Children in Worship

Children of all ages are welcome to attend worship services at First Presbyterian. As with all learning, experience is a valuable teacher, experiencing worship is no different. It is also realized that for very young children, sitting through an entire worship service can be very difficult. Childcare is offered for children through kindergarten age during all worship services. Children who are four year old preschool and kindergarten age who are in the extended care classroom by 10:50 a.m., are brought into the sanctuary for the first portion of the 11:00 a.m. worship service. They are taken back to the extended care classroom following the children’s sermon.

Children first grade and older attend worship services with their family. Children learn to actively participate in worship by locating the hymns that will be sung in the hymnbook and finding the scripture for the morning in the Bible. Worship is also learned by participating in the singing, prayers and responses of the congregation. Worship bags, containing pencils, paper and a book are available at the entrances to the sanctuary for children to use during the parts of the service that may be harder for them to follow.

Early each fall, a class is offered which introduces children in the first grade or older to worship. This class teaches children about what it is they will be seeing, hearing and doing as they begin to attend the worship service with their families on a regular basis. Yet, joining a parent, grandparent or trusted friend in worship is the best way to learn how to worship as a child joins that person in prayer, praise and adoration of God.