Christian Education

Sunday School
Bible Study
About Our Director of Christian Education

• Disciple Bible Series - Year One: Disciple Bible studies are an intensive series of lessons that run for one hour and 45 minutes each Sunday for 34 Sundays. The lessons cover the entire Bible and explore the nature of Christian discipleship. This rigorous class is led by Georgia Robinson.
• The Seekers: As we conduct our daily business and tend to our relationships, we are continually shaping our lives in relationship to our assumptions about God and our place in Creation. The Seekers class helps us look at the larger issues in our lives by studying the work of significant Christian writers and exploring contemporary religious issues. The class is convened by our pastor and led by congregation members, church staff, and guest speakers. Pastor Bob Wilson is starting our fall 2006 program with a nine-week series on living as a Christian community.
• Coffee, Chat, and the Bible: Don Cameron leads this lively discussion class, which begins with the lectionary reading for the day and continues with discussion about applying the scriptures to everyday life. The result is a combination of Biblical inquiry, faith development, and community support, benefiting the spiritual life of the entire family.
• Parents of Youth: This class, led by Sharon McCarthy and Susan Petersen, is a discussion group for parents of teenagers that focuses on issues of adolescence and faith -- and keeping faith with our adolescents.

Child and Youth Classes

• Youth Class (grades 9-12): In the precious, restless years between the dependency of childhood and the responsibility of adult life, teenagers have a lot to put together. What they learned in their early years now needs to make sense in the community of their peers as they shape their own generation and what they will give to the world. We offer games, activities, and discussions that help our teens sort out who they are and what they believe. Our seminary intern, Doug Myers, leads this group.
• Middle School (grades 6-8): Faithzine magazine is used to invite our middle schoolers to work wtih Christianity using media, puzzles, and games. After a short lesson, facilitated by Chris Benjamin, the class puts what they are learning into play.
• Elementary Classes: Grades K-5 are the prime years for introducing our children to Christian ethics and the language of faith. They have the challenge of sorting out what is real, what is true, what is larger than life, and what lies at its core. Following the Montessori methods of the "Godly Play" curriculum, Gail Ransom and Carolyn Shrading lead this class in which children use their imaginations to respond through art and integrative play to sacred stories told with movable figures.
• Preschool Class: When children feel loved, they trust the events of the day and the people around them, and that is about as basic as Christianity can get. Jane Way, Carol McAllister, and Ammon Ripple create a safe and loving environment in which the children hear a short lesson from the "Exploring Faith" curriculum and have time for Bible stories, prayer, creative activities, and free play suitable for three- and four-year-olds. Carolyn Shrading visits the class regularly to teach simple hymns and songs. During the 11 a.m. worship hour, a rotating team of teachers also provides gentle care and free play time for this age group.
• Nursery Room: A secure and cheerful environment surrounds our infants and toddlers as they play, make simple crafts, and enjoy a simple lesson with Naomi Wells, our nursery director, and her aids Keira Pomeroy and Joyce Malillo. To help parents participate in church life, and children to separate and settle in, the nursery room is open continuously from the beginning of church school classes through the end of worship.
• Godly Play: Playing is the best way to learn. During our worship hour, we use the Montessori methods of Jerome Berryman's "Godly Play" curriculum to put the Sacred Story into the hands of our children--literally. Small figures, colorful felt, a sand box (the desert), miniature liturgical items, and art supplies allow children in grades K-4 to play with Bible stories just like they play with story figures at home. Gail Ransom, our Director of Christian Education, begins each class with a story demonstration and then invites the children to respond with the classroom materials. Throughout the class time, children share their thoughts with their teachers. The children and their teachers leave the worship service following the Children's Sermon to attend this session.