We believe faith starts young.
We have opportunities for our very smallest to our tallest to participate in the life of the church. Our convictions about including children in education and worship come from Jesus’s own actions in welcoming children. We model this by taking our baptismal vows seriously, which for us looks like; caring for every child that comes into our church, having a safe and nurturing space for infants who accompany their families to events, providing meaningful educational opportunities for kids, and incorporating children in most everything we do.
If you have any questions about Children’s Ministry at Shandon, contact Heather Woolard-Lawson.
Sunday School
Sunday School for children and adults runs from September through May and starts at 9:15 am. Our children’s classes are grouped by age, with the youngest starting with potty-trained 3 year-olds. Below are our current classes, their topics, and locations.
3k - 4k | Deep Blue Bible Curriculum | Room 104
5k - 1st | Deep Blue Bible Curriculum | Room 204
2nd - 3rd | Deep Blue Bible Curriculum | Room 205
4th - 6th | Whirl Lectionary Curriculum | Room 207
Child Care
Child care opens at 9:00 am during the school year, and 10:00 am during the summer, ensuring that you can drop off your youngest and still make it to your own class or worship on time. Child care is available for infants through toddlers. (Potty-trained 3 year olds and older participate in their own classes.) All of our nursery workers are experienced providers with training specific to our church setting and in accordance with our child protection policy. Your child will be safe, nurtured, and loved.
Worshipping with Young Children
We believe God welcomes all, that means the big and the small! Our worship services are open to everyone who would like to join us; your children- wiggles, giggles, sneezes, and whispers- included! Every time we gather, there is Child Care available for infants and toddlers, it is always up to you whether you would like to use it or bring your smallest into worship with you. In every Sunday worship service, there is also Extended Care for toddlers up to 5K that starts midway through the service (after the Word with Children) in Room 104. We do it this way so children can be in the sanctuary, learning the rhythms of our worship, for chunks of time that are manageable to them; while having a separate space just for them for the remainder of the service. The Word with Children is a time set aside for children to hear the day’s Bible story in a way that is meaningful for them. There are also Worship Bags that you can find hanging by the entrance to the Sanctuary. These bags contain a children’s bulletin, a ‘how-to’ guide, fidget toys, crayons, and (of course) stickers! We hope that they help make the worship service more accessible and enjoyable for you and your children worshipping together. We know parenting in the pew is hard- we see you, and we’re happy you’re here!
Worship Readiness
Worship Readiness is a special offering for our 1st Graders that starts in September and runs until the end of November. This program is designed to help our children who are becoming full-time worshippers (in the sanctuary for the entire duration of the service) to be able to participate in each act of worship. Each week, after the Children’s Sermon, the 1st Graders go to a classroom down the hall from the Sanctuary to look at a different aspect of worship. We work on developing skills to participate in the worship service as well as the reasons behind why we do what we do. The class helps answer questions like: “What is worship?,” “How do I read a hymnal?,” and “What is a sermon?.”
Messy Church
What else can we say, sometimes we can be a bit messy! On special Wednesday evenings we embrace the fact that God calls our whole selves to worship, even the messy parts. This is a unique, interactive service that is made for all age groups to participate in and grow in faith. Each service has a simple liturgy, a conversational message driven by scripture, creative stations for reflection (the kids say this is when messy church “really” begins!), and the Lord’s Supper. It is truly a one-of-a-kind experience; we’d love to have you join us!
Sometimes, we even use glitter.
Vacation Bible School - Art & the Bible Camp
Each summer we welcome 100 kids for a week filled with incredible art creations, engaging lessons about God, and just plain fun! Children are invited to think deeply about their understanding of God in the day’s Bible story and encouraged to explore different art forms as a way of expressing this faith in the two art rotations. We love watching how much kids grow and are always enthralled by the beautiful creations they make!
This camp is an all day experience, from 9am - 3pm each day, with extended sessions from 8:00 - 5:30 available. It typically falls on the second week of July, in 2025 it is July 7th - 11th.
We offer thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary, and especially faculty Drs. Rebecca Davis and Lynn Miller, who developed this program and continue to work to make camps like ours possible.
Child Protection Policy