ChristianEducation
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|||||
Christian Education 2005-2006 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) |
|||||
![]() |
|||||