Children

Community

Children are a part of the body of Christ at St. Timothy’s.

The youngest among us greet friends and participate with their whole bodies. Preschool age children help lift up the sacraments and wonder with the congregation about who God might be calling us to be. Older children run the slides and sound board during worship, sing in the all-ages choir, write prayers and give talks on Stewardship.

Care for Toddlers and Preschoolers at St. Tim's

Nursery

Nursery Care for children up to four years of age is provided in the parish nursery, located in Room 2 off the courtyard, from 9:45-10:30 AM on Sunday mornings. The Nursery play spaces include a train table, a pretend kitchen, dress up clothes, and cushions for resting and looking at books. If you wish to use the nursery, please fill out a registration on your first Sunday visiting the Nursery.

Quiet Toys in Edwards Hall (Adult Sermon Space)

If you and your child would prefer to stay together, or if the nursery is closed, your child is welcome to join the circle for the adult sermon. There are quiet toys for your child to enjoy there, too.

School Age Children and Godly Play

The parish’s Sunday School program is called Godly Play. Godly Play is successfully used by several denominations in churches around the world. Everything that happens in a Godly Play classroom – the classroom set-up, the carefully chosen and placed materials, and the management of the community of children – serves the child’s relationship with God. Additionally, the Godly Play program supports the teachers’ developing faith relationship with Christ. They are free to focus on spiritual preparation and relationship-building between teachers, children, Christ, and families. This is the work Christ calls each of us to.

Keeping Children Safe

Adults who volunteer with children complete training on protecting young people and undergo a background check. Youth should expect at least two adults to be in the nursery every Sunday. Please don’t leave the nursery until there are two adults there to be with the children. Parents register children and sign children in and out of the nursery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Godly Play?

Godly Play offers a creative, child-honoring way of entering into and experiencing the biblical story. In Godly Play, we play with the language of God and God’s People: our sacred stories, parables, liturgical actions and silence. Through this powerful language, through our wondering, through the community of players gathered together, we hear the deepest invitation of all: an invitation to come play with God.

For more information you can go to the Godly Play Foundation website.

When we arrive on Sunday, what do we do?

After the 9:00 AM family-centered worship service (around 9:45), we all go get bagels and drinks together. Then parents walk their children to their classrooms and sign them in. GodlyPlay meets in room 3, just off the courtyard. Parents can pick them up between 10:30-10:45 AM.

We treat the Godly Play classroom as a “sacred space.” Greeters help each child at the door become ready to enter the room quietly.

What kinds of projects will my child do in Godly Play?

Children will enjoy the snack they picked up on their way to the classroom, usually a bagel, and check in about their week. After the lesson, the teacher and children wonder together about the story. Then, each child chooses how to respond to the lesson with art or other materials.

How do you keep children safe?

Adults who volunteer with children complete training on protecting young people and undergo a background check. Youth should expect at least two adults to be in the Godly Play classroom every Sunday. Please don’t leave your child in the classroom until there are two adults there to be with the children. Parents register children and sign children in and out of Godly Play.

Ways That You Can Help with Godly Play

Door Monitors

The door monitor plays a critical role in the program, but the job is not difficult. The door monitor does no work outside of class. During the final song of the 9:00 service, the door monitor heads to the classroom and prepares to greet the students. He or she lays helps to organize the room and waits for the students to arrive. As each child enters the classroom, the monitor greets the child, and asks them to take a deep breath and prepare themselves for the lesson. During the lesson, the door monitor helps quietly remind louder students to be ready, distributes clay or other fidget toys as needed, and returns students to their parents if necessary. Following the story we ask the children “what was the most important part” and “what part could be left out”? The door monitor listens as each child tells the teacher what work would help them best respond to the story, and facilitates distribution of materials. (Clay, paper, story pieces.) After cleanup and the feast, the door monitor assists children with reconnecting with their parents.

Godly Play Teacher/Story Teller

This job is perhaps the most frightening to volunteer for, but also one of the most rewarding. At a short training in the fall, the Godly Play teacher learns the process for teaching the stories of our faith to the children. Each story is scripted and comes with carefully prepared materials to engage the children and their sense of wonder. The Godly Play teacher is responsible for reading the story before arriving at church on Sunday. Ideally the teacher would memorize it, but the reality is you can just print it out and read it as-is and the words and materials will capture the attention of the children. The teacher makes sure he or she is familiar with the materials Sunday morning before church, and asks another story teller or the materials coordinator for help if needed. The door monitor is always available to help the teacher with classroom issues. Frequently an individual volunteers to be a door monitor for a year or two before becoming a story teller.

Requirements

Any adult working directly with children should be willing to submit to a background check and complete Safe Guarding God’s Children (per Diocesan guidelines).