Good Shepherd Episcopal Church

Good Shepherd has a strong commitment to the Christian Education of its young people.  Church school class sizes and age groupings vary somewhat from year to year, depending on numbers and ages of children attending.  Currently there are two main divisions: ages 3-8 and 9-18.  Each Sunday, our children follow the Acolyte during the Processional Hymn, bow at the altar, and proceed to their church school rooms.  The children then return to worship for the Lord's Prayer and Holy Communion.  Church school meets from September through May, at 11:00 a.m.

 

Our young people have participated in the "Kids Against Hunger" project (below), collected money for Hope Ministries in Des Moines, IA (an organization which aids the homeless), and have supported the Heifer Project and CROP Walk.

 

In addition to the emphasis on outreach ministry in our community and the world, the focus of Christian Education is to help our children learn more about the Bible and how these lessons apply in today's world.  Besides music and teacher-centered lessons - we use the Episcopal oriented "Seasons of the Spirit" curriculum - there are weekly take-home children's worship bulletins.  Periodically the children sing as a group in worship and annually present a Christmas program for all to enjoy.

 

For more information on church school or any of the other children's and youth ministries on this page, contact Nan at lbucknam@q.com, Judy at tommymacrph@yahoo.com, Deb at dleksell@hamiltoncounty.org, or Joan at haber@mchsi.com.

 

Other Youth & Children's Ministries

Acolytes - Good Shepherd has several young people serving as acolytes at the altar.  They are responsible for lighting the altar candles, carrying the cross during the processional and recessional, and performing various other duties during worship, such as assisting with baptisms, communion preparation, and the offering.

 

                         

            Lighting the altar candles                              Leading the procession

 

Feeding the Hungry - Children third grade and older participated in the Kids Against Hunger project on June 3, 2007.  The children worked with adults to package 3600 ready-to-prepare dried meals to be shipped to Tanzania.

 

   

 The ingredients must be weighed         The Kids Against Hunger assembly line

 

All of our children are actively involved in our local food pantry.  Children of all ages present the food pantry collection bin at the altar before it is taken to the Upper Des Moines Opportunity Food Pantry. Good Shepherd makes food pantry deliveries several times a year.

Father Richard and the children with the Food Pantry offering

Childcare

Our younger children are welcome to remain in the social hall during worship under the capable supervision of a paid childcare worker.  The children are encouraged to re-enter worship at the Lord's Prayer so they may partake in communion.

At play in the social hall