Children & Worship Program

(during the sermon time in  worship) presents a joyful way to worship God….

Children & Worship invites both children (Grade 3 and below) and adult leaders to experience the wonder and mystery of God through a unique storytelling format and multi-sensory materials.

 Biblical stories (Old Testament & New Testament & parables) and the church year are presented in such a way as to create a worship environment that cultivates the imagination and invites children to a closer personal relationship with God.  The fall term will begin with stories from the Old Testament such as Creation, Noah’s Ark, Abraham and Sarai, The Exodus, before going into Advent and Christmas.

Based on the materials of Dr. Sonja Stewart, an internationally known specialist in worship with young children, author of two books, Young Children and Worship (co-authored with Jerome W Berryman) and Following Jesus (published by Westminster Press, this curriculum has been used successfully in several Presbyterian congregations.  Rev. David & Leigh Green used this program in North Carolina and highly recommend it.

Current rotating leaders are Elizabeth Godbehere, Leigh Green, Susan Parker, Cynthia Smith and Carolyn Vieau; more leaders and greeters are needed.  The leaders serve approximately once a month; the greeters could serve three or four times a year.  

The programs meets in the children's library on second floor, following the Time for Children in worship.

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Greeters for the “Children & Worship” Program

Greeters are extremely important to the atmosphere and functioning of the Worship Center in the “Children & Worship” program and need to understand how and why the Worship Center functions as it does.

Greeters lead the children from the Sanctuary to the “Children & Worship” room immediately after the Time for Children in the 11:00 a.m. worship service.  The leader will already be in the room.  Before entering the room, the Greeter will learn the names of any new children and briefly tell the children what happens in the Worship Center.  The Greeter will make a nametag for the new child.

 At the Worship Center, Greeters help children put away things they’ve brought with them in the special place by the door where such things don’t get lost and can be picked up when they leave.

Greeters walk with the children to the worship/story circle and introduce new children to the worship leader.

 Greeters care for children who don’t wish to be in the group, sitting beside a child outside the group until the child feels ready to enter it.  If a child is disruptive during the story, the greeter removes the child quietly from the circle and stays with the child until the story is over and the child feels ready to return. 

 As the worship leader is to be centered in God, so are the Greeters as they care for the children.  Greeters function out of a centered quietness so that each child feels the love and security of the caring adult, even if the child is out of control.

During the response time (creative activity), Greeters help children with paint shirts and carry material that is too heavy for them, but they do not entertain or interrupt the children’s personal time with the story.

At the end of the session, Greeters are at the door to meet parents when they pick up their children, and tell each child when his or her parent is there.  When all the children have gone, the Greeter helps the worship leader straighten the room and list needed supplies.

 - information adapted from the book Young Children and Worship, by Sonja M. Stewart & Jerome W. Berryman, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989, pp. 45, 46