At Plymouth Church we believe that God calls our children to faith and discipleship just as surely God calls us adults. We offer our children the stories and traditions of the Christian faith through worship and Faith Workshop, and when they bring back new ideas and hopes we listen and respond! We don’t do ministry for our children; we support our children in recognizing and fulfilling their own ministry!
Our Children’s Ministry programs are all about Faith Discovery! Our children aren’t empty vessels, waiting to be filled with grown-up ideas; they are explorers on a life-long adventure with God. From Sunday morning Faith Workshop, to summer camp at Pilgrim Lodge, we offer our children a breadth and depth of experiences that spark curiosity and facilitate encounters God through the stories and traditions of our faith.
Faith Workshop
Faith Workshop is what we call the learning time for children during Sunday morning worship. Together, children and adults do the messy work of figuring out how these stories apply to our lives today. Workshops are offered for children in Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade and visitors are always welcome.
Fall 2024
We are excited about Faith Workshop for this fall. We will again have younger and older rooms. Our theme is gratitude — a strong antidote to anxiety and woe. Most Sundays, Faith Workshop will continue as it has. Starting in class downstairs on Communion Sundays. Heading downstairs after the Time for All Ages the other Sundays. On long holiday weekends, worship will be fully intergenerational.
And we are starting a choir for new singers. It will be called Junior Choir. (And the older choir will become Chapel Choir.) On third Sundays, Junior Choir will rehearse after worship. On fourth Sundays, Junior Choir will take place during Faith Workshop.
If it’s your first Sunday with us…
…consider arriving a few minutes early to meet your child’s Faith Workshop leaders and see their classroom before worship. If it makes the transition easier, you are also welcome to join your child for the Time With the Children, walk with them downstairs, and then return to worship. Every child is different and you know best what they need; we will follow your lead! When is a child ready for Faith Workshop? We look for 3 things when helping parents make this decision. For a child to join the Pre-k Workshop, we ask that they:
Be at least 3 years old.
Be potty-trained and able to use the bathroom with minimal adult support.
Be participating in some kind of preschool or daycare program.
Christmas Pageant
The Christmas Pageant is a highlight of the year for our kids. With lines for everyone who wants them and more than enough costumes to go around, we gather together to tell the story of Christ’s birth. The Junior and Cherub choirs sing, the congregation joins in the carols, and the Red Cow tells jokes. It’s different every year and always the same.
Children’s Sunday
Every spring, our children’s program year ends by giving the children the reins and asking them to lead the congregation in worship. This is always a joyous service full of laughter, art, and wisdom from our littlest theologians! Words will never do it justice, so we hope you enjoy this slideshow from years past.
