People were bringing children to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said "Let the children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." Luke 18:15-17

At Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church, whenever a child or adult is baptized, the congregation stands and promises to “teach this new disciple the Good News of the Gospel”. We are blessed with a small but precious group of children and youth who range in age from infants to high school. In many cases there are only one or two children who are the same age, and there are significant gaps between the next age group making it difficult to form weekly classes in a traditional, graded church school program.

In addition, whereas social norms once set aside Sunday mornings for the Christian Sabbath, now work schedules, family commitments, the desire to spend limited leisure time together as a family, and even the chores that involved “getting back to go” on Monday morning make it difficult for many families to keep a regular Sabbath, but there is still a strong desire to bring children to Jesus and to nurture them in a lively Christian faith.

Since last Spring, the Christian education team has been working hard to articulate a different approach to Christian Education and spiritual formation than the traditional Church school during worship model. We hope that by providing a variety of opportunities and invitations for Christian fellowship, worship and learning you will find the best fit or combination for your family.

• Church Nursery: We will again offer a nursery program every week during the 10 a.m. worship service for infants toddlers and young children up to age six years. We have a regular nursery program coordinator who plans simple age appropriate bible story lessons for the children who are present. The nursery coordinator is helped each week by a second adult. Please consider being part of the nursery rotation so that you can share your faith with the youngest members of our fellowship.
• Early Worship: Every Sunday, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. there is a half hour early worship service. This service is more informal than the 10 a.m. service. We sing hymns with guitar accompaniment, there is a weekly memory verse, time for prayer and sharing and a brief message based on the lesson for the day. While this service is attended by church members and friends of all ages, it is particularly appropriate for preschool and elementary school age children and is planned with families in mind.
• Church School in a Box: This year Debbie Waggener will be offering a half hour children’s bible lesson, craft and song between 9:15 and 9:45 for any children or youth who would like to participate. She will gather all those who are interested at the far end of the fellowship hall. Together they will "pick a lesson" from the box and share the classic core stories of our Christian faith.
• Youth Fellowship Leadership Class: Darlene DiTonno will be leading a Bible Study class on second Sundays for youth grades sixth and up. On third Sundays this group will meet to prepare games, lessons and a puppet presentation for the fourth Sunday of each month.
• Fourth Sunday Round-up: This is the Sunday when children in grades K-5^th will be the focus and will meet with the Youth class who present a puppet show on a Bible Story and lead them in games, storytelling and crafts that will reinforce the message (with adult guidance and supervision of course!)
  We strongly encourage all church families with elementary school age children to put fourth Sundays on the family calendar and make to coming to church on fourth Sundays of the month a priority. In this way our school age children will get to know their peers because they will all be together on the same Sunday. They are encouraged to talk up fourth Sundays and to bring friends to join in the fun, fellowship and learning.
• Sunday Worship: For those families who want their children to be part of traditional Presbyterian worship, children of all ages are and have always been welcome at the 10 a.m. service. The Christian Education team is working to replenish the children’s worship bags that are available as you enter the church. There will also be children’s Bibles to borrow and look through during the service. We understand that children may speak out, need to move around ,or that you may need to get up during worship to attend to their needs. We welcome such interruptions!

Adult Education at Hamilton Union: Christian Education is not just for children at Hamilton Union. Please watch the newsletter, bulletin and website for Adult education offerings throughout the year. These often occur on Sunday or Wednesday evenings.

While we realize that this is a very different model, we are very excited and energized to be trying a new approach. We are a flexible bunch and if you have a different idea please join our team and we will work together to try to carry forward your idea of how we can all be faithful to our baptismal promises to reach out in faith.