Children’s Ministry
Willow Avenue Mennonite Church also seeks to cultivate Belonging, Inquiring, and Transforming among our infants, toddlers, and children through various programming designed to foster a safe, welcoming, and learning community. In treasuring each child, we hope they will find space to belong, inquire, and be transformed in their own unique faith journey.
Worship Hour - Godly Play
Children ages 4 through elementary grades join us in the sanctuary for the start of the service, including a special lesson at which point they are invited to leave to participate in Godly Play. In Godly Play, our children explore and nurture their own faith through story, wonder, and play in ways that honor their capacities and insights. Godly Play sessions are led by a rotation of teachers and coordinated by Marlis Becker. They meet in room 101 in the education wing on the south side of the church. The video below offers a sense of the Godly Play experience.
Second hour:
During the second hour (~11am-12pm), volunteers lead our children in a regular rotation of activities.
Library Sundays: On the first Sunday of the month, Donna Jost reads children a story from a marginalized group and the Bible to learn about different cultures and imagine new ways to love God and neighbor.
Arts Sundays: Second Sundays of the month alternate between visual and musical arts. For musical arts, Lenore Hiebert accompanies children singing children’s hymns and songs to come together with others to reverence the joy and beauty found in words and sounds while touching on things that go deeper than words alone can express.
Service Sundays: On the third Sunday of the month, Joyce Braun guides children exploring service to God and others through projects, stories, and activities.
Music Sundays: On the fourth Sunday of the month, Joe Vigil and Stephen Guizar alternate in offering a space for children to share their musical gifts based on their interests and abilities whether that be in a drumming circle, playing a recorder, or singing with movement in ways that introduce them to melodies, rhythms, and the art of music. We always take time to reflect and discuss.
PRAYER PAL PROGRAM (birth-6th grade)
The purpose of the Children’s Prayer Partner Ministry is to encourage and facilitate the spiritual formation and development of the children by connecting them with adults in the congregation.