Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Lafayette, California Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Lafayette, California

 

Children's Ministries

How will your kids make sense of the world?  

          

           At OSLC, we work to give kids a set of experiences, stories and tools that will serve as a foundation for the growth of their faith throughout their lives.  We seek to inspire children to understand their world, and try to make it better.  

Experiences for children and families at OSLC (click to jump to information on each topic):



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Family Programs

We seek to help families learn together and live out their faith in the world.

Ongoing:

Support Group for Parents of Young Children:  We meet the first Wednesday of each month, at 9:30 am, to examine how we raise our children spiritually, and support our own spiritual growth in this chaotic time.  Sometimes we learn together by reading and discussing, other times we just talk.  All parents of young children are welcome.  For more information, contact Pastor Holly McHale-Larsen.

God's World:   Our God's World Discovery Hour, 9:45 - 10:30 a.m. on most Sunday mornings during the school year, provides childcare for babies and toddlers, and education for all ages from three through adults. More information on the specific programs for all ages can be found below (up to 5th grade) and on the middle school, high school, and adult faith formation pages of this website.

Upcoming:

All Church Retreat:  Open to all, the retreat is a great opportunity for families to recenter, be guided in new directions, and enjoy great fellowship.  Watch for more details on our Fall Retreat, October 8 - 10, 2010, at Mt. Hermon Conference Center.

Family Trip to Rancho Santa Marta:  Each year over Presidents' Day Weekend, a group of families ventures to Rancho Santa Marta in order to spend a few days working to improve the facilities at this school in Mexico.  Details on next year's trip are available now - contact Greg Wikler for more information.

 

Also, watch for other church-wide events on our front page and elsewhere- all of our events and programs are designed to be inclusive of families, either by inviting children to participate, or by providing childcare.

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God's World

God's World is our Sunday morning education hour, offered for all ages at 9:45 a.m. on most Sundays during the school year.



What does it mean to walk with Jesus? These are the children's footsteps on the Road to Emmaus

God's World Kids showing off their masks from the Esther Story

What happens during God's World for Kids?

  • Core stories from our faith are presented in depth over the course of 4-5 weeks
  • Children are encouraged to live in the focus story to fully incorporate it and see how the story can influence the way in which they live out their lives
  • Aspects of the story are presented in different ways to reflect the different strenghts and learning styles of the kids
  • The story builds each week; the story evolves in the telling and different layers are added in each re-telling
  • Children are split into age-based groups so that kids can enter the story at their level
  • Children discuss and experience examples of how such a story might be lived out today


Click here to download a 2010-2011 Enrollment Form
Click here for the 2010-2011 God's World Schedule

Epiphany 2009 Intergenerational Event Photos

Photos from 2008 God's World Kickoff

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Milestones

Milestones are offered to individual grade level groups as focussed education in important faith practices.  Each milestone is presented over several weeks.  Currently, the milestones offered are:
  • My Church - an exploration of the church site for preschoolers
  • Worship - a guided introduction to the worship experience for kindergartners
  • Prayer - an introduction to many different types of prayer for first graders
  • Communion - Communion instruction for second graders
  • Bible - an overview of the Bible, it's evolution, and how to use it for third graders
  • Mission - a guided group experience in which fourth graders choose an organization and carry out a project to support it (e.g. a food drive for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano)
  • Remembering Baptism - a study of the history of Baptism and what it means to "live wet" for fifth graders

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Worship for Children at OSLC


We believe that corporate worship is an important part of children's faith development, and we encourage you to share worship with your children.  Children of all ages are an important part of all of our services, and often assist in the service by presenting music, reading or serving Communion. We seek to make worship a meaningful time for all members of our community, including our children.  

Why worship with your children?

  • Children learn worship by worshiping with the congregation Sunday after Sunday
  • Children learn they belong to God and are welcome in God's church
  • They discover that they are valued as individuals by God and by God's people at church
  • They build a fund of memorable, shared experiences of Christian community, from which they may draw when they are older
  • They are enriched by the beauty of music and art as expressions of praise and as human response to God
  • They hear stories from the Bible read and interpreted
  • They begin to see Christian worship as one place where God may speak to them

Choirs

High school age youth are welcome to be a part of our adult choirs.  Click here for more information on music programs at OSLC.

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Vacation Bible School

  

Thanks for your interest in Vacation Bible School at OSLC.  After many years of providing a Vacation Bible School at OSLC, we took a break in 2010.  We gave our dedicated volunteers a well-deserved break, and are taking time to consider how best to serve the children of OSLC and our community in the coming summers.  


Nursery Care

Child care is provided during regularly scheduled services and most special meetings and events.  Our nursery is always staffed by two screened adult caregivers who enjoy spending time with your children.  

Nursery care is provided for newborns through age 4 during services.
Childcare for children kindergarten and older is provided for special events.

What to Expect

Join us on a Sunday morning - you and your children are always welcome!
Our early, more traditional worship service, begins at 8:30 a.m. Our later, more contemporary worship service, begins at 10:45 a.m. Services are followed by a time of fellowship, including snacks and beverages.  

God's World, our education time for all ages, is offered from 9:45 to 10:30 a.m.  Children will have the opportunity to meet their God's World teachers on Back-to-Church Sunday, September 12, 2010.  Then God's World for children and adults begins again on Sunday, September 19, 2010.  All ages follow the colored path to their classrooms.  Children and adults reconnect in the Lounge prior to the 10:45 a.m. worship service.  

RED:  3's to Kindergarten
ORANGE: 1st - 3rd Grade
YELLOW: 4th - 5th Grade
GREEN: Middle School
BLUE: High School
PURPLE:Adults

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