Current Children and Family Ministries News
last updated December 1, 2021
Greetings from Family Ministries! It has been a joy being with your children and telling God's stories again. For those of you who are not yet ready to come back in person, we miss you and will hold a place for you in our circle.
Advent Devotional Brochure & Children's Coloring Book
Advent In Full Color
Maya Angelou and the Freedom of Poetry in Advent
What to expect this December
December 5
Godly Play-Exile and Return, told in the Desert Box
St. Nick is visiting this week! (so make sure to come to church on time)
December 12
Godly Play-Advent 1 & 2
Family Ministries Card-Making Event to make and deliver cards to Trinity Seniors not attending church in person. Come help us create special cards and write encouraging messages to those beautiful faces we miss seeing at Trinity on Sundays. This will be part of a larger celebration with Christmas Carols led by our own wonderful Ron Valentino and delicious treats from our Youth Group Holiday Bake and Crafts Sale.
December 19
Godly Play-Advent 3 & 4
December 24
Christmas Eve Family Service
2:00 Pageant rehearsal. We will have costumes available at the door for any child who wants to participate. Everyone is welcome! Before the service we will have a run-through of the pageant.
3:00 Christmas Pageant with children led by Trinity Youth.
4:00 Jesus Birthday Cake
December 25
Merry Christmas!
December 26
No Godly Play
Questions? Contact Cathy Sage at cathy@trinitymenlopark.org Associate for Children's & Family Ministries.
Children and Family Ministries Overview:
Faith Formation for Children
Trinity Church offers a safe and fun place for children's faith formation in community. We are a supportive and engaging environment for parents and children to explore their questions and needs. We take the safety of our children very seriously and follow the Safe Church policies of the Episcopal Diocese of California.
During the formation year (September - June) children, preschool-5th grade, begin each Sunday morning in Trinity Hall for our Montessori-based, Christian formation curriculum called Godly Play. Each week we have a Storyteller and Doorperson to guide our children through the stories of our faith. The children are led to church during the service for communion with their families. We have nursery care for younger children (birth-preschool) in the Meadow Room in Angus Hall with our excellent staff of child-care providers.
The Sunday Christian formation is open to all and offers child-focused lessons that engage and invite our children and families into a closer relationship with God, the church and each other.
Sunday Mornings of Godly Play
Godly Play, a broad and deep curriculum developed by an Episcopal priest, is based on Montessori principles and seeks to engage children with key stories of the Bible in a way that honors the child's imagination, creativity, and relationship with God.
Each Sunday of Godly Play, children are greeted at the door of their classroom and welcomed into a circle, where a trained storyteller presents a Biblical story using a set of manipulative pieces. After the story, children are encouraged to "wonder" about the meaning of the story for themselves through discussion and individual play. Godly Play invites children to wonder about the divine in ways that show children it is good to ask questions and possible for them to discern their relationship with God at any age.
Nursery
We have an amazing team of childcare professionals in our nursery! If you haven’t met them yet, please stop by and introduce yourself. Their names are Julia and Kate. Each week two of them will be serving our youngest Trinitarians in our nursery.
Baptism
Initiation into a Christian life and Christian community begins with the sacrament of Baptism. People of all ages are welcome to be baptized here. Families and young children at Trinity who wish to have a baptism are guided through the meaning and ritual through personalized study and conversation with clergy and then are joined at the time of baptism in worship by the whole congregation.
Festivals and Seasonal Events
Children gather after church several times per year for special after-church formations that focus on the church's seasonal events. The children of Trinity present the 3:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Pageant at Christmas. In preparation for Lent, people of all generations gather for pancakes and games on Shrove Tuesday. A special Palm Sunday service introduces children to the passion story. An Easter Egg Hunt and other activities add to the festive Easter service. Our annual All-Church Retreat to beautiful Bishop's Ranch is an unforgettable opportunity for community building and faith formation for children and families. And during the year other family-friendly activities are shared such as a beach day, a pool party, an All Souls/All Saints party, and a family ice skating event.
Parenting Support
Parenting is a sacred and demanding path. At Trinity, we are here to support each other in being good and loving parents, not perfect parents. We know we are not perfect but human. Ever striving, we encourage parents to share their experiences with each other: their moments of joy and frustration. It is in this place of honesty in community that we can grow as parents, and in faith. We offer small groups for young families, families with elementary school children, and families with youth. On a periodic basis, we offer mindfulness classes for parents and children, parenting classes, and book studies.
Family Ministries Commission
The Family Ministries Commission plans and implements programs for Children and Families at Trinity. All ages of Trinity members are welcome to minister with us.
Staff Support
Questions? Contact Cathy Sage at cathy@trinitymenlopark.org Associate for Children's & Family Ministries.
To see the full calendar for 2021-2022 Children and Family Ministries click here.
