Christian EducationWelcome to the Faith Zone
Workshop Rotation Model
The Faith Zone is St. John’s Workshop Rotation Model of education, which is based on the concepts of the Multiple Intelligence’s theory. All classes study the same Bible Story for one month, with every workshop approaching the story in a different way.
Instead of recruiting one volunteer teacher, St. John’s Christian Education Committee:
- Designs each classroom for one specific learning experience. For example a Drama room, Art room, Storytelling room, Movie room.
- Recruits a teacher to teach the same workshop activity to a different class each week for one month.
- Rotates a different class to a new workshop each week—hence the concept “rotation”.
- Uses one Biblical Story for one month so that the children experience the same story through 4 workshops.
- Recruits persons to act as “shepherds” for each class. The shepherds stay with the same class for the entire year providing continuity and stability to the group.
The Children become:
- Engaged in the Bible Story.
- Eager to come back because they have other rooms to look forward to.
- Able to remember and retell the Bible Story.
We use the workshop rotation model for children in grades K-6. Our three and four year old classes and seventh grade class at 9:00 A.M. remain in their rooms during the Faith Zone.
Register for Faith Zone ClassesCurrent Faith Zone Curriculum & Schedule
Faith Zone Volunteers
View Faith Zone Workshops
View Faith Zone Learning Covenant
Faith Zone Newsletter
Have you found yourself searching for times, dates and events your child would like to participate in at St. John’s? Beginning with the September Visitor, the Christian Education staff will produce a Faith Zone newsletter as part of the Visitor. Included will be happenings in the Faith Zone, the current rotation along with questions you can discuss at home, announcements and upcoming events.
If you wish to receive the newsletter electronically, provide us with your E-mail address on the registration form or find it on St. John’s web site www.stjohnsmonroe.org.
What Happens on Sunday Morning?
Children enrolled in the preschool class go directly to their rooms on the upper floor of the Christian Education Building. These children remain in their classrooms for the entire hour.
Children in grades kindergarten through sixth go to Fellowship Hall where they will find their class table designated by a sign. Every class has a shepherd who greets them and attends the morning’s workshop with them. The shepherd is a person who has special gifts of nurturing children. Two shepherds are recruited to rotate Sundays and provide continuity of adult leadership as the children move to a different workshop each week. Attendance is taken and offering envelopes are received before the classes leave Fellowship Hall for the day’s workshop.
Seventh grade at 9:00am will meet in the youth room. A team of leaders and new opportunities for service in the Faith Zone are in store for this year’s class. The youth will participate in Faith Zone leadership through the preparation of skits and games for the Faith Zone Gathering Time and by mentoring the kindergarten and 1st grade in the computer lab once a month.
The Christian Education office is located on the upper level of the Christian Education wing and a volunteer is in that office on Sunday mornings to assist visitors and Faith Zone participants. The Faith Zone director, Gary Neuenschwander, begins his morning in this office and then meets classes in Fellowship Hall where he is always happy to answer questions.
Valerie Blum, the Christian Education (C.E.) program administrator, and Gary Neuenschwander share an office next to the Christian Education office upstairs in the Faith Zone
Eighth Grade Confirmation
Confirmation students receive their Bibles on Sunday, September 12, during the 10:30am worship in the sanctuary. Confirmation Class begins on Wednesday, September 15, with supper at 6:00pm in Fellowship Hall and class in the Christian Education wing from 6:30– 7:30pm. Parents and 8th grade students must attend the Wednesday, August 18, meeting at7:00pm in Fellowship Hall to learn about the Confirmation program.
Third Grade Bibles
Each year St. John’s Untied Church of Christ gives a Bible to third grade students participating in the Faith Zone. This year the Bibles will be presented during the 9:00am worship service on Sunday, October 3. Memorial gifts are used to purchase these Bibles that are engraved with each child’s name. The Christian Education Committee thanks all those who have donated money for these Bibles.
Nursery
A nursery is provided during the 9:00am worship service. The Christian Education Committee recruits and trains two adult care givers for each Sunday and uses Confirmation students as helpers. Your child's safety and health are carefully provided for in this lovely, open room. A simple registration procedure is followed for each infant and toddler and parents are invited to drop in at any time.
The nursery is located on the upper level of the Christian Education Building.
Bible Bucks
Each week in the Faith Zone, children are given the opportunity to earn a Bible Buck. Bible bucks are earned though special incentives. A store for spending bible bucks opens October 3rd in Fellowship Hall during the Fellowship Time. The Bible Bucks Store is open the first Sunday of each month.
Including Children in Worship
St. John’s welcomes children in our congregational worship services because we follow Jesus Christ, who welcomed and fully accepted little children. We want our children to know that we, too, accept them as they are and desire their participation in the community of faith.
Young children come to worship with wonder and a curiosity about everything. There are several things parents can do to make their child's experience - and their own - more relaxed and worshipful:
- Sit near the front where your child can clearly see the worship leaders.
- Prepare your child for the different parts of the worship service; explain special events ahead of time and answer right now in a quiet whisper.
- Encourage the use of children's worship activity bulletins, available from the ushers, and invite your child to color or draw in those bulletins.
- Allow your child to bring a favorite stuffed animal along or pick up a Bible story book in the library to browse.
- If children are invited to participate by coming forward or giving a response, accompany them if they are hesitant and encourage their activity.
- Feel free to choose, at any time during the worship, to take your child to play in the nursery for the remainder of the service. Your movement during the worship is not disruptive.
- If a child needs to use the bathroom, again, your quiet movement will not disrupt worship and there is a bathroom at the back of the sanctuary near the elevator entrance.
A sensitivity to the young child's abilities and needs can help make worship a more pleasant and meaningful experience. We want the church family to worship together.