The 2022-23 Sunday School (including Catechesis) registration form is now available here.

 

St. Mark’s has a vibrant lay-led Christian Education Sunday School Program that provides a creative space and supportive community in which children and youth can grow spiritually. St. Mark’s children and youth are integrated into every aspect of our communal life, specifically emphasizing outreach, education, worship, and the arts.

We continue to face the challenge of COVID-19. Even while mask restrictions have been lifted, we welcome anyone to continue wearing a mask. More than ever, our students need connections with their peers and their teachers from church, in person.

As lay leaders of Christian Education at St. Mark’s Church, we feel a great responsibility to ensure that our Sunday School classes for children ages three through Grade 12 continue in person; and, gratefully, we have the enthusiastic support of Rev. Michele Morgan and our outstanding teachers from Catechesis through Grade 12.

How do parents prepare for Sunday School this year?

If you would like your child/children to participate, fill out a Sunday School registration form for each child/youth in your household. Go to the link below to fill out the Google Docs form.

Google Docs form: Please use this form to generate useful tables of information about participating children easily. All you need to do is click on this Google Doc link and enter your information on all pages of the form. At the end of the form, simply click SEND, and your information will be sent to us.

When will we start classes?

Classes will begin on September 18, 2022. Please see the details below, which include teachers and meeting days and times. Classes will meet every Sunday.

When do classes end for the year?

The last day of Sunday School for the 2022-23 school year will be Sunday, May 14 However, the following week will be Banner Sunday! On May 21, children, youth, and teachers will share virtual banners they have created to celebrate the learning and growth that have taken place in Sunday School throughout the year.

What classes are being offered?

View or download the 2022-23 Sunday School Catalog.

Catechesis: A Montessori Approach to Spiritual Development

Catechesis Coordinator: Stephanie Deutsch

Rooted in the Montessori approach to education, the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Sunday School program believes that all young children have a spiritual life, that God is present to them in their deepest being, and that they are capable of developing both a conscious and intimate relationship with God. We provide vocabulary, Bible lessons, and connections to liturgy to enable them to become more aware of their relationship with God and to express it.

Children meet in specially prepared rooms that contain handmade materials designed to invite children to deepen their relationship with God at their own pace. The program is biblically-based and follows the rhythms of the church year. Classes are structured to offer a time of prayer and song, a time for the presentation of a lesson, and a time for individual work by each child. The work of the children is their prayer and is the most important part of the class.

Catechesis I (Age 3 to Kindergarten)

Day:  Sundays, except holidays
Time: 9:45-10:45 a.m.
Teachers:  Sallie McElrath; Helpers: Katheryn Powers and others TBA
Location: St. Mark’s Undercroft, Rooms 4 & 5

If you are interested in Level I work with your child, please send an email to Sally with the words “Subscribe to Catechesis I” in the subject line.

Catechesis II (Grades 1 – 3)

Catechesis II will meet weekly from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. beginning on September 19, 2021. We will continue to offer children opportunities to experience God’s love through stories about Jesus and through the parables he told. We will also learn about the books of the Bible, the land of Israel, and the Eucharist. Each class will end with a service that includes prayers, readings, and songs.

Day:  Sundays, except holidays
Time: 9:45-10:45 a.m.
Teachers: Lead Teacher: Suzanne Wells; Helpers: TBA
Location: St. Mark’s Undercroft, Room 3

If you are interested in this class, please send an email to Suzanne with the words “Subscribe to Catechesis II” in the subject line.

Catechesis III (grades 4 and 5)

Catechesis III will meet weekly from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. beginning on September 19, 2021. We will read passages from Genesis and Exodus recounting the stories of Creation, Leaving the Garden, the Flood, the Call of Abraham, and Joseph and his Brothers. Each class meeting will include time for prayer and reflection as the children progress toward a greater understanding of their role in moving themselves and their community closer to God.

Day:  Sunday, except holidays
Time: 9:45-10:45 a.m.
Teacher:  Stephanie Deutsch, David Trissell, Paul Albergo
Location:  St. Mark’s Undercroft, Gregory Room

If you are interested in this class, please send an email to Stephanie with the words “Subscribe to Catechesis II” in the subject line.

Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12) Sunday School

Our middle and high school programs will meet weekly from 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. beginning on September 18, 2022. We will use the Teen Text curricula, one targeted to middle school students and one to high school students. We will focus on creating a space and time where the participants in each age group know that their ideas and feelings matter and where they can explore issues that come up in their lives in a caring atmosphere. We aim to explore these issues in the context of the St. Mark’s Christian Education program, encouraging students to actively participate and engage in games, exercises, and projects that create opportunities for learning about the Bible, contextualizing their personal stories, and sharing these stories and whatever may be in their hearts and minds. In each case, the classes will provide an opportunity to build community and explore the students’ emerging maturity issues.

Middle School (Grades 6 – 8)

Day:  Sundays, except holidays
Time: 9:45 – 10:45 a.m.
Teacher:  Melanie Hansen, Lisa Ramish, Greg  Niblett
Location:  St. Mark’s Undercroft, Rector’s Room

High School (Grades 9 – 12)

Day: Sunday, except holidays
Time: 9:45 – 10:45 a.m.
Teachers: Kevin Flood and Doug Padgett
Location: St. Mark’s Undercroft, Lion’s Den

Questions?

St. Mark’s Sunday School Program is coordinated by the lay-led Christian Education Program, guided by Co-Directors Greg Niblett, Karen Falk, Michele Rivard, and Keith Krueger. Please direct any questions you may have about the Sunday School Program to Greg Niblett.