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Northminster
Presbyterian Church
Spiritual Growth Mission Statement
Responding to God’s love and grace, our mission is to provide opportunities
in which our faith is awakened, supported, rekindled, nurtured and
challenged. We are committed to fostering vibrant connections between faith
and life for our Northminster community and those
whose lives we touch through creative and
energetic Christian education experiences.
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Children's Sunday School
Youth Sunday School
Adult Sunday School
Worship And Wonder
Schedule |
Children's Sunday School |
Hands On Sunday School
Ages 3 & 4 - Room 117 |
Jesus often used everyday objects (sheep, stones, fish) to teach about God
and His kingdom. In the same way, the Hands-On Bible Curriculum for this
class uses captivating objects to capture children’s attention, engage their
senses, clarify the lesson’s point and lock it into their long-term
memories. The multi-sensory experiences and activities make lessons
unforgettable. Bible truths go deep into the hearts and minds of kids
causing long-term learning and life change. And most importantly, our
caring teachers are a continuing nurturing presence with our preschoolers
and the relationships formed are important to their lives. |
Way Cool Sunday School
Kindergarten – 5th Grade |
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More "Hands-on" Sunday School that’s also Way Cool! It
involves many different senses as the children rotate from one center to another
each week. Following the same Biblical theme our children get to experience
the story through different approaches:
- Solid Rock Café
- Noah’s Art
- Tent Tales/Drama
- Planet Jesus
- God Rocks
Each grade level will have their own "shepherd"
(actually, a set of two shepherds who take turns being there) to accompany
them each week and provide a consistent, ongoing relationship with the
children. Classroom assignments for each Sunday are posted on a chart in the
hallway of the Children’s Sunday School area.
Theme This Year - Messiah
The Session Themes Are:
1st Session David
2nd Session 23rd Psalm
3rd Session Jesus as Fulfillment of the Prophesies
4th Session Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet
5th Session
Appearances of the Holy Spirit
6th Session
Prince of Peace
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Sunday School For Youth |
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The New Journey
For Youth |
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This year youth Sunday School will have a new look. In
addition to some new teachers and members, we will be using a new curriculum
and the classes will have new names! This year, there will be three classes
for youth. These classes will meet separately most weeks and together on
some Sundays. |
Explorers: Grades 6 & 7 |
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This class will explore the changes and challenges in
the lives of young people moving from elementary school into middle school.
They will study the ways the Bible can be applied to everyday situations in
their lives.
Class mentors to be announced. |
Pathfinders: Grades 8 & 9 |
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The second
two years of the Journey to Adulthood program are called Rite 13, a
recognized passage into the teen years to prepare for adulthood within the
context of the Christian community. The youth identify and explore their God
given gifts through scripture and personal reflection. They begin to
understand self in relation to God, others and to their physical self. Each
year, two groups of 13-year-olds are given a very meaningful rite-of-passage
ceremony during worship to recognize the beginning of their journey.
Class mentors to be announced. |
Trailblazers:
Grades 10, 11 & 12 |
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The core of Journey to Adulthood is during the
two years following Rite 13, where deeper and more intentional focus is
developed in relation to the spiritual, societal and personal self. J2A is a
two-year program that focuses on the acquisition of skills and vocabulary
that prepare and empower the young person to participate in the adult
community. After two years, this group is acknowledged in the community as
equipped for new levels of responsibility. They will be recognized as young
adults, rather than children. Confirmation materials form one of the units.
Class mentors to be announced. |
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Confirmation
Purposes:
To challenge and encourage our Journey For Youth (or older) to grow in their
understanding of God and the Christian Faith, to help them claim this faith
as their own, and to help them articulate this faith and understand its
implications for their lives.
Confirmation this year remains a part of the Journey to Adulthood program on
Sunday mornings as all of our Journey For Youth will benefit from this fresh look at
the basics of our faith and will be encourage to reaffirm their faith at a
special worship service. Beyond the normal Sunday morning commitment,
confirmation also offers an additional experience for youth to explore their
faith and the community surrounding their faith through an overnight
lock-in.
The Curriculum:
The
curriculum we are using was created around Claim the Name, one of the
new catechisms authorized by Roger Nishioka at Columbia Seminary. This
curriculum focuses on the history of the church, why we do what we do in
worship and how we live as adult people of God who have claimed the name of
“Christian.”
