St. Paul's Episcopal Church: Families and Children

St. Paul’s is made up of many kinds of families.

Godly Play Rota

Simon and Cooper What they all have in common is a desire to ground family life in a household of God that nurtures people of all ages to grow into the image of Christ. This is especially important in families that include children in that parents often need others as they nurture their children's spiritual development.

In our baptismal liturgy, we describe the path we desire for our children when we pray that those baptized be given “an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage and will to persevere, a spirit to know and love God, and the gift of joy and wonder in all God’s works.” In the act of baptism itself in which a person is joined into the ancient and life-giving rhythm of losing life to find life, of letting go and receiving, of death and resurrection.

Christian education is not the communication of correct views about what the various works and words of Jesus might mean; rather it is the stocking of the imagination with the icons of those works and words themselves. It is most successfully accomplished, therefore, not by catechisms that purport to product understanding but by stories that hand the icons, understood or not, on the walls of the mind.”

Robert Capon, Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus

St. Paul’s Church is small enough to allow a unique, intimate environment in which children can be formed as Christians. More specifically, children at St. Paul’s are formed by regular participation in the Eucharist with their families, being a part of our “Godly Play” program in which they engage the stories of our Christian tradition in an environment of reverence and awe, and by participation in special events.

Project for kids of all ages:
How to make a palm cross

Godly Play

We offer “Godly Play,” a method of Christian education and spiritual direction for children. The goal of Godly Play is “to teach children the art of using religious language — parable, sacred story, silence, and liturgical action — to help them become more fully aware of the mystery of God's presence in their lives.” Rooted in the Montessori tradition, Godly Play was developed and classroom tested for more than twenty years by Episcopal priest, author, and teacher Jerome Berryman. Visit Jerome Berryman's Godly Play® website.

The Godly Play method is currently being used in churches of many denominations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Since 1991, Godly Play has spread to nearly 1000 churches and institutions.

Our Godly Play sessions begin a few minutes before our 10:30 AM Mass each Sunday and last until the exchange of the Peace in our Eucharistic liturgy at which time children join their parents for the Eucharist. During a typical Godly Play session children are greeted, told a sacred story using special materials, and are engaged in a series of “I wonder” questions allowing them to explore the relationship between the story and their lives. The session concludes with children working with materials of their choice to express and “meditate” on the story in an artistic and kinesthetic way. In this way, Godly Play helps children know God — not just know about God or the Bible.

While Godly Play is very disciplined in its format (the same way that liturgy is), it encourages children to explore their questions through work with art materials. In this way, the program gives children both the kind of structure they need and the freedom they need to work based on their own different personalities and interests. We believe that this approach is uniquely suited to forming children within an Anglican or Episcopal spiritual tradition — one that values both a way of doing things that has flow and grace and cultivates a spirit of experimentation and freedom.

Nursery

Our Nursery is located downstairs and is open and staffed during the Sunday 10:30 a.m. service for infants and young children. The Nursery is warm and inviting and is decorated with a beautiful mural of Noah’s Ark, painted in 2001 by artist Suzanne Todd.