Children & youth

Our church is blessed and enriched by our children. They are a gift to us, helping us all in so many ways to glimpse God’s grace through their eyes. As grown-ups, we are responsible for doing whatever we can, with God’s help, to nurture and encourage them in their young journeys of faith. 
Whenever the children come forward on Sunday morning for a time with the pastor, we sing these words written by Jacque B. Jones (#487 in our hymnal):
 
                       These treasured children present now and bound to us by sacred vow:
                       with love, we make a heartfelt claim to welcome them in Jesus’ name.
 

These words remind us that we are all of us bound to one another, intergenerationally, in Jesus’ name.

MPC now offers a program for our children, led by Charlotte DeRocher.  Charlotte and volunteers of the church will gather the children each week for a time of learning, play, and spiritual formation. The gatherings will feature a scripture verse each week, with a brief lesson connecting the scripture to the love and care for God’s creation. This promises to be both fun and formational and will help us fulfill our promise to love and support our children in their journey of faith.

 In addition to Sunday morning church school,  we also offer formation experiences of our children and youth on select Wednesday afternoons (called “Wonderful Wednesdays”)—with these events often taking place outdoors. Activities have varied from hiking the Shoal Creek Park, creating Christmas displays, preparing goody bags for the women and children of First Light, and growing a community garden.

Our children and youth also participated in a series of “eco adventures”. These were opportunities to learn more about God’s good creation by visiting local sites such as the Ebenezer Swamp or Shoal Creek Park.  We learned about our responsibility as stewards to care for God’s creation.