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.

Our aim is for children grow in love and knowledge of God. While we can teach "love" as a concept, we can't teach a child to love God. We can however teach them WHO God is, so that they come to love him in the context of a growing relationship with him. They need to KNOW him, to LOVE him. And this is where we really see the Spirit at work in God's Living and Active Word. As we teach children the Bible, in context, being true to what God is revealing to us in each narrative account, children do come to know God. As we reinforce these stories with doctrine and clear biblically rooted statements about who God is and what he has done, the picture of who he is becomes even clearer and their love for Him becomes greater and greater.

All of this learning happens in the context of relationships between a small group of teachers committed to building relationships with the children over the course of the year.

See our downloadable Children's Ministry Philosophy.

Our children are a blessing. Our God-given task is to nurture them in the love of Jesus and his word. Primarily, this is to happen at home, so at SJR we want to support you as you train your children. One of the most effective ways to do this is to invite you to teach children in organized settings, which will help you gain confidence to do the same with your own children or grandchildren.