»Preschool Christian Formation
 A vibrant
community of preschool families worships, learns, and plays together at
University Congregational. Families gather throughout the year for
fellowship events, and a summer camping trip has been especially popular.
On Sundays,
children begin their morning in worship before breaking into separate
classes according to age. Nursery care is available during the entire
service for infants, though babies are also welcome to remain in the
service.
Program for 2008-2009 School Year
This fall we
will again be using our Building Blocks of Faith curriculum, written by
members of our congregation. It focuses on six core concepts about
Christianity: 
 This thematic
approach allows us to return again and again to the “big ideas” about God
and Jesus that we hope to instill in our youngest children. Lessons within
each building block feature a mixture of Old and New Testament stories and
verses, prayers, songs, and simple crafts. The lessons provide a suggested
routine for circle time so that children experience continuity from week to
week. Families with multiple preschoolers in the program also experience the
continuity of having all of their young children focusing on the same
building block during the same time period.
9AM – Family Faith Enrichment Activities
During the 9 a.m. hour, we will offer family faith enrichment activities.
This fall, we will choose a number of our activities from Soul Sunday: A
Family’s Guide to Exploring Faith and Teaching Tolerance by Carrie
Brown-Wolf. Steve Hunt will also spend some time with us, and on those
Sundays we will engage in music making! These activities for children in
grades one through five are open to family participation. Parents can take
part in adult education, small groups, and special events while their
children attend enrichment activities. Alternatively, parents, children and
preschoolers can stay together as an entire family during this hour.
10AM - Christian Education Hour
The Elementary
Christian Education hour is held during 10 a.m. worship. All elementary
children (first through fifth grades) will begin the hour in the sanctuary,
together with their families. The children will then be dismissed to their
classrooms for their education time, returning at the end to reconnect with
the entire congregation.
Communion
Sundays (the first Sunday of the month) will be an intergenerational worship service for all, when
elementary children will remain in worship for the entire hour.
The elementary
Christian education program will offer three-week units of study following
the themes presented in the preaching series. In September we will
introduce children to the prophets, continuing into October with focus on
the messages of Amos and Micah. In November we will study Isaiah, and in
December the stories of Jesus’ birth from the Gospel of Luke.
Most of the time children will remain with the same teacher and shepherd for
each unit. The children will be split into three different age groups (Year
1, Years 2 & 3 and Years 4 & 5) engaged in activities that support our
biblical theme. We explore Bible stories using multiple educational methods
and tools, realizing that children learn using a variety of senses and
skills.
Contact: Mary Kay Westmoreland
(206) 524-2322 |
