Children

Programs for our youngest members

Sunday Mornings

At Robertson Wesley United Church (RW) we believe that Sunday is a time of worship and spiritual discovery for children as well as for adults.

For children in Pre-school and up, Kids' Church is our way of ensuring children worship in ways that are meaningful to them. Through a variety of activities and with attention paid to different learning styles, children discover God on their own terms.

Children begin Sunday worship in the sanctuary with their families. After a blessing, children are led downstairs by adult facilitators and 'shepherds' to "Kids' Church."

Kids' Church

Accessed through the Memorial Hall entrance, Kids' Church is downstairs along the main hallway. One of the rooms is our Kids' Chapel - sacred space geared for children with a communion table, pulpit and baptismal font. These elements echo those in the main sanctuary. Here children worship playfully on their terms. There are also rooms designated for a variety of activities, for example, CRAFTS & GAMES, STORYTELLING & MUSIC, and SCIENCE/COOKING. Pre-school aged children have their own room called "The Garden Patch" where with their parent's help they explore the same themes as the older children in a less structured way. In Kids' Church we use the workshop on rotation model of exploring bible themes and stories. Activities function as the sermon in a traditional worship service.

Either as a whole group or divided by age, the children rotate through different activities over the three week period. Afterwards the children reintegrate with the congregation upstairs so that we can be sent out into the world as a whole family. Kids' church is intended to feel like worship. It is simply geared to their age level.

Sundays for Younger Children

Whole Family Worship

Several Sundays during the year,
the service is designated as a Whole Family Service.
This is an intergenerational service where leadership
is exercised by children, youth, adults and elders together. These services generally take place at transitions between seasons, for example the First Sunday of Advent.

Communion for Children

In the United Church of Canada, children are able to share in communion. When they indicate a desire to take some of the bread and juice they are free to do so. In order to help children understand the significance of what they are doing, the first theme for Kids' Church in September focuses on communion. On Communion Sundays, children GO DIRECTLY to the Kids' Church rather than starting upstairs. This enables us to offer a full Kids' Church program while giving enough time for children to come upstairs for communion.

Holidays and Summertime

On a long weekend, a school holiday, or the summer months, there are no planned activities. Children are welcome to stay in the main sanctuary with their parents or caregivers. On these Sundays special care is taken to make the worship accessible to young and old alike. Special children's bulletins are available to make it easier for children to follow along. There are also activity kits available for children who need extra help to stay focused during worship.

Junior Youth

Children in Grade 5 and 6 take part in "Junior Youth" activities. As a way to gear up for the transition from children's to youth programs, those in Grade 5 and 6 get together every couple of months from September to June for outings and other fun activities.

Vacation Bible School

For a week each August, we join forces with Christ Church Anglican Parish to offer Vacation Bible School. Geared for children from 5 to 10 years of age, Vacation Bible School is an opportunity for children to have some supervised fun and explore faith at the same time.

Church Camping

Summer camping opportunities are available for children. See the following websites for details about camps in the Edmonton area:

Camp Wohelo

Camp Maskepetoon