For Children
Children matter – a lot. For that reason we are a “child-friendly church”, in a number of important ways.
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Nursery
For the littlest angels amongst us, we have a fully-equipped nursery, with crib and rocking chair and diapers and change table and lots of safe, bright-coloured toys. One of our ushers will be happy to assist you with any needs you might have.
“Totes for Tots”
Okay, you’ve got a squirmy, restless toddler who can’t seem to settle and won’t stop letting you know it either! What to do? Ask the usher for one of our ever-popular “Totes for Tots”. They’re colourful little bags filled with big crayons pictures to colour and interesting things to keep little hands busy while sitting in the pews.
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Kidspace
Our church has also created an area within the sanctuary itself which we call “Kidspace”, equipped with crayons, colouring books and toys, that is just for children (okay, moms and dads can join in). Kidspace is the perfect place to help your children meet up with playmates and have fun while you are meeting with friends and getting ready for worship.
Sunday School
Sunday School is very important to us and it’s very popular with the children who attend. Here’s the mission of our Sunday School:
“Guided by the Lord, our Sunday School seeks to prepare children for lives of regeneration, i.e. lives of growing, spiritual awareness and joy, based on Biblical values of kindness, faithfulness, integrity, self-responsibility and service to others.”
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Our strategy for fulfilling this mission is known by the acronym “LOVE” (read more here). LOVE stands for Learning, Openness, Vitality and Emerging:
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“Learning” – fostering a child’s love for the stories of God in ways that are creative, challenging and fun.
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“Openness” – a commitment to Sunday School as a safe, affirming place where every child is welcome and every path to God is honoured.
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“Vitality” – bringing the stories of God alive by making them immediately relevant to the life of the child.
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“Emerging” – providing opportunities for children to take on more responsibility and emerge as the leaders of tomorrow.
To help us accomplish these goals, we employ a well-known curriculum package, “Seasons of the Spirit”. This is lectionary-based, as is the church itself, which means that children learn the same Bible stories at the same time as their elders and caregivers. This helps to reinforce learning about God in the home.
Sunday School itself is offered as a regular program from September to June and then, in the summer, when so many children are away, on a “just-in-time” basis (week-by-week, as needed). It is coordinated by a person who is herself a trained teacher.
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Classes follow a set pattern, with opening and closing rituals and prayers. Children then always return to the sanctuary before the close of the service for “show and tell”, talking about what they learned and showing off their crafts. This is a very popular part of our worship and it enables the whole community to get to know and care about the children. At Good Shepherd we take to heart the African proverb, “It’s takes a village to raise a child.”
Children’s Services
There are two major “children’s services” during the year for which the children practice for some weeks prior: the Christmas Pageant and Earth Day Sunday. These events showcase children’s talents and gives them a chance to take a leading role in worship.
We also have special monthly “family services” (the first Sunday of every month) that feature a live band and fun things for children to do, including the lighting of special candles.
116 Queen Street North. Kitchener, Ontario N2H 2H7. 519-743-3845.
