Acknowledging the fact that God is present among us and within us, we seek to give each and every member of our community the opportunity to gain a greater awareness of God’s presence, and this is especially true for our younger members.
At Emmanuel, a small but dedicated team of Sunday School teachers offer Christian education to the children of all ages, all of whom are known as Emmanuel Kids. Those who come are highly valued, and we strive to meet their spiritual needs and introduce them to the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
At Emmanuel we run a Sunday School group every week within the service time. We have a dedicated team of Sunday School teachers who conduct the sessions according to a pre-arranged rota. Volunteer Self-Declaration Forms and Character Reference Forms are required for all our teacher volunteers to ensure we provide a safe and protective environment.
Our children tend to be children ranging from three to ten years old however all ages are welcome. For our teaching resources we use the book Candles by David Adam. This book provides us with a set of materials which is based around the lectionary, and allows us to plan our lessons in accordance to our children’s strengths and ages. The lessons comprise of a story and a craft or activity to provide a fun way to build on the message that is appropriate for that date in the Church calendar. The children return to Church just before Communion and later share with the congregation what they have learnt and made during that lesson.
At Emmanuel we believe in a Sunday School programme which teaches our Emmanuel Kids the following:
- To love
- To be tolerant (understanding, accepting, ecumenical)
- To serve
- To have a sense of call
In order to be responsive to a child’s developmental and faith stages, we will encourage our teachers to tailor their teaching to the following emphases:
- Provide a beginning in theological understanding
- God is love
b. God has created a wonderful world
c. Jesus is God’s son (the person of Jesus)
d. Jesus is our friend, guide and example - Help them to love themselves
- Teach them to love each other
- Begin to identify adults in the congregation, and give them a sense of belonging to the community of the church
Goal: Help them to feel that Sunday School is a fun place to be and that they are loveable people.
The Sunday School continues to be an important integral part of the Emmanuel Community and strengthens the bonds and commitments made by our participants. We hope to encourage newcomers to join our interactive, informative and enjoyable sessions at Emmanuel Church.