** Check out all of our offerings for children and youth during the global pandemic, by clicking here! **
From Nursery to Stepping Stones to Godly Play and Rainbow, it is our hope that you will find just the right places to nurture and support your child’s spiritual growth. If you have any questions about Children’s Ministries at Burke Presbyterian Church, feel free to speak with Arlene Decina, Director of Spiritual Growth Ministries.
We look forward to a wonder-filled year of learning and growing in faith together.
Weekly Faith-Focused Children’s Ministries
Programs are offered throughout the year from September through May.
Sunday School for all ages meets from 10:15–11 a.m. from September through May. Each class is led by a team of teachers who themselves are committed to learning and growing and sharing their faith with the children of BPC. In Sunday School children learn the Bible Stories as well as the skills for navigating the Bible, but we know that for this to stick, Sunday School must more than informational. It must also be transformational. We want the children to know that they belong to God and to one another, and that they are loved by their church family.
Our children are presented with a New Revised Standard Version gift Bible in the fourth grade.
Rainbow, for children in grades 1-6, gathers each Wednesday during the school year from 5-7:30 PM.
Rainbow is for children in grades 1-6. “Raindrops” is offered for younger children of program volunteers. Family participation is welcome and encouraged.
Each Wednesday during the school year, we set aside time for
Recreation (having fun at the expense of no one else)
Music and Worship (connecting children in the worshipping community)
Family-Style Meal (eating and fellowship around the table)
Bible Study (learning and growing)
Oasis for adults during Bible Study time (after dinner)
Come along on the journey as we grow in faith and friendship! Here’s our schedule for the year.
Godly Play is a creative and imaginative approach to Christian formation and spiritual guidance that is used around the world and in multiple languages.
In Godly Play we trust that children have already experienced the presence of God in their lives, but they may not have the language to express it.
Godly Play values process, discovery, community and relationships.
The Godly Play approach helps children to explore their faith through story, and to make meaning and come close to God through wonder and play.
Over time and through the cycles of the church year, as we gather in circles with our biblical story at the center, children in Godly Play gain fluency in the Christian language, liturgy and symbolism in ways that will nourish their spiritual development in the years to come.
During work time children are offered the choice to work with a story they have already heard or to engage in art response. They are free to use the materials in the way they choose and to move from one activity to another at their own pace.
Godly Play is offered for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade during both worship services following the Children’s Message. Godly Play is also offered for 4th graders and for 5th graders as the Bible Study component of Rainbow.
Feel free to be in touch with Arlene Decina dcm@BurkePresChurch.org if you have questions about Godly Play or any of the other offerings within Spiritual Growth Ministries.
Use this Children’s Ministry Family Form (one per family) for any children who will participate in programs at Burke Presbyterian Church.
Stepping Stones begins in September and runs through May.
While children are always welcome to remain in worship with the whole congregation, Stepping Stones is offered for children who are age 3 (as of the start of the current school year) through age 5 (but not yet in kindergarten).
Children begin worship in the Meeting House with their families, and then following the children’s message they are led to the Stepping Stones room where they are invited to gather for a Bible story, share a snack, and engage in activities that meet them at their developmental level.
Children begin their journey of faith in the BPC nursery. Our capable and qualified childcare team provides a safe and nurturing space for babies and young children during Sunday morning and evening services, at Raindrops on Wednesday evenings, and during many other church events.
