|
|
Vacation Bible School Downloads:
.............................................................................................................................. |
|
We welcome you and your child, birth through Kindergarten, to Myers Park Baptist Church Early Childhood Ministries. On Sunday mornings, your child will be greeted by friendly teachers and bright, inviting rooms. Our Christian Education offers a loving learning environment where children grow in their experiences of God's world and their participation in it. |
|
Our first priority is that the needs of your child are met. When you bring your child to Sunday School please label all of your child's belongings and bring all of your regular diapering supplies, as well as a change of clothes. Bring breast milk or other bottles if your baby is accustomed to a morning bottle (we have a cooler in the Nursery). . Due to the possibilities of allergies, we ask parents to pack a light snack for their Toddlers. Simple mid-morning snacks will be provided for children in the Twos, Threes, Fours and TK/Kindergarten classrooms. Please let us know if your child is toilet training, allergic to anything or keeps a special "lovey" for comfort.
We encourage the active participation of parents in our Sunday School program. Parents are welcome to remain in the room with their children as needed. A parent is a child’s first teacher and we are glad to be a partner with you in guiding your child’s spiritual formation. If you have concerns or questions, please talk with our volunteer teachers, childcare providers or the Early Childhood Minister, Reverend Cheryl Collins Patterson (704.334.7232, ext. 52). To sign-up for her weekly e-letter, contact her at cpatterson@mpbconline.org
 |
........................................................................................
Reverend Cheryl C. Patterson talks about the value of play in a religious setting.
 Watch Video »
........................................................................................ |
Thank you for making your child part of the faith community at Myers Park Baptist Church. Having children in our midst is a holy privilege and we strive to respond to Jesus' words: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Mark 9:37)
Curriculum
Our Sunday School curriculum for children from birth through age 2 is a developmentally appropriate introduction to the church and faith experience. Children spend time with loving adults in a classroom designed with an “ambient curriculum” in mind. Children choose their own music, reading, and art activities that reinforce each month's theme. Topics include: My Church Family, Jesus the Baby, God's Wonderful World, and God, My Family, and Me.
"In most religious education children are told who God is. In 'Godly Play' children discover who God is." ~ Rev. Jerome Berryman, curriculum founder
Our Sunday School curriculum for children in the Threes, Fours, TK and Kindergarten classes, Godly Play, is a Montessori-based method of telling Bible stories, presenting parables and instructing children about Christian traditions. It invites listeners into the biblical stories and encourages them to connect the stories with personal experience. Godly Play is a non-coercive way to encourage children to move into larger dimensions of belief and faith, through wondering questions and open-ended response time. It is a way of preparing children to join in the worship and life of our congregation as they develop a deeper understanding of stories, symbols and rituals.
We continue working to encourage our children's religious imagination with science, art and drama activities; nurturing their spiritual development through prayers, stories and songs. We give children the opportunity to express themselves and ask questions in a loving environment that demonstrates God's love and acceptance of them. We seek to create a Ministry of Belonging so that every child knows he/she is loved by God.
Fellowship for Parents of Young Children
Our lives are joyfully and dramatically changed when a child comes into the family. Early Childhood Ministries provides numerous opportunities for parents to gather with other parents and to fellowship with the church. Each month, usually on the second Wednesday, we have a Parents’ Circle to discuss various topics that address the spiritual, social, emotional, intellectual needs of children and the adults who care for them.
During the 2007-08 Church School year, we are reading Dr. Bonnie Miller-McLemore’s book, In the Midst of Chaos: Care of Children as Spiritual Practice. The book is available in the church’s Education office for $14 or can be ordered from your favorite bookstore. For previous discussions on the book, check our monthly newsletters, beginning with September 2007.
Throughout the year we offer several Festivals for families, including the Easter Bonnet Parade and Breakfast on Easter morning. This is a delightful tradition where children make their own “bonnet” and “hats” at home, wearing them to church on Easter morning. We spend the hour telling the story of Christ’s Resurrection, creating thematic crafts, singing songs and eating traditional Easter fare.
Vacation Bible School
During the summer preschoolers and children who have completed 5th Grade are invited to an exciting week of learning the biblical stories, singing songs and making crafts. This year’s VBS will take place June 23-26, 9:00 to Noon. Registration forms will go out to our MPBC church members in February and then, based upon space availability will be opened to the community.
NOTE: Preschool registration (ages 3 and 4)
is FULL! Only a few elementary spots remain! Registration forms are located in the children’s education departments, on the welcome table in Heaton Hall, and on the church website (mpbconline.org).If you volunteer to help (we need adult “lifeguards” for each age), your children get a registration discount.
Worship
The three-years-old class, four-years-old class and TK/K class all gather on the rugs (located near the piano and under the pulpit) at the beginning of worship. It is here that preschoolers can see the lighting of the candles, the color of the vestments, the procession of the choir, the greeting by the ministers. At the conclusion of the Invocation (or the Family Dedication and Blessing), the children are led from worship back to their classrooms.
Myers Park Baptist Church practices believer’s baptism so we do not have infant baptisms or christenings. We do offer families an opportunity to bring their children to worship for a Family Dedication and Blessing. This is a spiritually rich occasion when the congregation seeks to greet each new son and daughter with joy, and surround them with faith, so they may know God and want to be Christ’s disciples. Parents are also given a charge and asked “do you promise in dependence upon God’s grace and with the help of the church to teach her/him the gifts and claims of the Christian faith, and by prayer, word and example to bring her up in the nurture, discipline, and instruction of the Lord? The Family Dedication and Blessing takes place during the 2nd Worship hour at a time that is most convenient for the family.
Please contact Rev. Cheryl Collins Patterson, Early Childhood Minister, with any questions. For more information, download this document: |
 |
Godly Play Brochure 2008 (PDF)» |
.............................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................
Ages and Location of Sunday School Classes
9:30 a.m. – Noon
Babies & Toddlers Younger than 15 months
Babies are welcomed in the Nursery, located off the Heaton Hall foyer, when they are seven weeks old.
Toddlers – Children who are walking or 15 months and older gather in Room 104 on Sunday mornings.
Two's – Children who turn 2 before October 15, 2007 gather in Room 103;
Three's gather in Room 107;
Four's gather in Room 108;
Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten meet in Room 213, located on the second floor of the Education Building.
|
