Kids - St. John's Richmond

Children's programs

Little Ones (Ages 0-3)

A simple weekly program is offered for toddlers, which may includeÂ a story, some singing and a prayer.Â Nursing parents are welcome to join. Children under 2 must be supervised.

Contact: Kirsten Vint

Primary Kids (Ages 4 - Grade 1)

Older preschoolers and early elementary kids are naturally curious, energetic, exploratory, and full of wonder at the world around them. The goal of our Primary Kids program is to use these natural gifts to point the youngest members of our congregation towards God who made them, and loves them. Using story, song, and crafts in a context of consistent and loving relationship, children grow in relationship with God, their teachers, and one another. Our Primary Kids program runs year round.

Contact: Kirsten Vint

Big Kids (Grades 2 - 5)

The Elementary kids program is liturgical: there is a weekly order including prayer, song, Bible reading; interactive: children are encouraged to participate; and hands on: crafts, art, drama, audio-visual and other activities are used to help teach and review concepts, and are used to help the children respond to the things they have learned.

Contact: Penny Love or Laurie Bakken

Children's ministry philosophy

Telling the biblical story to kids

We believe that the Bible is God's written Word, inspired and authoritative, true and trustworthy, coherent, sufficient for salvation, living and powerful as God's guide for belief and behavior. Therefore, the use of the Bible in our Children ministry is unquestionable.

Why we do what we do

What we do on Sunday morning is not a 'school', but a comprehensive, age-appropriate experience of what 'church' ought to be like: Sharing fellowship, food, feeding on God's word, prayer, and praise. Some of this happens in the context of the whole congregation and some if it happens in smaller groups.

Response time

Response or reflection time is time set aside after the formal teaching for a child to interact with the Bible story presented. It is a time for them to reflect on what has been learned, to dwell on the story, and to think about how if applies to their life. The activities provide the time required for that kind of reflection to occur.

Children's art + media

After a unit of several stories, we take a week to review the stories and have an Art Day. Children are put in groups to prepare artwork for their story. The artwork may be a poster, word art, or stopmotion playmobil movie.

Art projects

See the Children's art projects page for more examples of different kinds of art projects such as posters, plasticine pictures, banners and memorization word art.

Go to Children's art projects page

Genesis Artwork in Flickr

Visit our Flickr page to see Genesis artwork done by SJR kids

Art project movies

Visit our YouTube Channel to see all the stopmotion playmobil movies created by SJR kids.

Events for kids

Good Friday for kids

We mark Good Friday together with the children. Children hear the Good Friday story in an interactive way. Activity stations are set up for the kids to further explore this story in a hands-on way through art, prayer, building, and in writing.

Summer Kids program

Children's ministry continues year-round. Each summer we have a distinctive theme, such as the Psalms, Parables, the Good Shepherd, or Boats in the Bible.