talented staff of people, who have created a wonderful place for your children to explore their faith and come to know the love of Christ. Please make the most of these programs.
Preschool: Godly Play
Godly Play is a Christian experience for parents and their preschool age
children. The class, which meets on the lower level near the nursery, incorporates teaching several simple Bible stories using the Beulah Land felt board created by Gretchen Pritchard. During the session, a simple Bible story is told using the felt board, then children and their parents are encouraged to continue their play around the room in a montessori-style classroom with playdough, blocks, art supplies and books. We ask that parents who decide to join their children in play, do just that, allowing themselves to be present with their children and explore the stories and the classroom together.
children. The class, which meets on the lower level near the nursery, incorporates teaching several simple Bible stories using the Beulah Land felt board created by Gretchen Pritchard. During the session, a simple Bible story is told using the felt board, then children and their parents are encouraged to continue their play around the room in a montessori-style classroom with playdough, blocks, art supplies and books. We ask that parents who decide to join their children in play, do just that, allowing themselves to be present with their children and explore the stories and the classroom together.
Kindergarten through Fifth Grade
The Rotation Model of Sunday School, an innovative curriculum based on the multiple-intelligence theory of learning is used for this age group. Major Bible stories and concepts are taught through kid-friendly multimedia workshops: art, drama, music, games, storytelling to name a few. The same Bible story in all of the workshops is explored for three or four weeks, rotating the children to a different workshop each week. The extremely teacher-friendly part is that the same teacher is in each workshop all four weeks and teaches the same lesson every week to the different age classes.
MINISTRIES: St. James's Center for Children and Youth
Middle School-Junior Seminar
The curriculum for the middle school group is "Reel to Reel" by Cokesbury Publishing. This curriculum uses current film as a catalyst
for discussion and Bible study.
for discussion and Bible study.
Senior High Service Program
The Senior High Youth have formed The Love Out Loud (LOL) service crew. They meet as a group and discuss different local service projects and put these ideas into action. The hope is to take on one project a month and pair it with continued spiritual formation and group bonding.
Other Senior High Offerings
Mission Trip - Our hope is to offer a mission trip for senior high youth every other year in correlation with the Confirmation Program. Mission trips offer an amazing chance for hand-on experience in the life of faith. The first year a group of eight teenagers went to Caguas, Puerto Rico to repair a Cathedral, get a school ready to open for the fall, work at a nursing home, and fix up the grounds of a holy place. It was an amazing opportunity for the youth to learn the value of fundraising, continue their spiritual journey and embrace a different culture. In the
summer of 2010, our youth traveled to New Orleans to help with the
continued rebuilding of that city after hurricane Katrina. The focus was
on working with individual families to rebuild and clean their homes. The next mission trip is planned for the summer of 2012.
summer of 2010, our youth traveled to New Orleans to help with the
continued rebuilding of that city after hurricane Katrina. The focus was
on working with individual families to rebuild and clean their homes. The next mission trip is planned for the summer of 2012.
Confirmation
Confirm not Conform
St. James's uses the program "Confirm not Conform" which takes a contemporary approach to helping young people build their own spiritual lives.
is focused on
helping young people ask tough questions and search out the answers. Through innovative classroom work, field trips, mentor relationships and the challenge to do a whole lot more than just learn a few facts.
lets kids take real responsibility
for understanding their faith and its power. when they do - when they see the church
and faith as something that truly belongs to them, rather than something they are
forced to learn - it builds a bond that lasts.
and faith as something that truly belongs to them, rather than something they are
forced to learn - it builds a bond that lasts.
Children and Youth
