Kids & their People
You might say Kids and Their People is Sunday School and you wouldn't be entirely wrong, but we've shifted how we do it a bit. We are organized around teaching in family units rather than age-brackets--that is, parents, grandparents, chosen family, and church members come together with the kids to experience Bible stories together and wonder aloud, "so what?" (That sounds like an aggressive question, but it's the short form of , "Why does this matter to us? How does this story change me this week? How is God speaking to us now?")
Most often, "Their People" is parents, but the Church makes strangers friends and acquaintances family. Every person who comes to church here is these Kids' People, including you! As we say, all are welcome, no exceptions.
A while ago, Pastor Alice shared some thoughts about how we make faith "sticky" for our kids (or for any of us, really). You can read them here, here, here, here, and here.
At St. Timothy’s, we offer several doors to family spiritual formation:
· Bi-weekly during the summer (weekly during the school year) “Kids and Their People” time between our 9:15 and 11am services—rather than dividing up into grade-level classrooms, we learn about our faith in family-units, parents included. We have one group for families with toddlers up to kindergarten, and one for families with grade-school-aged kids.
· Weekly kids’ sermon at the 9:15am service—the preacher for the week
invites the kids forward to chat about something related to the Bible
readings and they receive a small candy (typically Starburst or a Dove
chocolate)
· Communion 101—email Alice (AliceC@SaintTimothys.com) if you or your kid
is interested in a 3-session class in 2025 (Adults are welcome, too!)
· Diocesan youth events—we are a part of a larger Episcopal family, the
Diocese of Southern Ohio, who sponsor several inter-parish events through
the year
There are four generally-agreed-upon touchpoints that make the faith we share with our kids stick with them for their whole life. You could consider this a checklist, though each one is complex (each of these bullet points is also a link to further musing):
a regular Sunday routine
summer church camp
a transformative journey
campus ministry [coming soon]
The idea is, if our kids have these in their experiential toolbox, they are significantly more likely to be part of spiritual community later in life, but they're also significantly more likely to be those compassionate, resilient people reaching out to others as Jesus did. As Cole Arthur Riley writes, "Together we won't get lost in despair."
Safety Issues
Classrooms
Please do not leave your children in their classrooms before the teacher is present. Additionally, only children in grades 4 and higher will be released from the classrooms after the Children & Youth Programs. Children in Pre-School through 3rd grade will only be released to parent, guardian, or sibling, or other adults indicated on the registration form. Take advantage of this opportunity to chat with your child’s teacher.
Health & Wellness Programs
St. Timothy’s Health & Wellness Committee provides a number of beneficial services for our children on Sunday mornings. First Aid kits are readily available in several locations for the use of teachers. Teachers receive instruction on choking prevention and are encouraged to take CPR classes. An evacuation plan is in place in case of fire and fire drills are held periodically.
Child Abuse Prevention / The Safe Church
With rising incidents of child abuse in our society today, it is important that we as a Church do all in our power to make St. Timothy’s a safe place for our children. The national Episcopal Church requires that all clergy, paid staff and youth leaders attend a 6 - 8 hour workshop on issues of child sexual abuse in church settings. St. Timothy’s has gone beyond this policy to require that all Children & Youth teachers also be trained in the awareness and prevention of child abuse. If you are interested in completing the training, contact the office administrator. We also require that a new member of the parish does not teach in the Children & Youth Programs until they have been a part of our community for at least six months.