Associate for Christian Education
St. Elizabeth's Church School
All children ages three through Grade 7 are invited to join our Church School program. Teachers and Chapel leaders are prepared with age-appropriate curriculum highlighting Bible stories, crafts, and discussions. We offer a separate class for each age group starting with children who will be three years old by October 1.
Children's Chapel
Three Sundays each month, children ages three though grade two are invited to come to our song and story-filled worship services in our Children's Chapel, starting at 10 a.m. Chapel Leaders, Family Ministries clergy and our Associate Choirmaster lead the Chapel congregation in a brief service specifically designed for our youngest parishioners. Children are active participants in the service. Parents are welcome to attend, also.
Church School
Our volunteer Church School teachers prepare their lessons each week based on two different curriculums. Pre-K through second grade children learn from the Godly Play program by listening to Bible stories, doing arts and crafts and engaging in age-appropriate discussions. Children in grades three through seven learn lessons based on the Living the Good News curriculum, which involves reading scripture, prayer, arts and crafts, and discussion of real-life connections.
Family Holy Eucharist: "Big Church"
Once a month, all children attend the regular 10 a.m. service with their families, leaving after communion to attend Church School.
Nursery
On Sundays, children under three are lovingly cared for in our Nursery by experienced high school student parishioners. The Nursery hours are 9:45 a.m. through the end of Church School.
Church School Registration
Click here to download the 2018-2019 Church School registration form.
Children should be registered anew each year. Take the time to complete the bottom portion as well, for it provides opportunities for you to serve our parish children.
Church School Offering Envelopes
St. Elizabeth's Church School students are taught from the onset about stewardship. Each child receives their own set of offering envelopes which are brought to either Chapel or placed in the offering plate in the narthex.
St. Elizabeth's Church School Traditions
The Child-to-Child Christmas Gift Collection is a special Advent tradition at St. Elizabeth’s that gives the children the opportunity to experience the generous spirit of the holidays by purchasing a gift for a child in need. Children and families wrap and label the gifts, which are then delivered to a local favorite charity for distribution.
The class looks at the Advent Wreath and lights the candles, and looks for other liturgical symbols of the new season.
We read highlights from the bible stories leading up to Christmas from a beautifully illustrated children’s bible and, at the end, present each child with their own copy.
For 70 years, the St. Elizabeth’s Pageant has been a highlight of our Christmas season. Please join us in this glorious opportunity to have our children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas!
All children enrolled in Church School, Pre-School through Grade 5, are invited to join. Sixth and seventh graders (and others as needed) are invited to volunteer for the speaking parts. All that is required is attendance at the one and only dress rehearsal held the previous day. Children with speaking parts will rehearse during Church School for several weeks before the pageant.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: A Winter Reading
C. S. Lewis’s classic novel is read to our Third Grade Church School class each winter. This group gathers around the fireplace in the Rectory living room on five Monday afternoons, from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. with a short break in the middle for a snack. Parents take turns at chaperoning and/or providing snacks.
Ash Wednesday Children's Service in the Chapel
All children of St. Elizabeth's and their parents are invited to attend. Ashes are distributed, and age-appropriate language is used to talk about sin and forgiveness. There will be no Eucharist at this service.
On Palm Sunday, we continue our tradition of remembering the Last Supper (and its Jewish roots in the Seder meal) for our fifth through seventh graders. The children share this meal, learning about the significance of the individual foods and taking part in the ritual of the foot washing which Jesus demonstrated at the Last Supper.
Good Friday Children's Service
A children's service is held in the Chapel. We walk with Jesus on his journey to the cross as we remember the last moments of his life on earth. This is an opportunity for children to encounter, in age-appropriate ways, the sadness and suffering of Jesus’ death on the cross while reassuring them of the promise of the resurrection.
Easter Egg and Church Clues Hunts and Baby Goods Drive
On Holy Saturday we have our annual Easter Egg and Church Clues Hunts at 10 a.m., rain or shine. Our Easter Egg Hunt is for our youngest children through second grade. After a breakfast in the Parish Hall, third through seventh graders follow challenging clues to find hidden treasure around the church.
In conjunction with the egg and clue hunts, a non-perishable baby items collection is coordinated. The staples are delivered to North Porch/Paterson, an emergency food pantry run by our Diocese and supported by the ECW and the Outreach Committee.
Easter Day
Family Service of Holy Eucharist, Rite II, 9:30 a.m.: This service is especially suitable for families with young children and will include a children’s sermon.
Flower Planting for Pre-K through Second Grade (May)
On our annual Spring Flower Planting Day, the children will go to Chapel as usual and then follow teachers to the front lawn for planting. The children bring their own shovels and gardening gloves if they have them and come dressed for digging! This is such a fun and rewarding experience for the children who love to be a part of making St. Elizabeth’s beautiful for the season.
Chapel Families Brunch
Chapel Families are invited for brunch each spring or fall, following a 10 a.m. service.
Bring-a-Friend Sunday
Visitors are always welcome but especially celebrated on this day, when Church School children are encouraged to invite a friend of any religion to St. Elizabeth's. This opportunity for our children to share with others the way they worship and learn their faith allows friends to learn, discuss and discover new things about each other. Following Church School, there is a special “Friends Snack Table” at coffee hour, where kids and their visitors can gather.
