Beginning in September of 2005, St. Stephen’s is going to offer a three-level
approach to Christian youth education. Compared to the past there will be a
few major changes. The first begins with attitude. At St. Stephen’s we believe
that a child’s education in the faith is a priority and the responsibility of the
whole church. We make this commitment as a church at baptism and renew it
each year.
Clearly a child’s parents are their primary teachers. When the parents do not
aid their child’s faith life, the church’s efforts to is also diminished. Parents,
this is your opportunity to establish boundaries. What if your son or daughter
says that a sports game, karate class or pie eating contest is more important
than attending Sunday school. You might want to share with them the
importance of a faith life that places God above all else. No one can be forced
into a relationship with God; yet a clear avenue of moral choice by the child’s
parents must be set as the example.
Too often we get seduced into thinking that education is equal to
entertainment. What interests our kids now becomes our only barometer. So if
the church down the street is offering the newest and coolest programs, will
we send our kids there regardless of their religious tradition or the ethics they
teach? If we are going to use entertainment as our barometer we are going to
lose. I think two important questions remain before us. What is it that we
wish to teach our children? What are the core values that we want to instill in
them as Episcopalians?
Training for teachers will be in July and August. Registration and Covenants
(see attached) will be on August 7th,2005 at 10 am. Please feel free to email
any feedback or questions to ststephenspc@bellsouth.net
Thank you for your time and consideration
Blessings
Fr. Ken
Covenant statement.
What is a “family covenant”? This is a tool that has become quite popular in
church communities to assist families in keeping their faith a priority in their
lives. Our culture in the United States has become secularized, consumer
based and relativistic. We are no longer dealing with a society of the 1950’s
when Sunday was a holy day and people went to church as the hallmark of
their day and rested, reflected and renewed family bonds over dinner. Today,
this practice is counter cultural. We compete with sports schedules, work
schedules, school schedules all squeezing at our “Sabbath time”. Given this
reality “Family Covenant” offers an opportunity for families to be proactive and
choose to make each Sunday a sabbath.
We propose the “Family Covenant” as a way to assist families in prioritizing
Christian education at St. Stephen’s. This Covenant will be an integral part of
our registration process. Here is an example of a family covenant
We, the _________________family represented by _____________.
____________, ______________ and ______________ hereby agree to attend
and participate in the Christian education programs and worship at St.
Stephens. We fully understand the importance of weekly attendance. By our
commitment, we acknowledge the importance of learning about God and His
love for us in the context of the Episcopal Church. We will also strive to invite
friends and neighbors to come as guests. The following is what we want to
learn this year from our Christian education program.
On a separate sheet please write a few sentences to describe what are your
expectations for Christian education this year.
The hours of our religious education will be Sunday Morning 9:45-10:45. This
will allow for prime time with our children and allow time for our parents to
attend the adult education program as well.
Our calendar:
2 six week sessions:
September 4th through October 9th and October 16th through November 20th
For ages: 0-8 Godly Play Series
9-12 Family Based Catechism
13- Living Stones (Youth monthly program)
