CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
CHURCH SCHOOL
Toddlers through 6th Grade
In
order to better serve the children of St. John’s, we are developing a “Co-op”
model of our Church School Program. This
means, simply, that every parent or caregiver who enrolls a child in Church
School agrees to participate in some way to help the program run smoothly. In this way, we all share in the responsibility
of providing religious education for our children.
St. John’s is currently using a curriculum
for the younger children entitled “Godly Play.” It issues a sensormotor style of storytelling
as a primary means for encountering God, so that God is experienced, not just
talked about. After the story there
is a period of questioning and wondering which is designed to stimulate their
imagination and invite the children to relate the Bible story to their own
lives. The children also respond to
the stories with art work and creative play with the figures and other story
props. For older children we are using
the Episcopal Church Liturgical Children’s Curriculum.
The lessons are designed to follow the church’s liturgical calendar,
and are based on the Bible readings for that week.
Questions and activities help the children find meaning in these readings
and to relate them to their own lives.
Teach
/ Assist
Being
a church school teacher or assistant is a special ministry where those who
are called have the opportunity to be "learners" right along with
the children. Many find it a privilege to be with a group of children as they
search for answers to questions that we as adults are often asking. The simplicity
and straightforwardness of their comments can often serve as guides for us.
It's an opportunity to help children discover their own unique gifts as they
live out their lives in a caring community.
The
Church School Program is nine months (September through June). Classes are
40 minutes long. Training is offered to those who are interested.
Nursery
The
Nursery at St. John's is open during the 10 AM. Service (9:30 AM during the
summer) to provide care for infants and toddlers up to three years of age.
The Nursery gives parents the opportunity to worship while their children
are supervised by two paid caregivers in a child-friendly play space. The
service is now piped into the Nursery so that parents who choose to stay with
their children can participate in the service. Parents usually retrieve their
children during the "Peace" but may do so after the service has
ended. The goal of the Nursery at St. John's is to
prepare children for their transition to church school and to participate
in the service.
CONFIRMATION EDUCATION
Seventh
& Eighth Grades (Two-Year Preparation Program)
Wednesdays,
5:30-7:30 PM. (Mid-November – April)
When
we are baptized, we are baptized Christian; it is not until we make an adult
affirmation of faith that we choose a denomination. In the Confirmation service, the bishop places
his or her hands on the head of the Confirmand and asks for God to strengthen
them for the work that they have committed themselves to continue.
If you read the baptismal promises taken by parents and godparents,
you will know what each Confirmand is agreeing to take on as a personal faith
commitment. Confirmation classes are not just about learning
about the Episcopal Church, it is experiencing community within the context
of praying and studying the bible together. It is an opportunity to learn more about St.
John’s and the different people who minister here and in the world at large.
Parents are asked to coordinate any day trips, provision of meals for
every meeting and our outreach project. St.
John's 8th grade Confirmation service will take place on May 15,
2005, at 3 PM at St. Luke’s, Montclair.
Adult
Confirmation and Reception: Inquirer’s
Classes
Adults
who have made an adult affirmation of faith in another denomination and wish
to be received in the Episcopal Church are encouraged to attend a series of
classes (dates to be announced) to learn more about St. John’s and the Episcopal
Church. Others who have only been baptized
and have never made an adult affirmation of faith and who might want to be
confirmed as Episcopalians are also encouraged to attend these classes.
Other
adult education programs on Sundays and programs such as Kerygma or our parish
retreat in Lent can also provide support, encouragement, and a sense of community
and learning for those looking toward Reception of Confirmation.
If
you are interested in this process, please contact the Parish Office.
ADULT PROGRAM
The Adult Christian Education
Committee meets once every three months, usually on a Sunday after Service.
The Committee acts as an umbrella organization that discusses and coordinates
adult education programs at St. John's. Programming for the 2004-2005 year
is expected to include a continuation of the Adult Forum program on a quarterly
basis with outside speakers both preaching and conducting a seminar after
worship services.
We
will again publish a Lent 2005 Meditation Booklet with mediations written
by parishioners. There will be a continuation of the Kerygma
Bible Study Program (self-guiding lay curriculum that introduce Old and New
Testaments) and a Parish Retreat at Kirkridge in March 2004. We have also had a new Motherhood and Spirituality
group active in 2004.
Spiritual
Direction
Spiritual
direction is often described as the help given to someone in listening to
and responding to God. Spiritual directors
have also been called spiritual guides, soul friends, or spiritual midwives. The use of the word “direction” implies that
our souls travel in a straight line, but the spiritual life is much more organic.
We
at St. John’s are fortunate to have a Labyrinth which beautifully images the
journey of the pilgrim soul. Our lives
are marked by three different periods of withdrawal and emptying, centering
and stabilizing or moving out into the world and experiencing fullness. When we walk the Labyrinth, we can sometimes
feel lost—even though we’re not—and spiritual direction can help one gains
one’s bearings.
The
Rev. Diana Clark has a certificate in spiritual direction from The General
Seminary in New York and provides direction for people in St. John’s as well as outside the parish. The process of spiritual direction is a gentle
one. We meet once every six weeks or
so and talk about prayer, questions about God, looking for God in the world
and discerning vocation. If
you would like an appointment, please contact her in the Parish Office.
Parish
Retreat
Kirkridge
Retreat Center in Bangor, PA, and St. Helena’s Convent in Vailsgate, NY, have
been the sites of retreats in recent years.
A retreat is tentatively scheduled for March 3-5. 2005 on the topic
of prayer and spirituality at Kirkridge.
Peace and Justice Committee
Our
baptismal vows call on each of us to “strive for justice and peace among all
people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”
The Peace and Justice Committee focuses on the non-violence of Jesus.
Our
primary activity over the past year has been participation in meetings and
activities of the recently founded New Jersey Chapter of the Episcopal Peace
Fellowship (NJEPF). During the past year, NJEPF has held From Violence
To Wholeness training, participated in marches for social justice, participated
in letter-writing and petition campaigns, sponsored a booth at the Diocesan
Convention and set up a “Yahoo Group” site to facilitate communication.
Approximately 1/3 of the active membership of the NJEPF is from St.
John’s. Non-EPF activities may be planned for the next
year and could include: a) learning about and exploring non-violence through
readings, lectures and courses; b) meditation, group prayer and facilitated
retreats; and c) collaborating with Outreach efforts to feed the hungry and
house the homeless and support fund drives to help the homeless, hungry and
sick here and abroad. Members communicate
regularly via e-mail, and try to limit administrative meetings to two or three
per year.