Children & Youth

St. John's Church believes children and youth are an integral part of the Body of Christ and have much to share with us. This parish community knows that we must learn, by observation and experience, how to "enter the Kingdom of God as a child.” Without children being present as part of the community, we will never have that opportunity.

Children are welcomed and encouraged to worship God at their own developmental level during each of our worship celebrations. The more children participate, the more they will experience what it means to worship a loving God who created us and calls us each by name.

Opportunities for Christian Formation

St. John's Church provides safe and nurturing environments for children and youth to discover and experience what it means to live as followers of Jesus Christ.  

We believe that God and the child have a unique relationship with one another (particularly before the age of six) and that the growth of this relationship should be assisted by the adult, but is directed by the Spirit of God within the child. Children need to be presented with the greatest truths of our faith as well as their own place to foster the growth of that relationship.   We call each of these sacred spaces an Atrium, a term borrowed from the early church denoting the quiet, set-aside location where converts to the faith were prepared to become Christians.  Each Atrium is open from 10-11:30am on Sundays when Christian Formation is in session. 

Please help us with the spiritual development of your child by minimizing attendance disruptions and having them on time and consistently present with their peers.  Each week builds on discoveries from previous weeks! As much as possible, please try to schedule time away in conjunction with the regular and intentional breaks provided in the Formation calendar which is published each year.

Creation Atrium

The Creation Atrium (birth through toilet training) provides the youngest children an opportunity to “work” with hands-on materials that help this age child focus and prepare for mediation and prayer.    

Here children discover:

* Jesus loves them unconditionally.

* They are loved and protected as part of God's family.

* How to control their bodies.

* How to appropriately interact with their environment.

* They can be safe & secure in a place without their parents.

Once children are toilet trained, they move upstairs to the Good Shepherd Atrium.  

Good Shepherd Atrium

The Good Shepherd Atrium (toilet trained to reading well) provides young children an opportunity to focus on hearing the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who calls us each by name. The hands-on “work” of this atrium centers around practical life, liturgy, geography and the basic stories of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, as well as parables of the Kingdom of God.

Here children discover:

* The Good Shepherd who loves us and calls us each by name.

* Jesus, who lived in the land of Israel and is the Light of the world.

* The mystery of the Kingdom of God as told by Jesus in many parables.

* The symbols, gestures, and language of Eucharist & Baptism. 

Once children are good readers, they move to the True Vine Atrium. 

True Vine Atrium

 The True Vine Atrium (readers to age 9) provides older children an opportunity to focus on what is means to be a branch of Jesus, the True Vine. The hands-on "work" of this atrium centers around synthesizing the stories of Jesus’ life, his moral teaching, and the great events of the Plan of God.  

Trusting that God loves them, children come to know that:

* God is working out a plan of salvation from Creation, through Redemption, to the Parousia.

* God calls us to participate in this plan.

* Jesus shows us the way to live together in peace and joy.

* Jesus calls us to abide in him through the Eucharist & Baptism.

Sometime in their ninth year, children move to the Atrium of the Covenant.

Atrium of the Covenant & Atrium of the Light

In the Covenant Atrium, youth age 9-12 focus on the connection between Jesus and the Hebrew scriptures (what Christians call the Old Testament) which underpins our faith and worship.

Here youth continue exploring:

* How the Hebrew scriptures tell the story of God's chosen people which is also our story.

* How all of creation is part of the Plan of God.

* Our place in the Plan of God.

* How the sacraments serve our convenant relationship with God and with one another.

In the Atrium of the Light, youth ages 12-15 explore Christianity’s place in the wider world and what it means for each of us to be salt and light.