“I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.”
~Anne Lamott
Welcome!
We believe children and youth hold wisdom beyond their years, belong in Sunday worship, & thrive in relationship with one another. Throughout the church year, we provide faith formation programming for students of all ages as well as intergenerational opportunities to connect with elders. No matter what stage of life your family is at, we welcome each and every one of you with open arms.
~Liam Magistad, Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries
Sunday School
Godly Play
Breakfast Club
9:15 am Gathering Time
9:30-10:15 am Classroom Time
We Welcome Kids in Worship
Nursery (10:30AM-noon)
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Godly Play
Age 3 through 2nd Graders
Godly Play is a Montessori based approach to teaching young children used by a variety of Christian denominations, including many congregations in the United Church of Christ.
Teachers use figurines and other objects to tell Bible stories, parables and liturgical concepts. Children are invited to wonder and discover meaning in the stories through open-ended questions. Children are then asked to respond to the stories through art, conversation and retelling the stories using the materials. Every gathering closes with a 'feast' of crackers and water together.
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Breakfast Club
Grades 3rd-8th
As our young people’s independence grows, so do their wonderings. The middle school class strengthens relationships among students as they explore the relevancy of a life of faith.
We continue to engage with the Bible and its stories, learn spiritual practices, and utilize tools of the faith passed down through the centuries and those of our current culture. Creating art plays an important role in our time together. We also gather outside of Sunday mornings for service projects and intergenerational events. In this classroom, we also are investing in the work of environmental stewardship through worm composting. The youth help to maintain and care for the worm bin at SAPUCC.
OWL (Our whole lives)
"Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education and Sexuality and Our Faith" (OWL) is an engaging, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate sexuality curriculum that incorporates UCC beliefs and priorities. SAPUCC offers it to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders every other school year. We have also offered a version of the curriculum for young adults.
OWL is a unique program that is aligned with the National Sex Education Standards but goes further to help participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of sexuality.
OWL proactively guides youth to become sexually healthy people who feel good about themselves and their bodies, remain healthy, and build positive, equitable loving relationships. The broad topic areas covered with OWL Values are self-worth, relationships, sexual health, interpersonal skills, society and culture, and justice and inclusivity.
CONFIRMATION CLASS
SAPUCC offers Confirmation for 9th and 10th graders every other school year. The cohort meets 2 to 3 times per month from September thru May, takes a break over the summer, and culminates with Confirmation Sunday in mid-October. Pastor Victoria teaches, guides and leads the students through a variety of topics including:
Sacraments of Baptism and Communion
Worship, Liturgical Calendar, Christian Symbols
History of the UCC
Bible Fundamentals
Old Testament Prophets
Spiritual Practices
Dying, Death and Bereavement
Jesus Tells Parables
Money & Stewardship
Easter & the Resurrection
The Confirmation schedule may also include field trips to a Jewish Temple, an Islamic Mosque, a Hindu Temple or an African-American Church in north Minneapolis, and guest speakers from a variety of faith traditions.
In addition, for students who are on the autism spectrum and would find the class difficult to manage, Pastor Victoria has created an alternative, personalized confirmation path with parents’ input and guidance.
Confirmation is an incredibly rich year of intensive listening, learning, wondering and growing!
High Schoolers
High school students are invited to come together at different times throughout the school year, sharing some of their reality of life in high school as they continue to grow in body, mind and spirit. High school youth are also encouraged to attend the Adult Forum on Sunday mornings.
We explore the intersection of theology and faith with current events or aspects of our culture. We also dig deeper into scripture and continue a variety of spiritual practices.
We celebrate each other's milestones and accomplishments, such as driver’s licenses, prom, concerts, theater productions, and sporting events.
Sometimes we gather for food and fun; sometimes we gather for a service project or justice-making experience; sometimes we gather for quiet, reflection, prayer and mindfulness. No matter what shape it takes, High School faith formation is a dynamic process!
At Home Faith Resources
Looking for some worship songs for children to listen to and/or sing along? The "Shine" curriculum has a bunch of songs with catchy tunes and meaningful words. Contact the church office for more information.
Some additional resources we have found useful:
Doing Good Together - Family oriented service projects: www.doinggoodtogether.org
Vibrant Faith Ministries - Faith at home ideas and resources: www.vibrantfaithathome.org
Patheos - Progressive Christian blogs and articles, from world news and events to what's happening in the local church, written by the foremost theologians of today: www.patheos.com
CYBERWISE FOR ADULTS
We acknowledge that parenting is hard and holy work. There are many things to do in a day and parents are the number one educator in the lives of their children and youth. Here is a valuable resource for talking with your kids and youth about responding to cyberbullying: www.cyberwise.org/cyberbullying-hub
“I hope our daughters are born with so much fire in their souls, they could put volcanoes and stars to shame.” – Nikita Gill
