Church of the Covenant is an intergenerational Christian community, treasuring the interweaving of the generations in the ingenious design of God's love. We have come to understand that Covenant's children belong to all of us, and we see in this a parable of the belonging of the whole human community to God, of the beauty of God's gift of each other.
Children and infants are always welcome in our Sunday worship service and we also provide nursery care and weekly Sunday School classes for children ages 4 and up. We believe that Jesus calls us to ministry not only to children but also with children. Our goals are to ensure that all our children know that they are valued and loved, by God and by us, and to help them grow into ways of being themselves that enable caring, responsible community and that strengthen their experience of the love of Christ. Our small class sizes allow us to provide individualized attention to each one of our children.
The nursery is open during in-person worship every week. We also welcome children and youth to join us in Bates Hall at 10:30 am for Circle Time, Godly Play, and youth classes.
If you're new to COTC, you can find us downstairs via the staircase at the back of the sanctuary. Please feel free to ask an usher if you want directions to the stairs or to the elevator. We look forward to meeting you!
The ongoing pandemic continues to shape how we gather for our Godly Play and other classes. At least through Spring 2023, we continue to require masks for those age two and up in the nursery and other CYCE spaces. The most updated info about CYCE activities is sent by email, so please contact kate.carlisle@cotcbos.org if you want to learn more or receive regular updates!
We invite you to explore the boxes below to read about our nursery, Sunday School classes, All Ages Sundays, and Safe Place Policy.
Children and infants are always welcome in our Sunday worship service and we also provide nursery care and weekly Sunday School classes for children ages 4 and up. We believe that Jesus calls us to ministry not only to children but also with children. Our goals are to ensure that all our children know that they are valued and loved, by God and by us, and to help them grow into ways of being themselves that enable caring, responsible community and that strengthen their experience of the love of Christ. Our small class sizes allow us to provide individualized attention to each one of our children.
The nursery is open during in-person worship every week. We also welcome children and youth to join us in Bates Hall at 10:30 am for Circle Time, Godly Play, and youth classes.
If you're new to COTC, you can find us downstairs via the staircase at the back of the sanctuary. Please feel free to ask an usher if you want directions to the stairs or to the elevator. We look forward to meeting you!
The ongoing pandemic continues to shape how we gather for our Godly Play and other classes. At least through Spring 2023, we continue to require masks for those age two and up in the nursery and other CYCE spaces. The most updated info about CYCE activities is sent by email, so please contact kate.carlisle@cotcbos.org if you want to learn more or receive regular updates!
We invite you to explore the boxes below to read about our nursery, Sunday School classes, All Ages Sundays, and Safe Place Policy.
Nursery care for infants, toddlers, and YOUNG CHILDREN
Expertly-supervised child care is available in the nursery located downstairs off Bates Hall. It is staffed from 10:15 am each Sunday until approximately 12:00 pm, at the conclusion of the day's classes and meetings. We welcome children from newborn through elementary school age at any time during the morning.
godly play
Christian Education for younger children is based on the creative and interactive Godly Play program. Our Godly Play class is held every Sunday year-round for children roughly from preschool age through elementary school.
We begin in Bates Hall at 10:30 am with 15 minutes of Circle Time, where, together with our youth class we sing a song, share news and announcements, and offer a blessing. Godly Play continues until the end of worship between 11:30 am and noon.
About our curriculum
Godly Play is a Montessori-based approach to religious education in which children develop their own inherent spirituality. It has been developed over the past 20 years by Jerome Berryman, formerly a Presbyterian minister and now an Episcopal priest.
The morning in Godly Play is organized around the fundamental components of worship, meaning that Biblical stories are told through a worship context, rather than a school environment.
The Godly Play room contains shelves full of objects for children to use--objects that make the images of our religious language come alive. Children and teacher, known as the “story teller” sit in a circle on the floor, literally surrounded by the language of our faith. Children hear and see sacred stories from the Bible told through multi-sensory materials. These materials used to help tell the story of the day are placed in the middle of the circle, symbolizing the fact that God is present and accessible to everyone--both students and teacher.
