Christian Education is for all interested in the education of our children and youth. All parents are invited to meetings and most parents participate in the teaching of Sunday School classes and/or volunteer to help with at least one of the annual events. Newcomers usually find this a place to make friends quickly and comfortably. We are friendly and enjoy a high level of involvement in church life. Meetings usually occur immediately after the 9:15 a.m. service on Sunday.
The combined Sunday School and Youth Groups participate in several annual events: Harvest Brunch, Harvest Fair, Christmas Wish List Program, the Christmas Pageant, Jerusalem Marketplace and the Talent Show. The Sunday School students participate in setting up the creche at the Osterville Christmas Stroll and send cards to shut-ins for Valentine's Day.
What is Godly Play?
Godly]Play is Jerome Berryman’s interpretation of Montessori religious education, an imaginative approach to working with children. This approach supports, challenges, nourishes and helps guide their spiritual quest.
Godly Play assumes that children have some experience of the mystery of the presence of God in their lives, but that they lack the language, the permission and the understanding to express and enjoy that spiritual experience in our secular culture. In Godly Play, we enter into our parables, sacred stories, silence and liturgy in order to discover God, ourselves, one another and the world around us.
We value being present to the moment when we may be able to hear and understand God by valuing a slower pace than the world often permits by patience and quiet.
We make time for children to:
Enter the space and are greeted individually by the co-teacher, the door person, and by the storyteller
Get ready for the presentation, quieting our thoughts and actions
Enter into a presentation based on a parable, sacred story or liturgical action
Respond to the story through shared wondering. Respond to the presentation with their own work, either expressive art or with the lesson materials
To prepare and share a feast
To say goodbye and leave the space
One Godly Play lesson tells children about the "Ten Best Ways" to live. This is the story of the Ten Commandments that God gave to God's People.
We invite you to share more fully in the best ways to share in your child’s Godly Play experience.
Youth Group
The Youth Group meetings lately have concerned spiritual disciplines. We have continued to be impressed with the thought pertaining into all of these discussions.
The youth groups' purpose is to complete community service works, and to develop fellowship, friendship and worship meaningful to young people of this age. The Youth Groups plan a variety of fundraisers throughout the year, support important efforts such as Heifer Project International and Habitat for Humanity, plan and coordinate a Youth Service, participate in a Talent Show, and make other plans appropriate for their age
Christian Ed Announcements
Our Sunday School ended the year with multi-age classes in June. These were pleasantly well attended!
Thanks to all of you who make the Christian Education of your family a priority.
Beginning July 6th, we will be out at Crystal Lake for our summer services. Please click here if you have never attended at the lake, for directions.
We offer child care for very young children (5 and under) at the lake. Young children often enjoy the
less formal worship service at the lake; you are encouraged to attend. There is something very special
about joining in worship in the outside air of beautiful Cape Cod. Children can often take part in assisting
with the offertory or giving out bulletins or hymnals. Please join us at the lake!
Please keep our graduates in your prayers as they prepare for college or the larger world beyond high
school and undergraduate school.
Mark your calendars:
Sunday, August 17th: St. Peter’s FUN Day following the service at Crystal Lake. Watch for details!
We are looking for a new Christian Education Director. Linda Tetreault, our director for these past ten years, is stepping down from this position.
New Christian Education Director
We are looking for someone that shares their passion to serve as our Christian Education Director.
This is a part-time staff position. The Director works closely with our Rector to assist in fulfilling their vision as they relate to education and worship.
Communication and organization of all facets of
service to families of youth are important. Please consider this calling. If you are willing to be considered, please send a letter of interest and a resume to the office, addressed to the attention of Greg Miller, chairman of the committee to hire a
new Christian Education Director.
Best Ways to Participate
Godly Play sessions take place every Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until we bring the children upstairs for the Youth Sermon and/or Eucharist. They will join you in your pew.
The Godly Play circle is built slowly and lovingly, to welcome each child, one at a time. When children arrive, they wait outside of the door while the co-teacher (door person) helps them get ready to join the circle.
Please say your goodbyes at the door, and know that the teachers are ready to make the class time a safe and welcoming time for every child.
Keep in mind that young children will not always be able to tell you what they learned, because what they learned was how to learn about the powerful language of the Christian people.
Also keep in mind that children will not always be able to show you a physical product for their "work" that day, because some of what they’ve learned cannot be put into words even by adults. In goldcross2.gifldcross2.gifdly Play, we focus on our relationship with goldcross2.gifldcross2.gifd and the depths of relationships in the community of children.
Please don’t come into the room during class because we want the Godly Play room to be a special place for he community of children. Even the teachers keep their profiles low during a Godly Play session!
We welcome volunteers to support the teachers and the community of children by preparing the weekly "feast," by taking care of the classrooms and materials and by helping in a variety of other ways.
Sunday School
Sunday School meets at 9:00 in the downstairs classrooms. Students are arriving on time and ready to ! We welcome new students to our Sunday School at any time. Thanks to all our teachers -- Mrs. Castricum, Mr. Miller, Ms. Treimann, Mrs. Soares, Mrs. Marion, Mrs. Forster, Miss Taylor, Miss Kalie, Miss Nicole, and Jeff Soares! We welcome Mrs. Marczely, who is our newest-Play trained teacher!
The Godly Play parent pages related to our stories are available for you on the table outside the office. Please help yourself. Taking these pages as well as “The Sunday Paper” home with you will helps families extend the conversations started here at Sunday School. But it all begins with the children hearing the stories and having the time and place to respond and to work with their classmates as they learn the vocabulary of the spiritual life and our faith. In school, we think of this block of time, January through early April, as the most concentrated time of teaching and learning available to us. Sunday School is much the same! I urge you all to continue to brave the cold and snow and join us for Sunday School whenever possible. We are so glad to have the opportunity to teach the children!
