About Bible Adventures
Children at Robbinsdale UCC start out their “Bible adventure” with their parents in the sanctuary, with one of the provided activity bags, filled with coloring books and other activities to keep them occupied.
About 20 minutes into the service, the children gather in the front of the sanctuary for Children's Time. Children's Time is a chance for the children to interact, and hear a story or lesson from one of the adult members of the church. They rarely fail to entertain by saying or doing things that only children can. It's a time for everyone to see through the eyes of a child.
After Children's Time, the children are lead back by adult workshop leaders, and adult Shepherds, for Gathering Time. Gathering Time is a chance for the children to get together as a group before heading off to various workshops. Each month the children vote on a particular charity to support with their offerings, and a collection is taken (each child typically places 1$ into the collection plate). This is an excellent chance for children to become aware of issues impacting their local communities and the world. Examples of charities that the children have voted to support in the past are: Pakistan/Kashmir Earthquake relief, Tsunami Disaster Relief, PRISM, and the Heifer Project. The children do a group activity, such as learn a song in sign language, or make a prayer box (a box that the children decorate, containing prayers for things that the children think are important).
After children's time, the children separate into 3 groups preshoolers/pre-K/kindergarteners, 1-2nd graders, and 3th-4th-5th graders, and accompany an adult workshop leader, and an adult “shepherd” to the workshop location. Each week the children participate in a different workshop activity. The activity is the result of hours of preparation and design by the adult members of the church. Activities are designed to be fun, and let children think about and relate to selected passages from the Bible. A new passage is introduced each month. Examples of passages presented to the children in the past are: the Golden Rule, the story of the Good Samaritan, the story of Noah's Ark, and the Creation story. Workshops use arts and crafts, games, and other activities to help teach the principles embodied in the passages. Occasionally, the children will prepare lines, songs and props for holiday pageants. The Christmas pageant is a favorite of both the children and the congregation.
After the activity the children return to the Gathering Time room until the service is over. When the service is over, children meet their parents and enjoy cookies and juice. The adventure continues every Sunday!
Each unit in Bible Adventures is produced a couple of weeks prior in a gathering of our pastor and teacher, Rev. T. Michael Rock, The Bible Adventures Design Team, Teresa Bertossi, Nancy Bossert, Kris Geiger, Mike Nicholson, and Cheryl Nordquist, and the workshop leaders for that session. It is an active discussion of dreaming, planning, ideas, and a true spirit of generosity. If you are interested in being a part of this creation, please talk with a member of the Bible Adventures Ministry.
Our time with the children of the church is sacred time in sacred space and we abide by a “Safe Church” Policy in ALL our interactions with children.
Return to Children and Youth page.