St. Michael's Episcopal Church

about 9:45 a.m. Parents remain in the sanctuary to hear the sermon or attend adult formation opportunities, if offered. Church School continues until approximately 10:30 a.m.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

St. Michael’s uses the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd approach for Sunday Church School. Catchesis is not a program or a curriculum, but it has been described as a way of experiencing God with children. The child, particularly the religious life of the child, is central to the interest and commitment of the catechist (teacher) of the Good Shepherd.  The catechist prepares an environment called the atrium which aids the development of the religious life. The atrium is a place of prayer, in which work and study spontaneously become meditation, contemplation and prayer. The atrium is a place in which the only Teacher is Christ.  The themes presented in the atrium are those to which the children have responded with depth and joy.  These themes are taken from the Bible and the liturgy (prayers and sacraments) as the fundamental sources for creating and sustaining Christian life at every developmental stage and, in particular, for illuminating and nourishing the child in his/her most vital religious needs.

There are three levels in the Catechesis:

Level I – age 3 years through kindergarten

Level II – first through third grades

The Bridge

Beginning in the Fall of 2013, we will be introducing a new program for our Fourth and Fifth Graders. This program was developed in-house and is loosely based around the liturgical calendar. The program consists of six modules, and each module is roughly 6 to 8 Sundays in length. Modules are written to allow the Fourth and Fifth graders to participate more fully in worship/liturgy, the community of faith, and to take some initiative in the substance and form that their own religious education/formation will take.  Within each program module there are specific component activities that make up the whole. The modules are:

Nursery care is available for younger children during the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services

Children's Chapel during the Summer Months

During the summer months, Memorial Day through Labor Day, children attend Children's Chapel during the 9:30 a.m. service.  Children ages 3 years through third grade attend, and fourth and fifth graders are invited to attend as helpers. Children are invited to process with the Altar Party, acolytes and clergy, from the rear of the sanctuary to the front at the beginning of the 9:30 a.m. service. After a prayer by clergy, the children will then exit the sanctuary to the Children's Altar in the Church School hallway. After a short gospel lesson, the children are then offered a variety of ways to respond to God's word. Finally, celebration centers permit adult leaders to enrich this time with artistic, dramatic and faith-sharing activities, maintaining the spirit of liturgical celebration. The children are then accompanied back to the sanctuary in time for communion.

Nursery care is also available during the 9:30 a.m. service for younger children. 

Little Angels Christian Preschool (LACP)

LACP is a ministry of St. Michael’s. The Parent Advisory Board, Director and Staff are dedicated to providing a safe, loving Christian Environment for all the children who attend.  It is a program designed to meet the developmental needs of children aged 18 months to five years.  LACP offers Toddlers, Twos, Threes, Fours, and Pre-K Classes.  Enrichment Classes, Lunch pals and weekly Spanish, clergy and music classes are offered by our NAEYC Accredited preschool.  Their website may be accessed by clicking here.

Special Services for Families

During the year we have services scheduled especially to allow families to worship and enjoy together.  They include:

·        All Saints’ – Saturday Memorial Preparation

·        First Sunday in Advent Celebration, 2 Dec, 9 am

·        Advent Pageant, 16 Dec, 9 am

·        Christmas Eve Services at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

·        Ash Wednesday Service – Burying the “Alleluias,” 13 Feb, 4 pm

·        First Sunday in Lent Preparation, 17 Feb, 9 am

·        “Walk Through Holy Week” on Good Friday, 29 Mar, 10 am

Children’s Choir

The Children's Choir is led by Children's Choir Director, Kara Joy Baker. The Choir practices on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. The Children's Choir offers monthly presentations during regular church services, with special musical pageants in December and in the spring. The Choir also performs at the annual Lessons and Carols service in December each year. Interested young singers are encouraged to join any time.

S.O.S. (Service or Social Group) 

We observed that we tended to "lose" children as they transitioned from elementary school to junior high.  There are obviously many reasons for this such as, participation in demanding sports programs and competing school, family and social priorities.  In an effort to lessen the frequency of this happening and to prepare children for what they will experience as they move on to the Junior High Ministry, we created S.O.S.  We will have 3 events in the current program year for the fourth and fifth graders, and one "transitional" event for the fifth graders with the Junior High Youth.

First or Solemn Communion

During the season of Epiphany we prepare third graders to celebrate their first or solemn communion.  This is a six week period of preparation during which we carefully look at the sacraments of baptism, reconciliation and the Eucharist with children.  The children respond according to their desire for the sacrament and their personal maturity, which is discerned with the help of the family and the teachers.

Registration forms for the new Church School year, 2012-2013, may be found by clicking here.