Christian Education at APC

On this page, you'll find out about how we teach Christian Education at APC. Just click on each topic and you'll be brought to the spot on this page where the article begins.

Position Description for Shared Director of Christian Education

Christian Education: Many Parts to the Whole

A Community of Learning

Children in Worship at Arlington Presbyterian Church

Position Description for Shared Director of Christian Education

for Arlington Presbyterian Church and Church of the Covenant

Through a process of intentional study and prayerful discernment, Arlington Presbyterian Church and Church of the Covenant ( Arlington ) have joined together in seeking leadership for our educational ministries. We are churches of similar size, need and circumstance who look forward to growing in the knowledge and love of God as individual congregations and together as the body of Christ.

Responsibilities

Working with and through the Education Committees of Arlington Presbyterian Church and Church of the Covenant, the primary responsibilities of the Educator will be…

Program development and support of adult and children’s programming at the two churches
Curriculum and resource coordination/development/selection for the two churches
Planning and implementing with volunteers a viable youth ministry program at each church, including joint activities as appropriate
Leadership coordination and support, especially Sunday School teachers

Working Relationships

The educator will work closely with the Pastor and Education Ministry teams of both churches initially to assess and develop their programs. The Joint Committee and Pastors will work to assist the educator in coordinating his/her work between the two congregations.
The Committee and Pastors will work with the educator to seek opportunity for joint events as the ministry develops; for example teacher training, officer training, confirmation classes, occasional seasonal Bible Studies, etc.
The Committee (or representatives thereof) will be responsible for organizing regular feedback and an annual review of the educator’s work. The Personnel Committees and Pastors of the two churches will participate in the process as directed.
The Christian Educator will share his/her time equally between the two churches. Regular Sundays are to be alternated. Holiday and special events to be agreed upon with the Committee.

Qualifications

This is a full time position. We are seeking an experienced educator (2 or more years of experience), who at minimum is in the process of obtaining certification. We are looking for someone with strong organizational skills and enthusiasm to help our churches articulate and achieve a new vision for Christian Education.

Office Arrangements and Support

· Each church will provide a permanent space for the Joint Educator to use when he/she is at the office for weekly, agreed-upon office hours. Every effort will be made to provide appropriate and adequate equipment to support the work of the educator while they are on site. The educator may wish to develop a home office for personal books.

· Each church will develop and maintain a resource room to support on-site programming.

Staff support

· Limited clerical support is available. Support for bigger projects and /or joint endeavors will be negotiated.

Compensation and benefits are competitive.

Please direct all correspondence to: jobs@arlingtonpresbyterian.org

Return to Top of Page

Christian Education: Many Parts to the Whole

At Arlington Presbyterian Church Christian Education is a combination of many interlocking parts that are important in nurturing spiritual growth and help others learn how to better serve and worship God. Our Christian Education has impact on all these areas.

Church School. Church school runs from September to June and starts at 9:45 Sunday mornings with classes for children and youth and two adult Bible study classes.

Community. Our church community reflects the many ways we help each other learn about God including our teachers, students, parents, and the congregation. All contribute to the Christian education of our youth and ourselves.

Prayer. We grow in faith by learning about God and praying. Prayer can be in individual silence, in worship with many, families praying together, and at church school.

Worship. Worship helps others understand why and how we honor our God. We use a curriculum for elementary church school classes that helps children understand each Sunday’s message. We also celebrate the seasons of the church year in classes.

Family Rituals. Any combination of people who consider themselves a family can pray together and establish rituals and routines that reflect and teach faith traditions.

Return to Top of Page

A Community of Learning

The APC community learns about God and nurtures spiritual growth in other ways:

Presbyterian Women's Circles gather monthly from September to June for Bible study, fellowship, and outreach.
Christian Classics Reading Group studies and discusses works by writers who have had an effect on the development of Christianity throughout the centuries.
The APC Library has hundreds of books with a range of theological perspectives for adults and children of all ages as well as periodicals to help the community pray, study the Bible, and understand God’s role in our lives.
Mission Programs allow us to try to live our faith by helping our community and those in need elsewhere in the world.
Youth Group. Youth in grades 6-12 regularly gather for fellowship or mission events on Sunday evenings with others from First Presbyterian Church. At these informal get-togethers, youth ministers and parents help teens understand Christianity, build relationships, and help develop the spiritual lives of our young people.

Return to Top of Page

Children in Worship at APC

Our Children in Worship Statement

"At Arlington Presbyterian Church (APC), we worship as a community. Our community includes young people, and we welcome and include them all in worship. We encourage young people to worship with families or with caring adults who will help them worship as full members of our community. The Presbyterian Church recognizes how important it is for young people to worship and it is explicit about their participation in the two sacraments of the Church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper."

Explanation

Often, a child’s first encounter with public worship is when he or she is baptized. We believe the baptism of children “witnesses to the truth that God's love claims people before they are able to respond in faith.” (PCUSA Book of Order W-2.3008b) APC encourages parents to present their children for Baptism, reminding them that children of believers are to be baptized without undue haste, but without undue delay (PCUSA Book of Order W-2.3012).

Another important experience for our church community is communion. PCUSA Book of Order W-2.4011b states “Baptized children who are being nurtured and instructed in the significance of the invitation to the Table and the meaning of their response are invited to receive the Lord’s Supper, recognizing that their understanding of participation will vary according to their maturity” (W-4.2002). Preparing young people to receive the Lord’s Supper may be done by parents/guardians or in a more structured setting provided as part of the Christian Education program of APC. APC celebrates communion during corporate worship approximately once a month and we invite all God’s children to participate in this celebration.

Our congregation is committed to providing support for parents or guardians as we work in partnership to raise young people who know, love, and follow the triune God whom we worship in community. The teams and persons responsible for our corporate worship and religious education pledge their support to parents and to children to actively engage every member of the community in our worship services. Church leaders welcome and appreciate any comments or suggestions congregants have for realizing this goal.

We welcome all people in worship--those who are easily engaged in worship as well as those who may sometimes get restless or make some noise. While a nursery is available during the entire worship service, we hope and expect that everyone at APC will welcome and encourage young people to worship for as much of the service as possible. As a general guide we anticipate that children who have started kindergarten will remain in worship for the entire service. Younger children may be escorted to the nursery after the “Time for Children.” We encourage everyone who worships at APC to welcome and embrace our young people as they participate in the full worship life of our community.

APC has always been a community that values the full participation of children and youth in the life of the church. This statement is intended to be used by ministry teams, staff, parents, and indeed the entire congregation as we discern together ways that we can continue to worship as a community in ways that are ever more meaningful for all age groups.

Rev. Core explaining the sermon to our youngest worshipers during "A Time for Children."

If you are interested in helping APC discern ways God is calling us to continue the tradition of full-community worship, please, speak to Rev. Sharon Core. Thank you!

Return to Top of Page