Youth Education
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During the pandemic, weekly Sunday school lessons are emailed to families by our Youth Education coordinator, Carolyn Llewellyn. Each lesson features big ideas for kids to explore, including Bible stories and verses with suggestions for thoughtful, kid-centered discussion, and fun hands-on activities. When weather permits, we may meet for outdoor, in-person classes.
Our teen Youth Group hopes to safely resume meetings this spring and summer: Visit our "Teen Programs" page for more info. For now: Join our Youth Education e-list to receive info and updates via email. Sign up by reaching us at 1presbyterian@gmail.com. Thank you! |
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When it is safe for us to gather in our historic sanctuary again:
Our Sunday mornings are inspiring, creative, peaceful, and joyful! We love kids! Children of all ages are welcome at every Sunday morning service at First Presbyterian: The Church of the Open Door. Children are an essential part of the joy we feel in our congregation at weekly worship services at 10 Academy Street in Cold Spring, NY. Here is what a typical Sunday morning service looks like for families: The Youth Sermon. During the first part of the service, our pastor or other grown-up shares a Youth Sermon. Young folks walk up the center aisle to the front and sit on the floor so they can see, listen, learn, ask questions, and share insights. Our Youth Sermons are wonderful, warm, and thoughtful discussions about loving each other, standing up for what's right, and to doing a little good in the world every day. Grown-ups find they can learn a thing or two from these Youth Sermons, too! |
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The Goat Bank. After the Youth Sermon, we offer up our gifts. While Tom, our music director, plays the piano, older children pass the collection plates as younger children walk (and skip, and hop) down the center aisle, collecting quarters from grown-ups for the Children's Mission: Heifer International. Then kids put the collected quarters into a tall, transparent tube we call our "Goat Bank" (photo at left)!
Whenever we fill the Goat Bank to the top, we send those quarters to Heifer International. Staff at this nonprofit will then purchase a goat and donate this valuable farm animal to a grateful family in need somewhere in the world. To date, we've purchased ten goats for families all over the world! Click here to visit our Heifer International page for more information on this wonderful Children's Mission project. |
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Sunday School. After the Goat Bank offering, kids head off to Sunday School! We welcome all children in pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8, and our bright and cozy classroom is just down the hall from the sanctuary. (Children can also stay with their parents in the sanctuary for the rest of the worship service.)
Sunday School is like an old-fashioned one-room schoolhouse. Children of all ages learn together in the same room, but our lesson plans, explorations, and activities are tailored according to ages and abilities. Middle school students often take leadership roles, assisting our volunteer teachers and helping younger students. All Sunday School teachers are volunteers from the congregation who take turns teaching in the classroom. You don't have to be a parent to teach -- everyone has special gifts and wisdom to share! For more information about Sunday School classes and teaching as a volunteer, please email our Youth Education Coordinator Carolyn Llewellyn at pchamsia@gmail.com. |
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Nursery Care: Parents sometimes worry that their littlest ones might cry or get "the squirmies" during Sunday services. No problem! We love every single crying baby and squirmy toddler!
But if you'd like, you can always choose to bring your little ones to our Nursery Care. We offer baby and toddler care every Sunday in our peaceful church library, just steps from the sanctuary. Care is available throughout the service, and parents can come and go as many times as you like. So remember: Our Nursery Caregiver is available every Sunday to watch over our "Littlest Congregation." |
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