Children & Youth Infants and Toddlers Pre School and Elementary School Middle and High School For Parents Contact Us Church School Registration Form (MS WORD 24KB)

For Parents

A successful Church School Program is always a matter of cooperation and communication between parents, teachers, and ministers. YOU are the first and most important nurturers of your children's spiritual growth, and of their growing and deepening relationship with God and their faith tradition. WE are here to provide the support, the resources, and the community in which that can happen.

" All of us lead busy lives, as we sort through many priorities and demanding work and family schedules. Please make regular attendance on Sunday mornings one of your priorities for your family. Wonderful things are happening in our Church School classes and we don't want your children to miss a single one of them!! Plus, the strong roots that allow our children to grow wings are grounded in community, in the relationships that develop over time between classmates and teachers, and in their regular participation in the life of the larger church family through worship, mission projects, work days, and getting to know some of the other adults in our church. Everything in our wider society works to entice our children into a particular set of values and relationships. Your church is a place where you know there are others who share your values and dreams for your children and who will work with you to help your children experience those "alternative voices."

" But . . . , realistically, we know that there will be schedules, times, and circumstances that will pull your family or your child away for shorter or longer periods. If your child is absent for a while, check with their teachers to find out ways that they can stay in touch and involved. Let teachers and/or ministers know about challenging or difficult family events or circumstances. Tell us about individual situations (dyslexia, shyness, recent loss, ADHD, learning style issues, etc.) that teachers need to know about in order to be "ministers" to your child.

" Please get to know your children's teachers (you will have their e-mail addresses and they'll have yours). Stop by the classroom occasionally. Find out what's going on in Church School and express your interest in and appreciation for what's happening -- your children's teachers are volunteers and busy parents just like you!! Offer to help with projects, snacks, activities. Being a Church School teacher is one of the best ways to grow in your own faith and to learn about the Bible and our Christian tradition. Serving as "extra hands" in the classroom, volunteering as a substitute or assistant, visiting the classroom to share a special skill or experience - all are simple, low-key ways to begin your training.

Family Life is a Spiritual Path

It's a little-known fact that the real business of parenting is the upbringing of the parent. Polly Berrien Berends

HELP your kids examine and rearrange their priorities. There are all sorts of pressures to have our kids be popular, involved, and carefree. It's not that we should try to avoid these things for our kids, but we need to recognize the relative importance of popularity, involvement, and the freedom to do whatever one wants. Too often these traits are sought at the expense of integrity, character, compassion, and self-awareness.

REVIEW situations at your kids' school that call for compassion. Talk about those times when a new kid arrives and feels lonely, when a kid loses his lunch in front of the whole class, when someone struggles with a difficult subject or is different from the other kids. Ask aloud, "I wonder what life is like for that kid right now?"

COMPARE a few of the messages your kids hear on TV and other media with Jesus' message:

STOPand watch your child sleep. Our daily patterns and routines can be so powerful that when the kids are awake we're being dragged into the issues of, "Did you do your homework?" "Did you make your bed?" "Why do you always have to make a mess?" Watching them sleep is a chance to see them as God sees us - with tenderness and kindness and hope for their best interests that just bubble up uninterrupted.

MAKE time to take time. How likely is it that your schedule includes an entry such as, "15 minutes to sit and watch the sun shine through the water sprinkler" or "20 minutes, watch bird build nest in neighbor's tree" or "8 minutes, come across Puccini's Madama Butterfly on classical music station, sit on stairs, and marvel." We schedule our work, but how often do we set aside time for living and loving? Work is good. Work is important. Work is an essential part of our spiritual path. But in a string of busy days, won't your life veer steadily out of balance if work is all you do? As the adult in the situation, you're the only one who will intervene on your own behalf. Whatever way you schedule your time, make sure to schedule time to pay attention to life's little gifts.

from Raising Faith-Filled Kids; Ordinary Opportunities to Nurture Spirituality at Home, by Tom McGrath