Children at St George's
Click on the small images to display a larger version. Images of children are reproduced with kind permission of parents.
Children are welcome at St. George's as full members of the Body of Christ. We have a full range of programmes for children from birth to age 18.
Our programmes are run by Margaret Houston, the Children and Youth
Worker at St. George's. With experience in teaching and theatre, Margaret
is passionate about children's spirituality and passing on the faith in
ways that are meaningful and enriching. A team of dedicated volunteers
assists with the Sunday School, leading lessons and helping with planning
and clean-up.
Programmes for children aged 0-11 are during the service on Sunday morning - children leave at the Gloria and return for communion. Programmes for young people aged 11-18 are every other week, after church, from 11:45 - 12:45.
Creche (age 0-4)
We believe that children's spirituality is present from birth, and therefore our crèche is more than just babysitting. Each session begins with a story or song, and then the children take turns, two or three at a time, to do an art or craft project related to the story. These projects are not prescriptive - rather, they allow children to explore the visual symbols of our faith and to begin to remember the stories. While the children take turns doing these crafts, there are tables available for "free play." Some of these are related to that day's story (e.g. a wooden ark toy for the story of Noah), while some are more general (e.g., our "Soft Church" toy, or Nativity story finger puppets).
Sunday School (age 5-11)
Our Sunday School lessons are creative and enriching. They are not preachy,
moralistic, or sentimental. Our goal is to nourish children's spirituality
through imagination and storytelling. Each lesson begins with prayers
and a story. Our stories are told in a hands-on way - we use the Beulah
Land Bible Stories in Felt storytelling materials for many of our
stories, and sometimes use dolls, puppets, collections of objects, or
another storytelling method. Children are able to touch and play with
the materials later in the lesson if they like.
After our story, we have "wondering" time, in which children are encouraged
to think or talk about the story, before we finish praying together for
any concerns or thanksgivings the children have.
When we finish praying, the children have a creative activity that helps them engage meaningfully with the story. Our activities are never formulaic - no step-by-step instructions where the children end up creating exactly the same thing - rather, children are encouraged to use sculpture, paint, textiles, collage, drama, in a way that is useful to their needs and their spirituality. Two or three times each term, we have "free choice" sessions, as modelled by Godly Play,in which the children are not given any guidance in their activity. During these sessions, tables are filled with art materials, pens and paper, and children can create whatever they like.
Youth Group (age 11-18)
Our Youth Group meets every other week after church in the balcony space.
We are currently applying for funding to allow our children to take part in a professional theatrical production featuring the Noah Mystery Play and an adaptation of Faust. If this funding is approved, this project will dominate the Youth Group's programme for the 2010-2011 year, as our young people will help with designing and making props and costumes and rehearsing the show along with professional actors. The programme will culminate with professional performances in London and possibly in the south of France as well.
Children in Church
While visiting children are welcome to join us for Sunday School, we understand that not all of them will feel comfortable leaving their parents. Our booklet, "Let Us Pray," a guide to the service for children, and packs of crayons, are available at the back of the church, to help your child understand what's happening. Please ask the serving team.
If you have small children who are having trouble settling down during the service, our community space at the back of the church is available - there is a sofa where you can sit and cuddle your child (or breastfeed), and a safe space for your child to run around if they need to burn off excess energy! There are also toys and books available. The service is relayed into the community space, so you can still hear and participate in worship.
Special Events
We have many special events for children and families throughout the year. Here's what's coming up:
- July 18th: Sunday School end-of-year picnic, 12:00, location TBC
- August 23rd - 27th: "Rivers of Living Water," our free summer programme for children aged 5-11. Please email Margaret for more details or to register your child.
- September 5th: First day of Sunday School and Youth Group.
- December 12th: "People, Look East", our Christmas pageant.
Baby and Toddler Group
This is held on Thursday mornings. Click on the image below to view the poster.
Baptism
Click here for more information about the baptism service.
this page last updated on June 21, 2010