We have an entire nursery space downstairs in our education wing for anyone needing space outside our sanctuary.
There also is a Pray-Ground inside the sanctuary, a designated space where children can experience worship and still see their family. It is a small space with a table, four chairs, and baskets of soft toys, books, and art materials.
During the Sunday service, children are invited to process down the central aisle following the Chapel banner into the Parish Hall. There they will hear Mindy Boynton teach the Gospel according to their ages, do an art project, say their prayers, and be back in the sanctuary during the Peace.
Every Sunday at 9:00 am down in the education wing, Syndie Sorensen teaches Godly Play. This program is for children in kindergarten to 2nd Grade. It is a Montessori program that encourages children to think about faith and God on their own and encourages them to ask questions so that they build a strong and personal relationship with God. It’s over in time to go to church at 10:00 am.
Grades third through fifth meet every Sunday morning from 9:00 - 10:00 am in the education wing. Mary Duke is their teacher, and she is using The Episcopal Children’s Curriculum (ECC). It's a thematic Sunday school curriculum tied to the seasons of the church year.
Our middle school program begins each Wednesday at Manwaring from 6:00-7:00 pm. Mindy Boynton and Sarah DeWolf start with a meal and talk about the highs and lows of the past week. They do a lot of outreach with the local schools by making snack packs and helping keep our Pantry Box full. We use the “Form curriculum” and “Find your Fit curriculum.”
On the last Wednesday of every month, we will be holding Pizza Church. We will begin together in the Parish Hall eating pizza and salads. This event is for the whole congregation, so becomes a great intergenerational program. After dinner, we will have a simple worship service geared and run by the children, including music and readings. Then the children will then do a fun art project using "Messy Church." This program begins at 6:00 and runs to about 7:30 pm.
Mindy Boynton oversees our Confirmation program and brings in many parishioners to help. Some are from the Altar Guild and Healing Touch. Connie Kurtz will teach the history through an escape room. Gretchen Beck from ECMN will talk about navigating from local to worldwide churches.
This is our Senior High Program, and it meets two times a month beginning in September. Mindy Boynton and Julie O'Reilly start with a meal and conversations. We usually watch a YouTube video or podcast on a specific topic and have discussions. They also love to have fun, go on retreats, have lock-ins, and know they are Free to Question. This program goes from 11:30 am-1:00 pm in the Youth Space at Manwaring.