St. Philip the Apostle Episcopal ChurchText Box: Profile — Children and Youth Ministries Text Box: …you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Matthew 11:25

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Table of Contents

 

Introduction

 

Mission Statement

 

History of St. Philip

 

Scotts Valley, California

 

Our Faith Community

 

Worship

 

Children and Youth Ministries

 

Ministries

 

Activities

 

Facilities

 

Diocese and Deanery

 

Statistics and Financial Data

 

Goals and Dreams

 

Who is the Priest We Seek?

Our goal for Children's Ministries is to support parents in the nurturing of their children in the Christian faith and to create a faith community for children and their families.

Sunday School -- meets year round during the 10 o'clock service for children ages 3 to grade 5. Children begin the 10 a.m. worship service in the church with their parents. During the singing of the “Gloria”, the children are led by the Crucifer to their classes. The children return to the service to share the Eucharist with their parents and the entire church family. After the service the children are invited forward to share with the congregation what they learned in Sunday school.

Our volunteer teachers use a variety of approaches to meet the needs of the children. They share Bible stories, lead activities, play games, make crafts, create drama and prepare projects that bring the love of Jesus Christ to the children of St. Philip’s. We have a flexible approach to curriculum and use various styles, including those developed by our teachers. Adults and youth are invited to participate in the Sunday School program as teachers, aides, workshop leaders, substitutes, craft helpers, and musicians.

Our church facility offers us the ability to have dedicated classrooms for our Sunday School; we are able to enjoy the Church grounds and often hold classes outdoors. There are three mixed age classes for our Primary children: Preschool, Kindergarten through 2nd grade and 3rd through 5th grades. In each class the children will be with peers for activities to build friendships and grow in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

We honor the partnership between the Church and home and provide age appropriate devotional materials for families during Advent and Lent.

Nursery - From birth to age 3 children enjoy our Nursery during the 10:00 service. Our volunteer caregivers provide a loving and safe environment for infants and toddlers to play, and hear stories about Jesus.

Children’s Christmas Pageant
Under the guidance of a volunteer director, children re-enact the Christmas story through music, drama, and narration. They practice during Sunday School and on Sunday afternoons before the pageant.

Other Church Holidays
We celebrate major church holidays with special activities and opportunities for the children: The annual parade of saints on All Saints’ Sunday, the children’s Ash Wednesday service, family Christmas Eve service, and Pentecost.

Other Children’s Activities
The children look forward to annual tree trimming and caroling, Easter egg hunt, end of the school year “Sundae” party, and the annual Blessing of the Backpacks

Sunday School Outreach
Some of the outreach projects for our children include the Halloween Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, the Heifer International Read-to-Feed program, and the gathering of school supplies for Valley Churches United.

We have been fortunate to have young adults who have been through all levels of Sunday School, and are now attending College.

In 2004 the growth of Sunday School was identified as an area that was to be emphasized. An honorarium was given to the Sunday School Coordinator to show the commitment to the Sunday School program. We currently have forty-seven students enrolled in Sunday School.

Youth Groups
St. Philip’s middle school youth have regular Bible Study sessions during the ten o’clock church service. All middle school youth go through the Rite Thirteen program. Rite Thirteen is a series of discussions that deals with the journey to adulthood. At the end of the program they celebrate their “graduation” by joining with their parents in front of the whole congregation with prayers and well-wishes for all. About once a month, our middle schoolers move their Bible Study group to the local doughnut shop for some memorable group encounters. They also have frequent field trips that help them to grow physically as well as spiritually; the annual ski trip is one of the most popular events.

St. Philip’s high school youth meet each Sunday during service to have their own discussion/Bible study. There are occasional Sunday evening services also. They enjoy frequent outings that include such activities as Bible Study over dessert or a discussion group in one of Scotts Valley’s local cafés. They may decide to go to a

thought-provoking movie together and follow it with a lively critique session. The high school students also participate in outreach programs such as the Homeless Ministry. They play an important role in annual church events, which includes the Harvest Fair and the Big Basin Hike to the Sea.