There is a wide variety of Sunday school classes available from kindergarten through adult to choose from. Child care is available during the Sunday School hour from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
If you liked Vacation Bible School, you'll love our new "PowerXpress" rotational church school. The idea is the same: let children experience the Bible story through music, arts/crafts and exciting storytelling and they will remember the story.
PowerXpress is a rotational Church School curriculum. Bible stories and themes are taught in a variety of learning modalities over a period of 3-6 weeks. Children, guided by their "shepherds" rotate to a different "station" each week- art, computer, storytelling, games/music, science or video. Teachers (2 per station) teach the same lesson with age-level adjustments for the length of the rotation(3-6 weeks).
Teachers have long known that teaching a child in more than one modality and providing repetition greatly increase the child's ability to retain information. When children see AND hear AND do, they retain much more of the experience. This has been seen in our own children, some as young as 4 who were still talking about and singing the songs from Vacation Bible School.
PowerXpress is a fun and creative way to learn about God and the bible. In a rotational setting, the same Bible story or theme is taught for several weeks. Each week, learners rotate to a different station. The story remains the same, but children encounter it in different ways in each station. Repetition is an important part of the rotation approach. The more different ways children explore a story or concept, the more it is reinforced in their memories. The variety of experiences keeps interest high throughout the unit.
Teachers teach the same lesson, with age-level adjustments, for the length of the rotation. Rotational learning is exciting for students and teachers alike, as teachers teach to their strengths and students experience Bible stories in ways they learn best. Rotational learning is grounded in the work of Howard Gardner in Multiple Intelligences Theory. Rotational learning is active learning, emphasizing each of the first seven intelligences that Gardner identified. Rotational learning is an extremely flexible model that adapts well to many settings.
Because children will rotate to a new station each week, they will not have the opportunity to develop a relationship with one teacher over the course of the year. Since such relationships are so significant, we will be using shepherds in our program. A shepherd is an adult or older youth who will travel with the group each week to its station, providing continuity.
It is the shepherd who knows the children by name. The shepherd is not responsible for teaching, but may take attendance, “check in” with the children each week, be an extra pair of hands in the classroom, and help in ways that the teacher asks. Shepherds might also be responsible for name badges for the class, which are particularly helpful as the group moves from teacher to teacher.
Junior High Class |
Teachers: TBA |
Senior High Class |
Teachers: TBA |
Located in the Fellowship Hall, this class is a loving caring class of retired adults. The lessons are from the Adult Bible Studies series and both lecture and discussion. Every other month this class has a "social" to encourage fun, fellowship and to stimulate deepening friendships. The current teacher is Grace Weaver. (Handicap accessible)
Contrary to what the name suggests, this class does not meet in the kitchen. The location of this class is upstairs in room 211. This is a multi-aged group brought together for Bible study, service and fellowship. The Bible study centers around the United Methodist International Lesson Series. Fellowship includes potluck meals, ice cream socials and their famous Super Bowl Party and white elephant exchange. The current teacher is Bill Messer.
This class is located upstairs in room 208. The "BC" part of the class name stands for Basic Christianity. This group applies contempoary Christian principles to their daily lives. Emphasis is on an open exchange of ideas with lively discussions in a loving and friendly environment. Click here for the Class web page!
This class is made upo of adults in the under 40 range. Newly formed in November 2005.
This is an adult class, which meets in room 216 -- go up the stairs across from the kitchen, and turn left at the top of the stairs. The class is a shared leadership study of diverse topics, with an open discussion format. Click here for the Class web page!
College age adults that discuss topics related to concerns of that age group. They are located in room 215 upstairs.