K-12 Christian Education
We believe in providing meaningful Christian education programs for children of
all ages, using denominational curriculum. Our volunteers provide quality opportunities
for growing in faith. Classes are team taught, usually with three teachers.
Infant - 4 Years: Childcare is provided on Sunday mornings during Education for All (9:30) and worship (10:30). Coordinated by the Children and Family Council, volunteers who take care of children in the Nursery (age 0-2) or Preschool (age 3-4) love children and have attended Safe Child training. These servants in ministry are very patient when a child is having a hard day. They are happy to sit on the floor, playing or reading with the children. Childcare Coordinator: Tracy Massey.
Pre-School: Little children are often our greatest learners. They frequently remember details from Bible stories that adults overlook – and accept the teachings of God’s love with tender hearts.
Kindergarten – 1st Grades: Children entering school who are just learning to read are in for a real treat. Quick to tell you they’re not babies any more, these children thrive on repetition of Bible stories.
2nd – 3rd Grades: In this class, children start to make connections between the scripture stories, the songs we sing, and the choices we make as Christians.
4th – 5th Grades: Full of energy, children in this class are offered creative, interactive lessons. Each week’s material involves a story from scripture, reinforced with a hands-on activity of some kind.
6th – 7th Grades: Our Quest class follows a two-year exploration of Old Testament and New Testament, which is great preparation for what will be discussed in Confirmation class.
8th Grade: Our Confirmation class offers an opportunity for youth to learn about the history and polity of the denomination and write their own Statements of Faith. At the end of the year, students may choose to join Christ’s mission here at MPC.
9th – 12th Grades: The High School Seminar Class uses a four-year scope and sequence – each year students participate in Faith and Spirituality, Stewardship, PC(USA), and Biblical studies.
Special Events for Children
Workshop Rotation Model – WORM – Three times a year, children in grades K-5 participate in special rotations through which a particular Bible stories or themes are developed with experiential science, cooking, storytelling, music, craft, math, or creative classes. The Educational Ministry Council likes to include as teachers for these three-week classes, people in our congregation who have special gifts but who are not normally part of our teaching team. Keep your eye out for WORM!
One Room Summer Sunday School
During the Summer our Sunday morning
teachers get some well-deserved time off, so there is no Education for All. Children in grades
K-2 leave the worship service during the sermon for a special age-appropriate lesson. Want
to be a One Room Summer Sunday School Teacher? Contact Paul Clough, chair of the
Educational Ministry Council.
Christmas Eve Family Worship – Rather than revisiting a bathrobe pageant every year, we experiment with different ways of telling the story of the birth of Christ. Whether it’s a first person account through the eyes of Mary or a shepherd, a tableau with hymns, or a musical with costumes and props, MPC children are invited to offer their time and talent to help lead the congregation in worship. Contact Director of Children’s Music Ministry Betty Hohwieler or DCE Katy Yates Brungraber for info.
Lord’s Supper Instruction – Director of Christian
Education Katy Yates Brungraber offers age-appropriate instruction for 3-to-13-year-old
children and their parents. As young children express interest in taking Communion, that
is when Lord’s Supper instruction is most appropriate. Please watch the bulletin for dates
of the next class. Eighth grade Confirmation class students receive instruction
separately as part of their fall retreat. The PC(USA) Book of Order states that
“Baptized children who are being nurtured and instructed in the significance of the
invitation to the Table and the meaning of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s
Supper, recognizing that their understanding of participation will vary according to their
maturity.” W-2.4011
4th and 5th Grade Retreat – Each spring, 4th and 5th grade children, with the help of teachers and parent volunteers, camp overnight at MPC, study scripture, worship in pajamas in the chapel in the morning, and do a mission project. DCE Katy Yates Brungraber leads the retreat, alternating studies of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. Letters of invitation are sent to all 4th and 5th graders in the church.
Children’s Sunday – Around Memorial Day weekend,
children of the church lead a special worship service. Children become our ministers, reading
scripture, interpreting God’s word, and leading the congregation in prayer. Interested
volunteers are invited to see DCE Katy Yates Brungraber.
