Our Middle School class, for grades 6, 7, and 8, is now meeting in the Church House beginning at 10am.  Also, this class should plan to attend the Youth Breakfast on the FIRST Sunday of the month, at 9am in the Church House before worshipping with their families at 10:30.
 
Sunday, November 22, is our Annual Thanksgiving Feast. Admission to the Feast is a non-perishable food item (Adults should make a donation.) All proceeds from the Feast with the collected food items will be delivered to Neighborhood Services Center in time for Thanksgiving.  A SIGN-UP sheet will be posted to coordinate what everyone is bringing to hte Feast.
 
Also on November 22, the children will travel to Ware Presbyterian Village to visit the residents and hand out Thanksgiving cards to everyone.  We'll be ready for the Feast when we return!
 
We will soon be busy working on our Advent/Christmas program to be presented on Sunday, December 20 during the 10:30 service.

PLEASE NOTE:  Since we are presenting our program on the third Sunday of December, December 6 will NOT be a Family Sunday, but Church School as usual, beginning at 10.
 
Sunday, December 13 we will again venture down to Ware Presbyterian Village to visit our "Adopteds" and present them with a card and gift. 
 
Sunday, December 27 will be a day off for our teaching staff--NO CHURCH SCHOOL.

St. Christopher's had an exciting welcome back to Church School on Sunday, September 13.  Our 4th/5th grade class and our Jr Hi moved over into our new Church House and will have class there each week.  Our 2nd/3rd grade class moved across the hall into a new classroom downstairs.  There was much excitement as the kids helped with the move and talked about what they wanted to do in their new classrooms.
 
Church School meets each week, beginning with worship at 10 in the chapel area downstairs, then going to classes around 10:30.  Parents wishing to stay with their children until it is time to join the adult worship at 10:30 are welcome to do so!  All children will come into the church to receive communion or a blessing when it is time.   There is NO CHURCH SCHOOL on the first Sunday of the month so that families may worship together.  If there is a change in a given month, we will notify you ahead of time.
 
Each class has 3 "adopted" grandparents at Ware Presbyterian Village.  We do a special gift for each one and visit them at Christmas and Easter.  We also visit the entire nursing home on special occasions (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, etc.).  This has been an outreach effort in the community by the children for several years.  We are known to many at the nursing home as "St. Christopher's Kids" and our grandparents are affectionately called our "adopteds".
 
Please mark your calendars with the following dates:
 
Sunday, October 25 - Halloween visit to Ware Presbyterian Village (children should be in costume)

Sunday, November 22 - Thanksgiving visit to Ware to give out cards to all residents
 
A SPECIAL NOTE FOR JR & SR HI:  The first Sunday of each month the Jr/Sr Hi kids do a breakfast at 9am in the Church House kitchen before coming to church with their families.  The kids cook breakfast and enjoy a fun time together.  Please mark your calendars so you won't miss it!  October 4 and November 1
 

2008 Annual Church School Report

MISSION STATEMENT: In recognition that the children are a vital and important part of our church, our Church School is committed to providing a loving and Christian atmosphere where children learn about Episcopal tradition, scripture, our love for God and His love for us in an environment that is caring, fun and inviting.

Our Episcopal curriculum, "All Things New" is used for grades preschool through 8th grade. The lesson theme is the same each week for each class. We try to connect theme to the music and the lesson in our worship each week. We also study the seasons of the church year.

Our worship service starts at 10:00 am and the children participate as ushers (collection,) crucifer, distributing our prayer/song books and the older children often act as "celebrant." Church school begins at 10:30. In September we added a special time of "singing along" at 9:45 for children who want to come early to sing. Thanks to Beth Tickle for all her hard work on the music for us and to her assistant Irina Rifon.

SOMETHING NEW IN 2008 - one Sunday a month the Jr. and Sr. High classes meet in the kitchen at 9am and prepare and enjoy breakfast together, clean up the kitchen and go to their seperate classes. The Sr. High has class just one Sunday a month, leaving them free to serve in church the rest of the time. This has been very popular with the kids. They really know their way around the kitchen!

Our children continue to think of others by visiting Ware Presbyterian Home on a regular basis and taking Christmas and Easter gifts to our "adopteds" there. Our Lenten Service Project raisesd $500 this year for Heifer Project, and our service project during VBS this summer raised $322 to buy trees to be planted in the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil. VBS was a "Rainforest Adventure" this year.

Special Thanks to God for the blessing of our dedicated staff and the children in our Church School!

Respectfully submitted,
Peg Graber, Director