Children & Families
Families are the primary teachers of faith to their children. The Good Shepherd community is committed to partner with families in this great and grand adventure. Sunday School is from 9:45-10:45 am. Contact Connie Delzer to register or for more information.
“Seeds” – Sunday school
One of the ways we partner with families is through our Sunday School ministry. Beginning at age 2, children and their parents join together in an interactive, relational classroom that fosters community among parents and helps children experience God’s loving presence.
For age 3 – kindergarten, children learn Bible stories, songs, and build friendships with one another during the school year in classrooms divided by age. We use the Witness curriculum that has three goals in each lesson – know the Word, grow in faith and show service. These goals help everyone remember what it means to be a witness in the world. Each lesson is:
- Biblical: Based on a strong biblical foundation
- Mission-oriented: Aims to “learn from the Bible, to live the Good News”
- Salvation story focused: Teaches the salvation story each year within a complete two year cycle of well-loved Bible stories
- Age-appropriate: Presents the Bible stories in ways to engage our youngest learners.
The 1st − 5th graders Sunday School is called Shepherd’s Kingdom and uses a lectionary-based curriculum from Augsburg Fortress called Spark. The lessons that are read and preached in Sunday worship are the same lessons that children learn in their Sunday School classroom. Spark is a faith formation program that gets children excited about God’s Word. Spark lessons bring to life Bible stories through games, art, music and science, to accommodate the different ways kids learn.
The faith formation of our children is foundational for the persons they will become; we thank you for your partnering with us in raising them in the Christian faith.
Worship
Spark Bibles are in the first few pews of the sanctuary so children can follow along with the gospel reading. They can look at pictures of the reading or follow the story in one of the Spark Bibles.
Wednesday Night Live family ministry (WNL)
WNL is a time for families to gather together, sing songs, hear a Bible story, participate in an activity and grow in Christian faith. Our focus is always centered on the great stories of the Bible. WNL meets in Fellowship Hall from 6:25 – 6:55 pm. We end with prayer and shared blessings. Contact Connie Delzer for more information.
First Communion
First Communion at Good Shepherd is an open-ended process to educate and help children grow through the sacrament of the table. Families work through study packets and then visit with a pastor. Plans are then discussed for a child’s First Communion. There is no set timeline. Contact Pastor Deb to discuss your needs further. Learn more »
Children’s choirs
We offer choirs for children age 3 – 7th grade. Parents and the congregation alike love to see our kids sing and act! Several new programs are set up for this year. Please consider having your children participate in our music and drama programs! Learn more »
In your family’s daily life
Help your family learn more and deepen their faith. We’ve identified some web resources for your family. Learn more »
