Younger Children at St. Andrew's

We believe that Christian formation begins at home. As with any education, a child's first and most important teachers are his parents. When a child sees her parents pray and draw on their faith on a daily basis, she will similarly grow up grounded in a strong foundation of faith.

At St. Andrew's, our formation program is meant to complement the faith learned at home. Parents are encouraged to discuss and reinforce the lessons from workshop cycles and worship with their children, as well as to further their own Christian formation by taking advantage of the adult formation opportunities offered.

Infants and toddlers: During Sunday 10 a.m. worship we have a comfortable nursery staffed by responsible teenagers and adults from our congregation where you may leave your child for some or all of the service. Alternatively, if you prefer to bring your child to the service, you may wish, at times, to take advantage of our "crying room," a sound proof room in the church transept which allows parents to see and hear the service when their children are being vocal!

For children in Pre-K through grade 6, St. Andrew's offers Faith Flight, a formation program based on the rotation model of teaching (workshop cycles). It is an innovative way to experience church school which takes seriously the spiritual development of children while providing creative and exciting activities that engage children in a whole new level of learning retention.   Faith Flight meets most Sundays during the academic year at 9:30 a.m. 

Children focus on a particular story from the Bible for a three week period, each week experiencing and exploring the story in a different, age appropriate workshop. The workshops include activities involving art, music, drama, and cooking, among others. For more information on Faith Flight, click here.

Other ways for children to be involved:

Acolytes: Children and youth from Grade 4 and up may choose to be trained to serve as acolytes, participating and assisting in worship services on a scheduled, rotating basis.

Youth Choir: This group, for children in Grade 1 and higher, practices every Monday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. during the school year. The Youth Choir sings during the Sunday 10 a.m. service approximately once a month.

For more information on any of the probams above contact Sue Lussier e-mail formation@st-andrews-longmeadow.org, dslussier@aol.com or by calling the parish at 413-567-5901 ext. 5