ST

ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Serving La Verne & San Dimas, California

4745 Wheeler Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750

Phone (909) 596-1321

This site is undergoing re-construction,

Please excuse our mess!

Sunday School

Assisting Parents

by teaching children

what it means to be children of God

Educational Objectives

The goal of the St. John's Sunday School program is to provide each child with a caring environment in which to experience God’s love through worship and fellowship, and to assist the parents in nurturing Christian principles by providing each child with guidance and knowledge to support these principles of faith.

We believe that every child should have a joyful and balanced Sunday School experience in all areas of spiritual growth, therefore our program includes:

Traditional Sunday School that runs from September to June in which children are placed in age appropriate classes with a set curriculum, based on scripture and Episcopal tradition.
Summer Sunday School that is varied and creative. All children meet together to form one class. This could involve service projects and guest speakers, or simply fellowship.
Vacation Bible School that usually runs for one week in August and has its own program director. It has a single theme and provides fun and fellowship for all ages.
The Christmas program has long been a tradition at St. John’s. It has its own program director and may require some classroom time. Input and support from parents and teachers is valued.

Age Groups

St. John's Sunday School classes

are divided into 3 groups:

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
1st – 3rd grade
4th - 6th grade

Classes begin at 9:55 a.m. and run for approximately 45 minutes. All ages gather for music first then split up by grade level for class. They are brought into the sanctuary during the announcement part of the service.

Youth in grades 7-12 are invited to assist the Sunday school teachers or join their parents in church. Classes include elements such as lessons read aloud in story form; story books; videos; games; puzzles; crafts; snacks; and toys, all related to the lesson.

More Than A Sunday School

The children and teachers are brought into the sanctuary for a special blessing each year at the start of the traditional Sunday School.

On the last day of traditional Sunday School, we give recognition and thanks to the children and teachers. We offer a nursery program for children under the age of four at the 10:00 a.m. service staffed by trained personnel.

St. John’s offers many opportunities for the children and families to gather for fun and fellowship, such as youth groups, outings, picnics, and dinners.

St. John’s also offers Journey to Adulthood for young people in grades 6 through 12. There are three segments to ‘The Journey’: “R-13” for grades 6-8, “J2A” for grades 9-10, and “YAC” Young Adults in the Church for grades 11-12.

The program seeks to celebrate their individuality and their creative potential and instruct them in skills needed for successful adult participation in church and society. Our goal is to provide our young people tools needed to handle the changing circumstances of life, not only in the church but also in our bodies, our ideas, and our spiritual needs.

The curriculum balances bible study, prayer, and both serious and playful activities to nurture the whole person during the sometimes treacherous passage from childhood to adulthood.

Write Our Sunday School Director Tammy McNew with your questions about St. John's Sunday School Programs

Curriculum

The purpose of our curriculum is:

to provide students with knowledge of the Christian faith in the Episcopal tradition through positive learning experiences.
to provide knowledge, appropriate to grade level, of the bible, worship, traditions, and customs, as well the application of this knowledge to their personal lives.
to meet certain criteria, unique to St. John’s, necessary for a successful Sunday School program, which takes into consideration: time, space, program goal, and church growth.

We recognize that each class is made up of children from different schools and that they will not all be at the same academic level. Sunday school is meant to be a joyful experience, we don’t want it to be a chore for slow learners or a bore for high achievers.

While the children are in class, they are expected to be polite and respectful so that all the children can get as much out of each lesson as possible.

In most lessons, we have activity booklets for the children to take home each week. We hope that you will take time to look over these with your child. Because class time is limited, this is a great tool to extend that learning and for you to share your views on the day’s lesson.