Faith Formation for Children
Sunday Church School
Our 2026-2027 Church School program includes Music Chapel with Gretchen Dekker followed by Story Time (Godly Play) for younger children and Lesson Time (Pathfinders) for older children.
Review our Sunday schedule for children and families HERE.
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Godly Play is a Montessori-inspired spiritual formation program that passes on the Christian faith through story, parable, ritual and silence. Young people ages 3-6 are invited into the sacred space where they can be with God and with others as the stories of scripture introduce meaning into their lives.
A typical session includes gathering, hearing sacred stories, wondering together about them in community, and responding through art, play, or meditation. Godly Play was designed to provide ample space for young people to explore the stories of God and their own spiritual lives.
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Pathfinders is a traditional lesson based program that encourages questions, critical thinking, and practical application of faith in daily life. Our curriculum is, Living Discipleship, produced by The Episcopal Church, and our topic this season is “Exploring the Bible.”
In this series, “Lessons are designed to help children encounter the Bible at their own level, and begin to understand how the individual stories of the Bible fit together into one greater story: the story of God's incredible love for us.”
Classes take place twice a month. Our 2026 fall schedule is 9/27, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15, 12/6, and 12/20.
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Our Sunday School morning begins with Music Chapel, a joyful 10–15 minutes of singing and worship together. Children and families gather in the Music Room to sing favorite songs like “Deep and Wide,” hear a collect or opening sentence read by the storyteller, and listen to a Psalm. We close with a song of praise, lifting our voices to the Lord and preparing our hearts for the story to come.
QUESTIONS?
New to Church School or have questions? Contact our Church School Administrator, Tory Dunkle, at secretary@stjohnyork.org.