St. Mark’s is a community committed to helping children and youth find belonging, meaning and purpose in their lives. The foundation of our program is Sunday School, which lovingly shares scripture, art and play as tools for reflecting on the questions children grapple with through different stages of development. But there are many other ways to participate as well. From worship to choir to service to fun, we have carefully curated a menu of opportunities to keep kids engaged from cradle to college. Our entire congregation is committed to giving kids connection, respect and care in everything we do.

What classes are being offered?

Nursery (Ages 0-3)

We love having children in our service. We consider the sound of children to be a beautiful echo of our church’s vitality. We also provide a nursery for ages 0 to 3 as an option for parents. It is open from 9 am to 12:30 pm under the leadership of an experienced nursery school teacher, Deborah Cunningham, who has run the nursery at St. Mark’s for over a decade. She has two assistants each Sunday. The nursery is closed on Sept 6, Nov 29, Dec 27, May 30 and July 4.

Elementary Sunday School (Grades PreK3-5)

St. Mark’s uses Godly Play, a Montessori-based spiritual formation and religious education method that helps children explore their faith through storytelling, wonder, and play. Developed by theologian and Episcopal priest Jerome Berryman, the approach operates on the core assumption that children already possess an innate relationship with God. Rather than filling children with pre-determined facts or instructions, Godly Play equips them with the religious language and symbols of the Christian tradition to express their own spirituality. Children meet in specially prepared rooms that contain materials designed to invite children to deepen their relationship with God at their own pace. Classes are structured to offer a time of story, discussion, individual work by each child and prayer. 

Day:  Sundays, except holidays
Time: 10:00-10:50 a.m

Catechesis I (PreK3 & PreK4 – A child must be 3 by September 30.)
Location: St. Mark’s Undercroft, Room 4
Catechesis II (Kindergarten & 1st Grade)
Location: St. Mark’s Undercroft, Adams Room
Catechesis III (2nd & 3rd Grade)
Location:  St. Mark’s Undercroft, Room 1
Catechesis IV (4th & 5th Grade)
Location:  St. Mark’s Upstairs, Dance Studio

 Youth Sunday School (Grades 6-12) 

Our middle school (MS) and high school (HS) Sunday School classes explore the stories of the Bible in a way that feels interesting and empowering to young people. We have donuts and games to get them in the door, and then we use the Generation Why? Curriculum to encourage them to think about what scripture might mean in their lives. Intentional team building creates a sense of belonging while youth-driven discussion communicates to our young people that their ideas and feelings matter. 

Day:  Sundays, except holidays
Time: 10:00– 10:50 a.m.

Middle School (Grades 6–8)
Location:  St. Mark’s Undercroft, Lions’ Den
High School (Grades 9–12)
Location: St. Mark’s Undercroft, Dozier Library

What other activities are being offered?

Grate Patrol on the Fourth Sunday of the Month (All Ages)

St. Mark’s makes 150 bag dinners, which are then delivered to people living on the street through the Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol program. This is a great opportunity for young kids (even pre-K kids) to meaningfully contribute to service. There are many ways to help: put oranges and napkins in bags, spread peanut butter on bread or zip up sandwich baggies. This is a truly intergenerational event! No sign up is necessary. One only needs to be in Baxter Hall after the 9am service/sermon seminar (around 11am) on any 4th Sunday of the month.

Children’s Choir and Youth Choir (PreK4 and up)

St. Mark’s has a vibrant choir program that performs at least monthly at St. Mark’s and other churches as well. For more information, click here.

Service and Social Justice Club (Grades 4 and 5)

The Service and Social Justice Club receives a portion of St. Mark’s larger service and social justice budget in order to give our children ownership of St. Mark’s commitment to serve the larger community. Open to all 4th and 5th graders, regardless of whether they attend Sunday School, the club meets every few weeks on a drop-in basis: no registration or year-long commitment required. Children discuss the issues that matter to them, research ways to engage and take part in hands-on service projects.

Confirmation Class (Grades 8 and up)

Confirmation Class is an important rite of passage, available to kids in grades 8 and up, that allows teens to reflect the promises that their parents made in their baptism and confirm those promises for themselves. It is offered every other year (26-27, 28-29, 30-31…) in the form of monthly 11am meetings. Participants are paired with a mentor from the congregation for this important time of reflection.

Youth Group (Grades 6-12)

Youth group brings MS and HS together once a month at 12:30pm to foster the development of true friendships through outings and service projects. Sleepovers, adventures, activities and general goofiness gives youth a sense of belonging that is especially important to them at this stage of life. 

High School Pilgrimage (Grades 9-12)

High School Pilgrimage is a two year program in which the teens design and plan a trip to deepen their spiritual exploration and commitment to service. They articulate the questions that arise from their faith and explore them out in the world as a microcosm of what will happen when they graduate.

How do we sign up?

If you would like your child/children to join Sunday School, please fill out a registration form. This registration helps us plan and ensures we have complete information for every child. If you are joining us mid-year, your child is welcome to join any Sunday. Anyone can direct you to our Sunday School classrooms and a teacher will help you register on-site.

For other programming, please reach out to the Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry, Lisa Ramish, at youthdirector@stmarks.net. 

When will we start and end classes for the year?

For the 2026-2027 school year, Sunday School classes begin on September 20 and end on June 6. Our end of year program, Banner Sunday will be held on June 13th, in which children, youth, and teachers will share banners they have created to celebrate the learning and growth that have taken place in Sunday School throughout the year. We also have a Summer Sunday School program that goes through June, July and August.  

2026 -2027 Dates to Know:

Sun, Sept 13 – Parish Picnic

Sun, Sept 20 – First Day of Sunday School

Sun, Oct 11 – One Room Sunday School (Indigenous People’s Weekend)

Sun, Nov 22 – Switch Sunday (Adults and kids switch places during Sunday School!)

Sun, Nov 29 – All Church Advent Craft (Thanksgiving Weekend)

Sun, Dec 27 – No Sunday School (Christmas Weekend)

Sun, Jan 3 – One Room Sunday School (New Year’s Weekend)

Sun, Jan 17– One Room Sunday School (MLK Weekend)

Sun, Feb 7 – 10AM Service, 10:15AM Sunday School (Annual Meeting)

Sun, Feb 14 – No Sunday School (Presidents’ Day Weekend)

Sun, Mar 28 – No Sunday School – Egg Hunt (Easter)

Sunday, May 16 – No Sunday School (Capitol Hill Classic)

Sunday, May 30 – No Sunday School (Memorial Day)

Sun, June 6 – Last Day of Sunday School

Sun, June 13 – Banner Sunday (Celebration of Sunday School)

How do we help?

Our ministry to children, youth and their families is only made possible through a co-op style model of committed adult volunteers. The experience and number of those volunteers reflects the whole congregation’s commitment to intergenerational spiritual formation, worship and community building. We ask every adult in our congregation to consider how they are called to participate and serve.

Questions?

St. Mark’s Sunday School Program is coordinated by Lisa Ramish, Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministries. Contact her at youthdirector@stmarks.net.