Our Church, Our Home | Their Church, Too

For many families, Sunday morning begins with a familiar rhythm: getting everyone out the door, arriving at church, finding friends, heading to worship and Sunday school.

But over time, those ordinary Sundays begin to add up to something more.

They help children discover that faith belongs to them, too.

For Becky Stehle’s three daughters, children’s ministry at St. John the Divine has been a constant from their earliest nursery years through where they are today.

“It has been one of the steadiest things in our family's life,” Becky said, “and it has quietly shaped the way all of us talk about faith at home.”

At 10:15 am each Sunday, children from age two through fifth grade gather in classes created especially for them. Our youngest children learn that God loves and cares for them. In Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, children’s innate faith is nurtured in a quiet, hands-on environment. Traditional Sunday school classes help elementary-age children discover how the stories of the Bible fit together as one larger story of God’s redemption.

The approaches may be different, but the purpose is the same: helping children know and love Jesus and begin developing a faith of their own.

“People often say it takes a village to raise a child, and St. John the Divine’s children's ministry has truly been an important part of ours.”

—Caroline Kennedy

For Becky, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has been especially meaningful.

“Something about the smaller, quieter setting lets them encounter the gospel on their own terms,” she said. “They aren't just being told a story, they're handling it, sitting with it, taking part in it.”
She sees the results far beyond the Sunday school classroom.

“They come home eager to tell us what they learned, and more than once one of them has corrected me on where we are in the liturgical calendar,” Becky said. “It's a small thing, but it tells me the language of the church has become their own rather than something handed down to them.”

And then comes the line that perhaps captures it best:

“They know this is their church, not just the place their parents take them on Sunday.”

A Village of Faith

Caroline Kennedy has seen that same sense of belonging grow in her own children.

Her two oldest attend a secular school, where faith is not part of their everyday classroom experience. While her family intentionally talks about Jesus and lives out their Christian faith at home, Caroline says having other trusted adults reinforcing that faith has been an important gift.

“Our Sunday school classes provide a loving, welcoming environment where our children can learn about Jesus alongside their peers through lessons designed just for them,” she said. “Hearing about God's love from trusted teachers and mentors, in addition to us as parents, has been such a meaningful gift.”

That community is an important part of what children’s ministry offers.

Sunday school teachers, Catechesis leaders, nursery caregivers, clergy, staff, parents, and fellow children all become part of a larger circle surrounding each child as they grow.

“People often say it takes a village to raise a child, and St. John the Divine’s children's ministry has truly been an important part of ours,” Caroline said.

For the Price family, that village has also meant finding community with other families who are navigating the same season of life.

“The children's ministry at St. John the Divine has been such a blessing to our family,” Tyrrell Price said. “We've gotten to know other families in a similar season of life and grow in our faith alongside them.”

And for their children, that sense of community has become something even more fundamental: a sense of home.

“Our children have a place that feels like home on Sunday mornings, where we know they are loved, cared for, and able to learn about Christ,” Tyrrell said.

Those relationships extend beyond Sunday mornings. Family events throughout the year give children and parents opportunities to worship, learn, play and build friendships together. For the Price family, the Family Retreat has become such a beloved tradition that Tyrrell says it is “one of the first things to go on our calendar each year.”

“They know this is their church, not just the place their parents take them on Sunday.”

—Becky Stehle

Through Sunday school, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Awesome Worship, the Family Retreat, and other opportunities throughout the year, children are growing not only in their understanding of faith but also in relationships with other children and adults who are growing in faith alongside them.

For our children’s ministry team, those early years matter deeply.

Even young children are capable of profound encounters with God. Sometimes those moments come when a Bible story they have heard many times suddenly becomes personal; when a child understands that Jesus’ love is not simply part of an important story, but is love offered to them.

That is why children’s ministry is about much more than giving parents somewhere to send their children during our Sunday education hour. It is about welcoming children fully into the life of the Church and giving them a place where questions, wonder, friendship, and faith can grow together.

It is how a church they attend with their parents gradually becomes their church, too.

Every Sunday school lesson, carefully prepared classroom, and welcoming ministry space is part of the shared life we create together at St. John the Divine. The generosity of our parish helps provide the curriculum, materials, spaces, clergy and staff support that make ministries like Children’s ministry possible, and helps ensure that children have a church home where they can learn, belong and grow in faith.

Find Your Place

It takes many people to create that kind of church home for our children.

Whether you love working directly with children, helping behind the scenes, or simply want to support the next generation of our parish, there are opportunities to be part of Children’s Ministry at St. John the Divine. Sunday school teachers and other volunteers help create the loving, consistent relationships that allow children to know they are seen, known and valued here.

Interested in serving with Children’s Ministry? Email Holli Kight, director of children's ministry.