Sunday Mornings
Worship
Nursery For Infants, Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers
Sunday School
Adult Education Forum
We Welcome Kids In Worship
Worship
We worship at 10:30 AM.
During the Summer, we worship at 9:15 AM, Memorial Day through Labor Day
On the first Sunday of the month, we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
2nd graders through adults stay in worship the whole time, from prelude to postlude. K/1st graders and younger are in worship through the Time With Children, and then leave the sanctuary to go downstairs with the child care providers.
Nursery Care is available for the youngest year round.
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Nursery For Infants, Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers
The Nursery is located on the lower level of the building, and is staffed by paid child care providers every Sunday. Parents are encouraged to visit the Nursery prior to the service to familiarize themselves with the room and the caregivers.
Parents with an infant are also welcome to keep their infant with them throughout the entire worship service; or for parents who need to leave the service to calm or soothe an infant, they are welcome to go to the Parlor where the service is "piped in."
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Sunday School
Sunday School schedule:
9:15 AM Gathering time for ALL children, age 3 through 8th grade, and teachers
9:30-10:15 AM Classroom time
Godly Play (age 3 through first grade)
Godly Play is a Montessori based approach to teaching young children the Christian tradition. Developed by an Episcopal priest, it is now used by a variety of Christian denominations, including many congregations in the United Church of Christ.
Teachers use figurines and other objects to tell Bible stories, parables and liturgical concepts. Children are invited to discover meaning in the stories through open-ended questions and then to respond to the stories through art, conversation and retelling the stories using the materials.
Some of the stories we share are: Creation, Abraham and Sarah, Exodus, Ark and Temple, Circle of the Church Year, Baptism, parables of the Good Shepherd and the Good Samaritan, and the Twelve Disciples. Our teachers are certified or have received training to teach Godly Play.
Biblio-Drama (second and third grades)
Our second and third graders learn Bible stories by acting them out! Props, costumes, songs and drama make for a lively classroom of learning. Biblio-drama is a two-year cycle: Old Testament stories the first year, New Testament stories the second.
Faith Practices (fourth and fifth grades)
"Faith Practices" is a curriculum developed by the United Church of Christ. Grounded in the Bible, Faith Practices spends time with one theme, such as "Keeping Sabbath," "Stewardship," "Advent," "Hospitality" and "Playing and Living Joyfully," for several weeks at a time. Teachers and children explore the theme using storytelling, art, music, group activities, and conversation.
Breakfast Club (sixth through eighth grades)
Breakfast Club is a hybrid of "Faith Practices" and other learning experiences, specific to the faith formation and development of middle schoolers.
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Adult Education Forum
The Adult Education Forum meets in the Parlor from 9:15-10:15 AM on Sunday mornings during the months of September through May.
The Adult Forum includes a range of topics as well as experiential learning. Pastor Victoria, members of the congregation and occasional guest speakers lead the Forum.
All are welcome to take part in this time of intellectual and spiritual renewal. Christian education is life-long!
September 9 Getting Started: Reflections on one’s own Christian education
September 16 Getting Started: Faith heritage genograms; Spiritual mentors/ influences
September 23 What is the Bible? How is it organized? How did it come into existence?
September 30 Historical framework of the Bible; Where do books fit in that history?
October 7 Covenant – Abraham
October 14 Covenant – Moses
October 21 Covenant – David
October 28 Christian understandings of dying and death
November 4 Stewardship theology + living it out
November 11 Stewardship: SAP UCC Endowment Fund
November 18 Prophets, part 1
November 25 Prophets, part 2
December 2 Prophets, part 3
December 9 Advent: Annunciation in Luke
December 16 Advent: Annunciation in Matthew
December 23 X No Forum
December 30 X No Forum
2013
January 6 Getting Ready for Refugee Resettlement, led by Kristin Zoellner, MN Council of Churches
January 13 Psalms – praise and thanks
January 20 Psalms – lament
January 27 Wisdom Literature of the Bible
February 3 Wisdom Literature of the Bible: Song of Solomon, led by Carolyn Pressler, OT Professor, United Theological Seminary
February 10 Intertestamental period, part 1
February 17 Intertestamental period, part 2
February 24 Keystone Community Services, led by Christine Pulver
March 3 The Power of Forgiveness, part 1
March 10 The Power of Forgiveness, part 2
March 17 The Power of Forgiveness, part 3
March 24 Jesus the King – Palm Sunday
March 31 X No Forum – Easter
April 7 John 20:19-31
April 14 John 21:1-19
April 21 “Building My Micro-house," led by Heather-Marie Bloom
April 28 Stewardship of the Earth
May 5 “What I learned on my sabbatical!” Pastor Victoria
May 12 TBD
May 19 Close out the year …
May 26 X No Forum - Summer hiatus begins
Here are the Top 10 Reasons to attend the Adult Forum:
10. Get curious with your heart and your mind
9. Try something new
8. Give your presence as a gift to yourself and your faith community
7. Revive, rediscover, refocus, reveal, renew, reexamine, and reap the spiritual rewards …
6. Get a good parking spot (services at St. Matthew’s Episcopal are at 8:00 and 10:30 AM)
5. Learn from and with your fellow SAPUCCers
4. God and your pastor are pretty sure it will be good for you
3. It’s free – zero dollars!
2. You get all the learning without the tests, papers, deadlines or grade point averages
1. Christian education is a life-long spiritual practice. Now is the time!
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We Welcome Kids In Worship
“Let the little children come to me.” ~ Matthew 19:14
For parents or caregivers:
+Model being in worship: your attendance, participation and attitude speak volumes
+ Remind children that worship is a gift we offer to God
+ Allow time to make bathroom visits and get settled before worship
+ Sit toward the front. Children who can see what’s going on are more likely to be engaged
+ Greet friends and visitors and emphasize how good it is to be together as a community
+ Guide your child through the bulletin and hymnal
+ Activity bags are hanging near the table at the side entrance to the sanctuary. We understand kids might get restless. It’s fine to let them read or draw, especially during the sermon
+Talk with your child about their joys and concerns before worship, and encourage them to pray silently or aloud during the Prayers of the Church
+ Help them appreciate the sanctuary: the stained glass windows, flowers, paraments, candles, organ pipes and so on
+Encourage them to say “thank you” after the service to people who led worship that day
+Have a conversation about the service on your way home – “What did you enjoy?” “What part was hard to understand?” “How did you feel when …?”
For the congregation:
+ Remember our congregation’s commitment to children and youth and the promises we made at their baptisms
+Extend the Peace of Christ to children as well as adults; call children by name
+Please refrain from entering or exiting the sanctuary during the scripture reading, sermon or prayers
+Appreciate that parenting is hard and holy work
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This page last modified on April 10, 2013
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