I remember well my very first trip to the Ontario Science Centre. When you came through the door, you were given a little pamphlet that said “Remember the list of things you weren’t allowed to do in museums (for example - Don’t talk, Don’t touch, Don’t take pictures.) Got your list? Good. Now tear it up!”

Maybe you have a list like that when you think of Sunday School, a list with words like “teacher” “student” “classes” “curriculum” and “lessons” on it. If you do, tear it up! Because at our church, we are committed to something far more exciting!

Our approach to ministry with children came out of a clear call from parents and other interested adults – as well as the experiences of our children – to do something more in Children’s Church. It came out of the realization that we come to church for things like community, inspiration and spiritual nourishment, and we want these same things for our children. On these pages are some of the ways we will make this happen in Children’s Church this year. And here are the real goals of our Children’s Program:

Open Minds - We hope that our children learn that the world is a wide and varied place and that people and ideas come in a wonderful diversity of forms. Through learning about others, exploring our human condition and the world around us, we hope to nurture minds that are open to possibility, flexible, adaptable and endlessly curious.

Loving Hearts - We hope that our children learn compassion, empathy and loving acceptance along their journey to adulthood. By modeling kindness, fairness and genuine appreciation of each child, we hope to show them that the world is a safe and welcoming place and that every person is worthy of love. We believe that building loving community is an essential task for us as religious people.

Growing Spirits – We believe that our children are on a life-long journey of the spirit - where they will encounter the deepest questions about life and ultimate meaning. We believe that this spirit is alive with curiosity, drawn to mystery and nurtured by exploration, awe and wonder. We hope to give our children a spiritual foundation that will hold them throughout their lives.

How do we hope to accomplish all this? Click on the links at the top of this page for just a few of the ways. But mostly, it happens through the inspired commitment and creative effort of all of us together. Thank you for all you do to make this an amazing Children’s Program!

In Faith, Allison