New page for YAC!
Youth Active in Church (YAC) at St. Dunstan's now have their own page HERE. Check out the schedule for upcoming events.
St. Dunstan's is committed
to deepening faith through study as well as through
worship and experience. There are a number of educational
opportunities throughout the week and during the year.
In addition to adult programs, Children's
Chapel and Sunday School are
offered for children through eighth grade, beginning
at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday morning. (The class
for nine- to eleven-year-olds has its
own web page, which you are
welcome to visit.) During the week there are
a variety of Bible Study groups that meet both
at church and in parishioners' homes.
During the year there is an Advent
Workshop and a weeknight Lenten Series. St. Dunstan's
also offers a Beginner's class to those
new to our parish, and perhaps to the Episcopal
Church. While the confirmation program
(classes and mentoring) is usually filled with youth,
the learning opportunity is available to everyone.
There is a program during the parish
retreat at Shrine Mont in the Virginia Blue Ridge mountains
each September. The program varies from year to year,
and we offer choices of activities. Our schedule includes
a group program for the adults, supervised activities
for the children, and fun time for everyone.
We appreciate our proximity to Virginia
Theological Seminary and take advantage
of their resources. We also welcome teaching by
members of the parish. We recently offered parenting
classes for caregivers of young children and another
class for parents of teens.
Sunday
School at St. Dunstan's
In
fall, winter, and spring, younger children begin
with children’s chapel.
The program begins with singing (often with instruments)
and the lighting of the candles on the altar. Children
say prayers similar to those said in adult worship,
but in children’s language, and give an offering.
They go directly from children’s chapel into
Sunday School. During
the fall and winter, we provide Sunday School and youth
Christian education for ages 18 months through high
school. The
fall/winter/spring curriculum is:
Toddlers Learn
one word each month, such as "church," "family," and
"God." The toddlers do this through stories, play,
games and snacks.
Younger
children (age 4 and
grades K-1) are taught with the BibleQuest curriculum,
which is based around Bible stories, supplemented by
information about Episcopal liturgy. The program includes
stories, games, music, crafts and snack.
Grades
2 and 3 use “Exploring Faith,” a
Bible-story curriculum
that includes a story and crafts, often offered in
a learning station format that enables the child to
choose which craft or experiential station he or she
prefers.
Grades
4 and 5 are taught using the Episcopal
Children’s
Curriculum, which includes Bible stories, church history
and liturgy. This class also does ministry work (e.g.,
sandwich-making for homeless shelters) several times
each year.
Adolescents
and Teens start
out with Rite 13 for middle schoolers, using a curriculum
that focuses on the Bible, church history and the
arts for older teens. The
next stage, Journey to Adulthood, prepares young
teens for confirmation through spiritual formation,
based upon the premise that manhood and womanhood
are gifts of God but adulthood needs to be earned.
Young people transform into Christian adults through
study, fellowship and outreach within their group,
the parish and the community; through mentoring in
chosen ministries by adults in the congregation;
through participating in activities such as pilgrimage;
and through rites and liturgies celebrated in the
parish community.
The summer
program typically
includes Bible storytelling, games, crafts, music
and occasionally movies and scientific experiments
that support the lesson.
During the summer, we provide
Sunday School for ages 2 through sixth grade.
|