After the story is told, the story teller and children explore the story through "wondering" questions. Students are then free to respond to the story in a variety of ways, which may include art, play, or even time to continue working with the materials used to tell the story. We recognize that each student will bring a different perspective and a different response to the Bible story that has been told.
Students then hear the scripture passage that the story is from, and complete the morning with prayer, snack, and a blessing. Following the class, children are invited to join their families in the upstairs worship service, or they may stay with our skilled childcare providers.
We begin in Bates Hall at 10:30 am with 15 minutes of Circle Time, where, together with our youth class we sing a song, share news and announcements, and offer a blessing. Godly Play continues until the end of worship between 11:30 am and noon.
About our curriculum
Godly Play is a Montessori-based approach to religious education in which children develop their own inherent spirituality. It has been developed over the past 20 years by Jerome Berryman, formerly a Presbyterian minister and now an Episcopal priest.
The morning in Godly Play is organized around the fundamental components of worship, meaning that Biblical stories are told through a worship context, rather than a school environment.
The Godly Play room contains shelves full of objects for children to use--objects that make the images of our religious language come alive. Children and teacher, known as the “story teller” sit in a circle on the floor, literally surrounded by the language of our faith. Children hear and see sacred stories from the Bible told through multi-sensory materials. These materials used to help tell the story of the day are placed in the middle of the circle, symbolizing the fact that God is present and accessible to everyone--both students and teacher.
After the story is told, the story teller and children explore the story through "wondering" questions. Students are then free to respond to the story in a variety of ways, which may include art, play, or even time to continue working with the materials used to tell the story. We recognize that each student will bring a different perspective and a different response to the Bible story that has been told.
Students then hear the scripture passage that the story is from, and complete the morning with prayer, snack, and a blessing. Following the class, children are invited to join their families in the upstairs worship service, or they may stay with our skilled childcare providers.
Youth Class
Each Sunday year-round our older kids (roughly middle school age and up) gather for Youth Class. We begin in Bates Hall at 10:30 am with 15 minutes of Circle Time, where, together with our Godly Play class we sing a song, share news and announcements, and offer a blessing. Youth Class breaks off and goes for the duration of worship. Some weeks we join part of the worship service. This is a time of engaging scripture through creativity, service, and prayer.
All-ages sundays
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Several times each year we hold All-Ages worship services where the whole community—indeed all ages—worships together. These services are fun and engaging, and can include dramatic readings, prayer stations, lively music, and other worship forms that seek to particularly engage children and the child within all of us. A traditional highlight of these special Sundays is our "Instant Christmas Pageant" where the entire congregation is given roles and prompts to spontaneously re-tell the Christmas story together.
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Safe Place Policy
Church of the Covenant has in place a policy and a task force committed to ensuring that our church is a safe place for children and youth.
The policy includes assurance that those who work with our children and youth as teachers and advisors are people of moral character and known to us. All volunteers who work with children undergo a criminal background check and agree to abide by the church’s Child Safety Policy. All volunteers must have regularly attended Church of the Covenant for six months prior to volunteering with children. Persons who work with children and youth receive training annually regarding the church’s policy and how to keep children safe. Click here to view the full text of this policy.
Many precautions and safeguards are in place to make the whole environment of the church a happy, secure one for children and youth. Two adults are always present for our children's programs, including on Zoom.
The policy includes assurance that those who work with our children and youth as teachers and advisors are people of moral character and known to us. All volunteers who work with children undergo a criminal background check and agree to abide by the church’s Child Safety Policy. All volunteers must have regularly attended Church of the Covenant for six months prior to volunteering with children. Persons who work with children and youth receive training annually regarding the church’s policy and how to keep children safe. Click here to view the full text of this policy.
Many precautions and safeguards are in place to make the whole environment of the church a happy, secure one for children and youth. Two adults are always present for our children's programs, including on Zoom.
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