| Church
School |
The
Church School program is divided into four groups:
1. Nursery care for babies and children up to age 5 and staffed by a
hired nursery attendant.
2. Church School for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
3. Church School for children in the 3rd through 6th Grade.
4. Church School for youth in the 7th grade through 12th grade.
Children/youth begin worship with their families, participating in a
Children’s Moment before dismissal to classes taught by
“teacher teams” that alternate teaching units to
allow teachers periodic opportunities to worship.
Youth involvement in mission/service activities is a valued component
of our educational program. Youth-led fundraising activities raised
$1,000 each for The Heifer Project International and UCC’s
Hope Shall Bloom hurricane relief. Younger children organized a sock
drive for children in need. Youth regularly volunteer to decorate/serve
at holiday events at agencies serving homeless individuals and
families. Each year, a number of our high-school students attend UCC
youth events at the conference, regional, and national levels. Summer
camps at our two Central Pacific Conference camps, Pilgrim Cove in
Idaho www.pilgrimcovecamp.org
and Camp Adams in Oregon www.campadams.org,
are popular with our children and youth of all ages. |
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| Curricula |
Curricula
decisions are made conjointly between the Faith Development Committee
and pastor. We are currently using the Bible Quest curriculum.
LOUCC’s goal is to help children/youth understand how the
Bible/our faith relate to our everyday lives. As our Jr.-Sr. High Class
studied spiritual connections, they opted to “walk a
labyrinth.” An intergenerational crew sewed and painted a
portable canvas labyrinth (36’ x 36’) which is used
by the entire church and lent to other churches on occasion.
|
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| Confirmation |
| A
highlight in the spiritual life of our high school youth has been the
confirmation experience. Confirmands, typically 9th graders, have each
chosen an adult sponsor from the congregation (not their parents) to
accompany them on their faith journey, providing a real-life model for
questioning, confirming, and sharing faith connections. |
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| Educational Opportunities |
| Our pastor and interested
laypersons plan adult education opportunities. Some of this
year’s offerings have included: Marcus Borg’s The
Heart of Christianity, Matthew
Fox’s Prayer: A Radical Response to Life,
and Jimmy Carter’s Our Endangered Values,
as well as courses designed by the Northwest Earth Institute such as:
Voluntary Simplicity, Healthy Children/Healthy Planet, and
Bio-Regionalism. |
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