The Teachers:
All three of our Pastors – Jim, Brent and Susan,
as well as all the JFY Teachers will partner with our confirmands
as a part of our approach to Confirmation. About two years ago now, the
Northminster Session adopted a new approach to Confirmation, and yes, you
are the first
JFY Class to fully participate in this new approach.
Our aim is to best prepare your child for their first Public Profession of
Faith and we believe that over the coming weeks, leading up to the Service
of Confirmation this is what we will
achieve.
Our new approach to Confirmation is focused on our weekly
JFY Classes on
Sundays from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. and your child’s active participation in
worship at 9:00 or 11:15 a.m. (While the confirmands will worship off-campus
on some occasions and meet separately some days, there is no separate
midweek Conformation Class). You are encouraged to be active in JFY Sunday
School every week! |
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Sunday School For Adults |
Caffeine
and Conversation
Room: Fellowship Hall
This group is for those who feel the need to simply gather
and have grown-up conversation on Sunday mornings. Drop the little ones off
for Way Cool and come by for a caffeinated beverage and a breakfast treat. |
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Isaiah
Room: Library
John
Vaughan will be teaching an Old Testament class focusing on prophets and
will begin the series with the book of Isaiah, one of the most quoted books
of the Bible. |
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The Way of Prayer
Room: Fireside Room
Learning to integrate
body, mind, and spirit in prayer, Janice Simpson’s class will continue the
journey of spiritual development. |
Dealing With Aging Parents
Room: 137
This class will
use Virginia Stem Owens book Caring for Mother: A Daughter’s Long Goodbye, to
explore the issues involved in assuming the role of caregiver, helping us to
anticipate and deal with some of the emotional turbulence we may encounter along
the way. |
A Life Of Jesus
Room: 138
In his book, A Life of Jesus,
Shusaku Endo depicts Jesus as a person who lived for love and seeks to make
Jesus understandable in terms of the religious psychology of
non-Christians. This study can help you gain an understanding of Jesus as a
person and deeper insight into where the religious psychology of Asian
religions coincides with Christianity. This
class will be led by Dave Jones and Dave Harris. |
Getting Your Spiritual Gifts in Gear
Room: 139
This will
be an eight-week class that provides each participant
with an opportunity to discover the importance of the gifts that God has
provided us. We will work on how to bring our Spirit Gifts to life in our
occupations, in our faith journey and in our work at Northminster. This
interactive class will be taught by Bob Coulter. |
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Worship & Wonder |
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Participating children depart from the sanctuary after the
children’s moment and are led into their own "worship center" in room 127
(the Prayer/Counseling Room), near the sanctuary. |
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9:00 Service:
Pre-K through First Graders
11:15 Service:
Kindergartners and First Graders * |
Worship & Wonder is… |
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Learning about God while experiencing God’s
presence in a worship setting
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Experiencing biblical stories with wooden figures and
simple language
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Gaining biblical literacy and understanding worship
through practice
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A place for children to hear themselves re-tell stories
from the Bible
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Used in many denominations, and even in children’s
hospitals in several forms with children worldwide for over 20 years
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Creative, fun, challenging, and beautiful! |
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Worship & Wonder is not scheduled on Communion Sundays, which usually fall
on the first Sunday of the month. There is an orientation for newcomer
children in August every year.
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*
Please help us observe and keep these age
guidelines - for consistency in relationship, space concerns, and
community-building within the program.
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Schedule |
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2007-2008 Sunday School Session Dates
Six-week segments apply to Kindergarten - 5th
Grade and some Adult Classes |
1.
August 19 -
September 23
2.
September 30 - November 4
3.
November 11 - December
23
4.
January 6 -
February 10
5.
February 17 -
April 6
6.
April
13 - May 18 |
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Sunday Morning Schedule
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9:00AM
Worship*
10:00AM Sunday School
11:15AM Worship*
*Worship & Wonder for ages 4-6
after Children's Moment (except on Communion Sundays) |
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Sunday Evening Youth Schedule
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5:30PM
Youth Choir
7:00PM Middle & High School Youth Groups |
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Wednesday Buzz Schedule
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6:00PM
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Dinner
6:30PM
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Programs For Youth
& Kids
6:45PM
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Community Prayer
7:00PM
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Adult Programs
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During Sunday School, Worship and Wednesday Buzz, child
care is available for children under the age of
three. |
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