Children and Youth
Children's Church
Children’s Church takes place during our 9:00 AM Service. Following our opening hymn, children are invited to follow the Crucifer to one of our classrooms for Children’s Church. They return to their families during the Exchange of the Peace and to share the Eucharist as a family.
Children’s Church is set-up to give us space and time to learn together using age appropriate language and activities. Since different kids learn in different ways, we use a variety of methods for teaching. Some weeks we might be drawing pictures of our Gospel lesson, while others we might be acting it out. Most importantly, we believe that any one who spends time thinking about God is a theologian. Startling and brilliant insights come from children when they’re encouraged to bring their wisdom, imagination, and experience to bear on scriptural stories and church traditions.
All Children's & Youth Ministries programs are led by a minimum of two Safe Church trained adults.
Godly Play + Youth Roundtable
Godly Play takes place at 10:15 am between our two services. It is a creative and imaginative way for children - and adults - to explore Christian faith and heritage through stories, based on the idea that children have an innate sense of God's presence and influenced by the Montessori method of teaching.
Youth in grades 6 - 12 are invited to join us for "Youth Roundtable" during this time. We'll walk to La Chatelaine or Peace, Love, and Little Donuts for a sweet treat, then gather in the Carriage House (on church property) to discuss the day's Gospel reading and how it applies to our lives today.
All Children's & Youth Ministries programs are led by a minimum of two Safe Church trained adults.
Youth Group
Youth in grades 6 - 12 are invited to join us for Youth Group at 2 pm on Sunday afternoons! Our youth group is a joint effort with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and alternates its meeting location between the two churches. Youth Group includes time for everyone to share about their week, a lesson, a game, and most importantly - SNACKS! For more information, please contact David Burman by clicking below!
All Children's & Youth Ministries programs are led by a minimum of two Safe Church trained adults.
Nursery
Here at St. John’s we believe that even our youngest brothers and sisters can know and experience God, and so we seek to provide opportunities for infants and toddlers to experience Christian community and grow in faith.
Nursery care is available every Sunday morning from 8:45 am until 12:45 pm in the Nursery (also known as the Thompson Room). Infants and toddlers are invited to come to the Nursery on Sunday mornings to play, nap, or join the other kids for some fun!
Our nursery staff includes Allison Periatt, Lisa Dillon, Molly Yaeger, and Tiffany Keehn; they are also gifted with the volunteer help of Sara Ross.
All Children's & Youth Ministries programs are led by a minimum of two Safe Church trained adults.
VBS + Special Events
St. John's Worthington offers Vacation Bible School each year in June! VBS takes place on each Monday evening over the course the entire month. Every year we have a different theme, and invite knowledgeable parishioners and friends of Saint John’s to teach different sessions for the kids. We gather together in a large group for a story, go off to age-appropriate workshops, and come back together for music and dancing. It’s one of the highlights of our year!
In addition to VBS, we host a number of special events for children and families. These are times of joy, celebration, and learning. Some of those events include:
- Lock-Ins: At least once a year we hold a lock-in for children and youth. Lock-ins start with dinner on Saturday night and end before church on Sunday morning. We eat together, play games, walk to Graeter’s for ice cream, watch movies and (hopefully) get a good night’s sleep.
- Halloween Party: Kids are welcome to wear appropriate costumes to church on the Sunday when we celebrate All Saints. After the 9:00 AM service kids are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt throughout the church.
- Christmas Pageant: The Christmas Eve Family Service is at 4:00 PM, and children prepare a pageant with full costumes and speaking parts.
- Mardi Gras Parade: Children build “floats” and design costumes during the Fat Tuesday pancake supper, which they then parade through the Undercroft as people are eating. Later, they "bury" banners featuring the word "Alleluia" until Easter, signifying the holy time we enter into during Lent.
- Palm Sunday: Children teach adults about the Easter Story through craft projects and other activities during Sunday School time.
- Easter Egg Hunt: We hold a huge Easter Egg hunt after the 9:00 AM service on Easter morning - and dig up the "Alleluias" we buried for Lent.
- Pentecost Party: We end our Christian formation year with a party to celebrate the birthday of the Church on Pentecost.
All Children's & Youth Ministries programs are led by a minimum of two Safe Church trained adults.
