Children’s Ministries
CHILDREN’S FORMATION:
Throughout the program year (September - May), during our 9:00 service, children in preschool through first grade meet in the Chapel for a lively, joyful program of music, sacred storytelling, and prayers. They will return to their families in the church to receive Communion.
Children in second through fifth grade begin the service in the church and leave with the choir children following the Gospel to participate in an imaginative, interactive exploration of scripture and prayer. They return to the Church and join their families to receive Communion.
At the 11:15 service, all children begin the service in church and leave with the choir children following the Gospel to participate in an imaginative, interactive exploration of scripture and prayer. They return to the Church and join their families to receive Communion.
SUNDAY SCHOOL:
During the program year, September - May, at 10:10 am children in preschool through fourth grade at Christ Church Greenwich are being introduced to one of the most engaging and enriching programs of Christian formation available, Godly Play.
Tested in classrooms since 1972, used across denominations and throughout the US and in the UK, Germany, Finland, Tanzania and in several Spanish-speaking countries, Godly Play was developed by Episcopal priest and Montessori educator Jerome Berryman. It offers the stories of our faith using multi-sensory materials to appeal to a broad range of learning styles: auditory, because the story is spoken aloud; visual and kinesthetic because beautiful handmade materials are used to tell the stories.
In the same way, opportunities for children to respond to the story are varied and creative. They may choose to tell the story themselves using the materials, or through expressive art, music, and other Montessori-inspired activities. Older children may go deeper into the stories through Bible study, research projects, or group work on a particular theme or activity. Then the children gather again for their own prayers, and a feast, following the model of communal worship and celebration.
Preschool and early elementary school classes meet in two separate classrooms on the lower level of the Education Building. Older elementary children meet in the library on the first floor of the Parish House.
Tweens (5th-8th grade) meet in the Youth Room for a program called DRIVE. To find out more about this program, as well as others for this age group, please pick up a Youth brochure, or contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), Director of Youth.
CHILD CARE:
Infants, toddlers and children are always welcome in worship; loving professional childcare is provided every Sunday for children through the age of three in the Rainbow Room of the Education Building from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm throughout the program year (September-May) and between the hours of 9:00 am - 11:00 am during the summer months.
FIRST SUNDAY:
On the First Sunday of the month, October through May, all children are invited to attend the 9:00 am service with their families to share in the worship experience, with familiar hymns, a homily that fully includes them, child-friendly language in the prayers and the Gospel, and, whenever it is possible, setting a free-standing altar in the crossing so that children can gather around it to better see and hear the celebration of the Eucharist.
Following this service, in place of the usual 10:00 am offerings for adults and children, everyone is invited to the Parish Hall for fellowship and an intergenerational learning activity.