St John the Evangelist: sunday school

Youth | Jam Spread | Children's work | Teenagers

Children's work

A crafting activity St John's has recently been awarded the Child Friendly Church Award. It's only the bronze award, but it came with five stars in recognition of the variety of activities we offer. Our next step is to gain the silver award.

One church - many ages

Children are part of the St. John's family. We have a number of groups meeting on Sunday morning, so children of different ages can hear about Jesus in a way that is right for them.

There are groups for children aged three and upwards taking place during the morning service. A group for teenagers meets on Sunday evenings.

The morning groups meet each week, except when there is an all age service (typically the 2nd Sunday of each month).

For children under three, there is a crèche room adjacent to the main worship area where parents can stay with their little ones. You can both see and hear the service from that room.

Scramblers (pre-school to reception)

This group meets in the lounge. There is a soft carpet, child-sized chairs and desks and lots of room for them to explore the Bible through simple stories and craft.

Climbers (school years 1 - 3)

Climbers meet in the church room and use a mixture of fun, games, craft, drama and stories to bring the Bible to life and to help each child to know God's love for them.

Investigators (school years 4 - 8)

This group meets in the Quiet Room and is for children aged between 8 and 12 years old.

Nigel Crowhurst says, "The room is very well furnished but more compact." Nigel says, "Don't be fooled into thinking that this restricts us in any way, as the X Stream resource books we use combine a mixture of games, drama and bible study which all help us address the 'Why' questions we have about God."

Joining in

We welcome all children to our groups, whether you're part of the church community at St John's or are just visiting for the day. The children are in church for the first part of the service. They leave for their different groups at about 11.15 am. Any leader will direct you to the appropriate group.

If you do not wish to stay in the church service, you are welcome to drop your child off, making sure that a leader knows that they are there. You can pick your child up either at 12:15pm or 12:00 noon if it is an All Age Service.

If you are leaving your child, we ask that you leave a contact phone number with your child's leader so we can contact you in the event of an emergency.