Children and Youth

Sunday School

Infants - 2s
Our youngest children experience and learn of God’s love through age-appropriate play, music and stories. Mary Taneti, our regular nursery childcare provider, and other volunteers provide care. The class meets in the Infant/Toddler room on the first floor of the education building.

PreK - 4th grade

God’s Family Worships
As the whole people of God, we joyfully worship each week. We have planned an enriching Sunday school activity time for children and their parents so that together they will explore worship by study, questioning, and active worship leadership and at-home conversations. Led by Ann Knox and Cathy Belles, the class will be held Sundays, Sept 11, 18 and 25, 9:30 - 10:30 am in the E. T. Thompson room on the 2nd floor of the education building.

Beginning in October, these children will participate in a program called Godly Play - a discovery model of learning, where children experience God and develop a language for worship as they hear and respond to stories from scripture. Three-dimensional materials are used to tell stories from the Old and New Testaments, and children join the storyteller in wondering how the people in the story felt, what they might have been thinking, what things are important in the story, etc. Then the children respond to the story in a variety of ways that may include art, drama, song, service, and more storytelling. A time of prayer, the sharing of a “feast" (a.k.a. snack), and the practice of listening and caring for classroom materials help to create a sacred space where children may come to know God and learn reverence. This class gathers in the E. T. Thompson Room upstairs in the Education Building, then moves to the Drama Room. Teachers include Cathy Belles, Jeanne Hughes, Tiffany Jana, Ann Knox, Mary Taneti, and Anne Westrick

Worship Hour Care

Children are always welcome to worship with us. Should you desire child care, it is available for infants and toddlers in the Nursery and for ages 3-5 in the Pre-school room. Both are located on the ground floor of the Education wing. Pagers will be given to parents.

Elementary school-age children are invited to sit at the tables in the children’s worship space on the right hand side of the sanctuary during the sermon or any other part of the service. Parents may sit in the pews nearby to supervise and engage their children in worship. Of course, children are also welcome to sit with their family in the pews – wherever they are comfortable in the sanctuary!

Children at GPPC

Youth at GPPC

What motivates you to accept a recurring responsibility at GPPC? Over the years the reasons have been varied for me. Sometimes I accept responsibility because I love the activity or I love the people involved, sometimes I feel a sense of call, sometimes I think I SHOULD take on a task, sometimes I think no one else will do the job if I don’t. The latter was the case when I heard myself suggest to a friend that she and I take responsibility for weekly teaching of the Sunday School class for elementary grades this year. It’s a great job and no one else can have it until next year! We have invested far more time outside of class planning and preparing materials than we spend in class each week. We have considered the diverse learning styles of the class and have managed to surprise ourselves at how engaged each child has been Sunday to Sunday. We’ve been enriched as teachers by sharing responsibilities with Josh, our intern, and with Union-PSCE students who want to “practice” with our very interesting students. I am grateful that I took a risk; I have been surprised by the bountiful harvest of enthusiasm and participation. - Eleanor W.


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