Children
Children are welcome at St. Columba’s!
At St. Columba’s, we see and embrace all children as an active and essential part of our parish. Our children’s programs interweave worship, formation and service to help our young ones live out their baptismal covenant and teach them the tenets of the Christian faith, while allowing them to grow, thrive and actively participate in a Christian community.
Columba Crew - A Sunday School Adventure
Start by lighting a candle and saying a prayer. Thank God for the day and your blessings, ask God to be with those who are hurting or sad. This week we are putting our learning about caring for neighbors into action. We begin to do projects to care for our neighbors, starting with those who are close and each week caring for neighbors who are further and further away. The Columba Crews on zoom will be hearing stories of close neighbors. Maybe you have one of these or another that celebrates those who live near us. Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox; A Chair for my Mother by Vera B. Williams; Upstairs Mouse, Downstairs Mole by Wong Yee. We’re starting with our close-by neighbors on our street!
- Print this file of hearts on heavy paper (or draw them yourself) and cut them out.
- Decorate them with markers or crayons or by gluing on sequins, beads or ribbon.
- Write a message like, "someone at St. Columba’s love you" or "God loves you."
- On the back include St. C's website: www.columba.org so people who are so moved can connect with us.
- Then, go out and share the love with your neighbors by putting your heart under the windshield of a neighbor’s car or through their mail slot.
I hope you have fun thinking about and loving your neighbors!
Start by lighting a candle and saying a prayer. Thank God for the day and your blessings, ask God to be with those who are hurting or sad. This week we read the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Have someone in your family read the story of the Good Samaritan (you can get a link to a script under January 10 below). Print (or draw on blank paper) the "Who is my neighbor" worksheet (link to the document I have attached). Everyone can do their own or you can do one as a family. Each oval will represents our neighbors moving further and further away from us - our family, the people on our block, our church or school, our city, our country, our world. Talk together to name by proper name, geographic location or group neighbors who are close and far, like us and different than us.
- Questions to consider?
- Who does Jesus think our neighbor is?
- Do our neighbors live near us?
- Do our neighbors worship where we do?
- Do our neighbors look like us?
- Do our neighbors speak the same language as we do?
Start by lighting a candle and saying a prayer. Thank God for the day and your blessings, ask God to be with those who are hurting or sad. This week we read the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Before you read the story, share with your kids the the significance of each character in the story. The priest and the Levite were Judeans. As was the man who was beaten by the thieves. They were all from the same area —all neighbors, so to speak. It's the Samaritan who was the foreigner (from an ethnic group that didn’t get along with the Judeans), the person least likely to help a Judean.
- What did this character do in the story?
- How might he have felt?
- What might he have been thinking?
- Have you ever felt like this character? Tell us about that time.Katie McGervey
- Finally, ask what might have happened if Jesus had been standing there.
Columba Crew FAQ (replaces Sunday School FAQ)
Who should come to Sunday School?
Everyone in your household is Welcome, even the pets and stuffed friends!
Where do I find the Zoom link?
Contact Katie McGervey for the link - even at 10:14 am on Sunday morning!
Do I need to prepare for Sunday School?
No, just drop in!
How do we prepare to do crafts?
Look at the Columba Crew Basics attached here and prepare a container with some simple craft supplies. One craft each week will be doable from this list.
A New Generation of Disciples
Moms!
All mothers are welcome to join our mothers' group. We meet weekly by zoom on Wednesdays at 10am. We also meet for walks, socially distant gatherings around fire pits. Contact Courtney Hundley to join our list and get announcements of events. We also share questions, answers and ideas as we mother our children on our faith journey.
Dads!
St. Columba’s Fathers' Group offers men with children at home and recent empty-nesters a community where we learn how to use God’s tools to build and develop our lives as fathers and leaders of young people. For details, please contact: Charles Molluzzo
Children and Worship
Children are welcome to worship at all of our services. Click here for our current Worship schedule. Our online services are pre-recorded, but you can watch them live with other parishioners on Facebook Live. You can also watch them anytime on St. Columba’s YouTube channel. Join us for our Wee Worship Home Worship Service – a service of simple prayer, song and Bible story for pre…
Read More »Childcare
Childcare is an important part of how we welcome our youngest members and their families to St. Columba’s. It is a safe place where infants and toddlers experience good care, while offering parents an opportunity to give their full attention to worship and other church activities. Childcare will not be offered until we resume our regular Sunday morning onsite worship schedule.
Safeguarding
All volunteers who serve in ministries with children and youth participate in a training called "Safeguarding God’s Children." It was created by the Church Pension Fund of the Episcopal Church and provides training in preventing and identifying incidents of child sex and other abuse. All parishioners are encouraged to take the training sessions whether they are actively engaged i…
Read More »Special Needs
St. Columba’s is a welcoming community and we want all children to be part of our program. If your child has special needs, whether physical, developmental, emotional or otherwise, we will work with you to assure they are welcome and can participate to the best of their abilities in all of our programs. Contact Katie McGervey to discuss your child’s specific needs.
Director of Children's Ministries
