St. Stephen's Episcopal Church - Schenectady, NY

Vacation Bible School for
4-10 year olds
July 9-13
Union Presbyterian Church

Everyone knows what it's like to hear your mom tell stories from your childhood. Take your kids back to Hometown Nazareth, where they'll stand up for their faith among people who doubt that the carpenter's son is actually God's Son. Nazareth teaches kids to love God and his Word . . . like you do.
Kids will craft cool projects in the Marketplace, laugh as they play Bible-times games, visit with Jesus' mom, Mary, and eat foods just like the ones Jesus ate. Plus, they will meet lots of new friends!
Kids and adults will "time-travel" back to Jesus' hometown!
Here's what happens each day:
1. An Opening Celebration - an upbeat worship time with songs and activities! Next they join their Tribes (small groups) for interaction in a Hometown Huddle.
2. During Hometown Huddle, Tribes prepare to step back in time! Fun activities and talk-starters get everyone ready to visit Nazareth.
3. Visit Nazareth! Tribes will visit the town musician and learn songs, play Fun & Games where they'll laugh and play, visit Mary's House to hear what life was like for Jesus as a kid, and experience Mary's hospitality - snacks. Every Tribe will also get plenty of time to explore the Marketplace, where they can build a tzedakah (charity) box, try wool-felting, sample unexpected snacks, and more.
4. Finally, everyone comes together for a Closing Celebration.
For more information contact:

Miranda Rand
Rev. Ruth Kuo

Spring, 2012

MirandaChristianEd@ St. Stephen's from Ms.Miranda

Train a child in the way he should go.
When he is old, he will not turn away from it.
Proverbs 22:6 (NIRV)

Godly Play (Grades Pre-K-6 @ 10:15 in the Tower) -
Miranda Rand
(This group leaves with their teachers after the Rector's children's message, and return to participate in the sacrament with their families.)

Having completed the Lenten series "Faces of Easter" with the resurrection narrative on April 15, we now move to a series of stories about Jesus and his disciples, which will include two stories about the Eucharistic sacrament: The Good Shepherd and World Communion on April 22, and Circle of the Holy Eucharist on May 13.

The Good Shepherd story demonstrates Jesus as the Good Shepherd carefully shepherding his sheep, ensuring their safety, on a circular wooden platform designed to resemble a sheep pen. As the story progresses, the Good Shepherd is replaced by the officiant (the priest) and the circle of sheep are exchanged for people of all sizes gathered round the communion table on which rests the cup and plate. This story is told with three-dimensional wooden figures.

The Circle of Holy Eucharist is told in a one-dimensional format, using 4 x 6 colored cards laid out on a green felt circle and labeled to reflect the eight sections of the Liturgy of the Word, and the six sections of the Liturgy of Holy Communion.

The schedule for the other Sundays in May is as follows:

Ann Rigley is the storyteller for the last two Sundays in May, I will be on vacation.

George Woodzell & Peter Nelson
Grades 7-12 @ 9:00am in the Chapel-

Under the remarkable care of George Woodzell, with some help from Peter Nelson, this group has been exploring what it looks like to write their own worship service. The idea of a teen worship time, separate and entirely different in word and sequence from the service outlined in The Book of Common Prayer, has taken form over the course of the past few months, following a visit to the youth worship service at the Unitarian church on Wendell Avenue.
Our students have wrestled with such deep topics as what is spirituality, what constitutes a person's soul, and what ideals would they like to see expressed in their statement of purpose. By the time the Sunday School season wraps up on June 10, the expectation is that this statement will be completed and an outline for their worship format will have been agreed to.

 

See our calendar page for upcoming events and happenings.