Children’s Programs

St. John's provides a number of opportunities for children to learn and grow. While spiritual development is a huge part of our programming, we also believe in helping children develop emotionally, socially, and physically.

Nursery (Infants-Kindergarten)

From a child's first day in our church, the nursery team's goal is for each child to feel that the house of God is a warm, friendly, and safe place to be. Child care is provided for both worship services and during Sunday School. Cell phone numbers are collected so that parents may be reached at any time if necessary. Matching security tags are given to the parent and attached to the child.

All nursery staff must complete training in Pediatric CPR and First Aid, pass a background check, acknowledge our Safe Sanctuary policy, and receive training in nursery procedures prior to serving. All classrooms are equipped with age-appropriate toys that are sanitized on a regular basis to ensure the health and safety of our children.

Please visit the nursery reception desk off of the gathering area on the first floor for assistance with check-in, for classroom locations, and to locate the Nursing Mother's Lounge.

Elementary Sunday School (1st-5th Grades)

Children in 1st through 5th grades attend Rotation Sunday School beginning at 9:45 AM. The rotation workshop format allows for in-depth studies of the major stories of the Bible in a way that honors our children’s God-given thirst for multi-modal learning. Children study a particular story or concept for approximately six weeks. Each week they rotate to a different workshop that explores the concept/story from a different perspective, using a different teaching medium. Workshops include music, movies, science, cooking, games, computers, art, drama, storytelling, and more. Shepherds stay with the children as they rotate through the workshops to provide the adult mentoring relationships that we appreciate about traditional Sunday School.

Please see the schedule posted on the entrance to the rotation classrooms on the second floor of the Children & Youth Building for workshop locations. A description of the concept/story we are currently studying is located on the children's page of the church newsletter.

Please note: Our kindergarteners attend Sunday school on the first floor. Their time includes a Bible lesson and age-appropriate activities.

iServe

iServe is our mission team for children in the 3rd-5th grades. iServe kids participate in mission projects around the church and community. Once a year, we also spend a weekend at Epworth Children's Home in Columbia. Some of the ways we have served include visiting homebound members of our church, practicing "Random Acts of Kindness" around town, sorting clothes at a clothing closet, walking in the CROP Walk, and more! We have a lot of fun while we do God's work with our hands!

Scouting

St. John's has a very active scouting ministry for both boys and girls.

Cub Scout Pack 925 works alongside families to encourage character development, spiritual growth, good citizenship, sportsmanship and fitness, family understanding, respectful relationships, personal achievement, friendly service, fun and adventure, and preparation for Boy Scouts.

To learn more about Girl Scouting at St. John's, please contact Sarah Crockford, Director of Children's Ministries.

Everything Else!

Other children's ministries and events include:

Birthday Party for Jesus

Children’s Christmas Tree

Fall Carnival

Easter Egg Hunt

Children's Sabbath

Children's & Youth Basketball

Mother's Day Baby Recognition

Art Camp

Vacation Bible School

Summer Skills Camp

Safe Sanctuary

The safety of our children is of utmost importance at St. John's. For this reason, St. John's has had a Children and Youth Protection Policy in place since 2003. This policy provides child abuse prevention and response guidelines for paid and unpaid staff, as well as for groups who use the facilities. Paid and unpaid staff who work with children and youth at St. John's undergo a national background check before they begin working with our young people. This policy is part of our commitment to children and families, and is another way that we strive to ensure that every child is healthy and safe while in the care of St. John's United Methodist Church.