› Get Involved with Children & Youth Ministry
We wouldn’t be us without you!
› Get Involved with Children & Youth Ministry
We wouldn’t be us without you!
warthmore Presbyterian Church’s Children and Youth Ministry is growing, and there are so many ways you can be a part of this exciting time. From bringing your children to Worship and Godly Play, signing up as a child or youth worship helper, acting in the Christmas Eve Pageant, volunteering as a Youth Advisor, to inviting Pastor David over for dinner, there’s a place for you, and our children and youth, to be a part of what makes this community so special.
Volunteer in Our Nursery
On Sunday mornings, our nursery is open for our littlest ones to play and be cared for during worship. We ask that families who bring their children to the nursery volunteer a few times a year. If you are someone who loves having our littlest ones as a part of our life together, please consider supporting their parents by volunteering twice a year, so they can remain in worship. It is a lot of fun, and a wonderful way to get to know our youngest families. Click on the button below for more information and to let us know if you are interested in helping.
Youth Group: Explore Being a Youth Advisor
On Sunday afternoons Pastor David has the deep joy of gathering our youth together to have fun, eat, and recognize God’s presence within and among our adolescents. We want to extend a special invitation to our parents of young children, and those of you more seasoned adults, to consider being a youth advisor. A youth advisor spends time with middle and high school youth, getting to know them, playing games, and being a part of the process of building an adult faith. We have an amazing year planned with our youth, partnering with five other Presbyterian congregations for monthly fun activities, retreats at camp Johnsonburg with youth from across the NJ and Philly area, leading our blessing of the animals worship service, partnering with Chester Eastside Inc., and supporting the caring meals ministry of our Deacons. Our youth have an amazing ministry to our neighbors and each other. Would you like to explore volunteering as a Youth Advisor with Swarthmore Presbyterian Church’s Middle and High School Youth Group? Click on the button below to set up a time to meet with Pastor David to learn more. Click here for the SPC Youth Group schedule for 2024.
Youth Group: Bring a Meal
Some of us enjoy supporting our youth behind the scenes, and you can support our youth program through one of SPC’s favorite kinds of ministry; food! You can sign up to prepare dinner for the youth group. You can either prepare a favorite meal of yours to bring, or you can come here on a Sunday evening and prepare a meal the church will provide, in 30 minutes during youth group. Both are great ways to empower myself and our youth advisors to focus on being with our young people. And the best part? Our youth will help you clean up! They are pros at using our dishwasher. Sign up to provide a meal for Youth Group by clicking on the button below. Click here for the SPC Youth Group schedule for 2024.
Chat & Chew: For Our Youth
Youth are invited to pick a public space in downtown Swarthmore to grab a cup of coffee, tea, or other delicious drink (Jesus is paying) with Pastor David, and catch up about life, ask questions about faith, the Bible, life, David’s favorite liturgical use of fire and / or Beyonce, or whatever they would like. Click on the button below to schedule a time to chat and chew with Pastor David.
Christmas Eve Pageant
We have barely started enjoying pumpkin spiced everything, but before we know it, we will be in Advent. We are excited to share that we have a new Christmas Eve Pageant this year, full of Magi and Shepherds, sheep and angels, and the holy family. This year we get to meet the gospel writers Mark, Luke, and John, as they tell the story of Jesus’ birth together. It is like the Golden Girls trying to tell a story together, realizing they have different perspectives, but also enjoying what makes each of them unique. This year we have four rehearsals scheduled, but most of our cast will only need to come for the last two. Our three big speaking roles as the Gospel writers will come to all the rehearsals, but for everyone else, our angels, magi, sheep, and shepherds, will only have to stay after worship one Sunday, and come early Christmas Eve. For our families with newborns, we are looking for a Holy Family to be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. You can sign up too! Registration is now open if you want to be part of this year’s Pageant. As always, please invite your friends, neighbors, family from out of town, and anyone you know who wants to participate. Click on the button below to sign up for our Christmas Eve Pageant.
Children & Youth: Help with Worship
Our children and youth share a wide range of talents in Worship on Sunday’s, from lighting candles, to carrying in the Bible, reading scripture, to helping prepare the Lord’s Supper and helping clean up. You can let us know how your child would like to be involved, and we will contact you with opportunities. Click on the button below to sign up.
Godly Play: Storytellers
Godly Play is the heart of our Christian Formation ministry with children, and when we explore the rich stories of the people of God, Jesus’ parables, and the stories of Advent, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, the words of the Bible come to life in the language of children; play. You can be a part of telling those stories, by being trained by Pastor David for an hour, and then practicing them at home with the help of a script, and online videos. Click on the button below to schedule storyteller training.
Godly Play: Room Helpers & Door Persons
On Sunday’s, the number of children heading up to Godly Play has grown, and so have the opportunities to help out. We welcome youth in 5th grade and older, along with adults, to sign up to be Room Helpers, listening to the story with our children, and then being a calm, helping presence next to our children as they create and play. Adults can also sign up to be a Door Person. You will greet our children as they prepare to enter the room and help them transition into this sacred time and space. You are available to stay at the door if a child is not ready to enter, so they can still hear the story (because these stories are always for us, even when we are not ready). During our work time, you will be an adult to assist children if they ask for help, but mostly will focus on being a calm, loving presence in the room. Click on the button below to sign up.
Dinners With Dave
There is nothing quite like sharing a meal together to get to know each other better and explore where God is showing up in the lives of our children, young people, and families. You are invited to schedule a time for Pastor David to eat with you; it can be at your home, at a restaurant, a picnic, around a fire pit; it is up to you! Schedule a time that works best for your family. Click on the button below to schedule a time to have dinner with Pastor David.
