Christian Education at
Avon Congregational Church
by Jennifer deSimas, September 2010

Children today are often keenly aware of the sadness experienced by others around the world. They might wonder why violence or natural disasters happen to people who love God, why He doesn’t magically intervene to save them. These are questions that people of all ages struggle with, and there are no easy answers. Sometimes I simply have to agree with an old idea I heard somewhere that God weeps beside us during those times – that even though God created a perfect world, this world doesn’t always run perfectly. But if you look to the Bible, you’ll find – if not an answer – instruction on how to deal with the sorrows of the world. Throughout the Bible are stories of heroes, regular people who performed extraordinary acts, individuals who found sudden strength to overcome huge odds, or even just folks who did the right thing. Think David, Esther, Noah, Jeremiah, Miriam. Turn to the New Testament and you’ll meet Mary and Joseph, the Good Samaritan, Paul, Joseph of Arimathaea and Mary Magdalene. These stories give us inspiration and teach us ways to cope with adversity and conflict. They also show us that the answer to solving the sadness of the world is right inside us, that God created an unpredictable world that can daunt us, but He also gave us the tools and fortitude to overcome the obstacles we encounter.
    If you need more direct instruction, look again to the Bible – Matthew 22:37- 39: “Jesus replied: ’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” We are here to follow God’s commandment of love by caring for each other. By loving Him, we will find strength and guidance to help right the wrongs we see, to lift up the grieving, to feed the hungry, to house the homeless, to heal the sick.
     A few months ago, the ACC Board of Christian Education sat down to map out a curriculum for the Sunday school. We plan to create a custom curriculum for our students that we believe will serve them here and now, that will teach them the tenets of our faith as well as how to apply them to real life. The Bible was the most obvious place to start; it is instructive as well as inspirational. Our kids will study these old stories week after week and examine how they teach us to be disciples of Christ. They’ll see that the people of the Bible also asked how the world could be so sad or cruel – and how they, too, prevailed.
Our Church School theme this year is “Let Your Light Shine.” We will focus on how to recognize the godly gifts inside us all and how to shine those gifts on the rest of the world to make it a better place. Because the eye is often associated with the idea of shining and awareness, we decided to concentrate our mission efforts on organizations that work to preserve eyesight.
        Locally we will support Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and, internationally, we will support OneSight, which works to restore and preserve clear vision for adults and children worldwide. We hope that you will join us in these efforts as our children and youth find the talents that God has placed in them to help Him care for His people. In today’s world, it helps children to know that they are God’s own creation, and, therefore, loved by God. In Church School and youth groups, through lessons and missions, children at ACC learn about the Bible, the life of Jesus, and God’s call to us to care for each other and our world. We learn that we are all welcome to gather here and that we all have gifts to share. 
     Our dedicated staff of over 20 volunteers offers a variety of programs for children, youth and families throughout the year. We are blessed to have so many share their God-given gifts with us. If you have questions or comments, would like to register your child for Church School, or would like to become involved in the ACC Christian Education Ministry, please contact Jennifer deSimas at 678-9068 or ceminister@avon-church.org

Vision and Purpose of the Church School

The purpose of our church school is to impart to each child a way of life that demonstrates the fundamental lessons of Jesus Christ:

 In addition, we teach our children that

The Board of Christian Education envisions that all young people enrolled in the Avon Congregational Church Sunday school over a number of years will have a solid Biblical background including, but not limited to, the following:                

• Old and New Testament Stories

• The Holy Spirit

• The Ten Commandments

• The Lord's Prayer

• The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40)

• Doxology

• Gloria Patri

• The Sacraments of Baptism and Communion

• The Cycle of the Church Seasons

• Missions and Stewardship

• Skills necessary to use the Bible

• Personal favorite passages from Scripture     

 About Church School Programs

Crib Room/Nursery: A place for the very youngest to grow in God’s love, the Crib Room welcomes infants and toddlers through age three. The Crib Room is open Sunday mornings from 9:45 until directly following the worship service. Parental involvement is welcome and encouraged.

Church School: Our Church School classes study the epic stories of the Bible and learn the basic tenets of our faith through stories, song, and prayer. The curricula we use were chosen for their relevancy to today’s kids and the ways they engage children to apply Christian principles to everyday life. Occasionally throughout the year we also teach special topics through Rotation Workshops. These dynamic sessions incorporate the theory of Multiple Intelligences. Classes attend different weekly workshops—art, drama, film, music, movement, cooking, science,—as they study a particular theme or story.

All students attend Church School from mid-September to early June. Classes meet during the general worship service—children attend the first part of the worship service with their parents, and leave with their classes after the Children’s Message.

We ask that parents personally pick up children in the Crib Room, Pre-school, Kindergarten (downstairs) and First-Grade (upstairs) classrooms. All other children are dismissed by their teachers to meet their parents in Fellowship Hall during the Hospitality Hour.

To ensure the safety of our children, we request that there be an adult (relative or family friend), available on the premises for each child during Church School.

All Church School children receive a box of offering envelopes. Classroom teachers collect the offering every Sunday, and the Board of Christian Education gives it to a yearly mission project.