Children and Family Ministries

Current Children and Family Ministries News
last updated June 7, 2021

 

Family Service Update
Outdoor In-Person Family Service in the Trinity Courtyard will resume in September.



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.

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
Please contact the Church Office at 650-326-2083.



To see the full calendar for 2021-2022 Children and Family Ministries click here.