Children & Families

"ALL GOD'S CHILDREN STORY TIME" - A FUN INTRODUCTION TO GOD
For Children up to age 3
Monday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 in the Church Nursery
Stories, Singing, and Fun for All
For information, contact Carol Reale at 401-884-4221, or egumcce@aol.com

Children are not the church of "tomorrow."  They are a part of the church today. Children are the laughter, hope and joy in a world that can often seem dark and troubling.  With our children, we celebrate new life and a commitment to community.
 
Faith comes to different people in different ways.  Our education program strives to have children develop their faith in an inclusive and authentic manner.

CHILDREN IN WORSHIP

Children of all ages begin worship on Sunday mornings in the sanctuary to share in hymns, announcements, prayer and the weekly scripture reading.  Parents are welcome to include their children in Communion at any age they believe is appropriate.  Dr. Trench generally administers the elements (bread and grape juice) asking children to "take this and remember Jesus."
 
Elementary and pre-school children are welcome to join Mrs. Reale up front during the Children's Moment, after which they are dismissed to their Sunday school classes.  Our Sunday morning classes range from pre-school through high school with opportunities for toddler play groups.


OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM

Dr. Trench recently asked the eighth grade confirmation class what they liked best about our church.  They said they liked that they could ask any question.  As a non-creedal church we do not have a strict set of doctrines which everyone must accept. However if there is a common theme to our teaching, it is about the love and grace of God.
 
In discussing matters of faith, Methodists use the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" in which we understand God through the Bible, personal experiences, tradition and reason.  We share this understanding with our children so they question, wonder, and think for themselves.  We do not want our children just to have a scripted faith that is given to them, but a faith which they can claim as their own and will continue to grow throughout their lives.
 
It is our hope that our young people will become "biblically literate" so that they will be able to understand what the Bible is and various approaches to reading it.  We want them to feel comfortable reading, discussing and debating the richness of faith the Bible can offer.  We would like our children to consider a variety of points of view and know that we do not have to agree on everything to be accepted by God.

SERVICE

Service to others is an important part of developing faith. Sunday school groups engage in a quarterly mission project as well as providing youth year round opportunities to serve others.  We have been part of efforts to support UNICEF, World Vision and the United Methodist Committee on Relief.   Each February our high school students spend a week in South Carolina helping people to repair and rebuild homes.  Local mission projects are Providence based Project Outreach and South Side Community Land Trust. We believe that it is important to teach our children that in serving others we are engaging in justice rather than charity.  We are not just giving to those who are less fortunate than we are, we are helping restore equity and dignity to fellow children of God.