About: Committees: Christian Education

Our committee’s goals are: overseeing and coordinating all educational activities in the church including the nursery, as well as encouraging and supporting Bible study and spirituality groups. Augsburg offers a number of Sunday school classes for both children and adults.

Committee Members for 2007:
Barbara Jessup, Chair
Dina Almerini, Vice-Chair
Amy Cockman
Libby Conway
Melanie Denny
Karen Fitzgerald
Michelle Foley
Mary Leonard
Angela Levine
Carmen Menzel
Janie Neely
Susan Peatross
Janice Stephens
N. L. Shearouse

Normal Meeting Date: No set date. This committee meets approximately once each quarter on a Sunday evening and as needed.

Sunday School:
Augsburg offers a number of Sunday school classes for both children and adults. Children's Classes: Children’s classes start at age 2 and go through senior high. The classes are team taught and explore Bible based lessons as well as the examination of social and current events. Typically each grade level is taught separately until middle school. Grades 6-8 are then combined and grades 9-12 are combined. Augsburg has developed age level goals for each grade through Senior High. These goals are used in addition to the regular curriculum to help the children learn about their faith.

Adult Classes:
There are currently six different adult classes offered at Augsburg. A new member may find it helpful to visit each class to determine which seems to “fit” them best.

New Horizon’s Class: Bible study with application to everyday lives and current social issues and study of the assigned Lessons and Gospel for each Sunday. Lively discussion and fellowship provide an enriching time

Kairos Class: Open discussion of scriptures and application to life; rotating between Bible studies and life studies.

Discovery Class: Study of spiritual books and the Bible; chooses their own topics; in-depth discussion.

Covenant Class: Leader-led discussions of Christian issues.

Sid Sowers class: Study of various Christian values and issues in an open discussion format.

Barkley/Fellowship Class: Follows the Augsburg Bible Series (International Bible Sunday School Series); uses the opening worship service in the Blue Book (an old Lutheran worship book).

Children’s Church:
Children’s church is a mini-worship service offered for children ages 4 through 2nd grade. After the Children’s Message in church at the 11:00 service, the children go with volunteer adult leaders to the special area and return to the service right after the sermon. Children’s church is designed to provide the components of regular worship service on an age-appropriate level. This includes prayer, music, scripture, lesson discussion and a Bible verse.

Children are welcome to try it out immediately following the Children’s Message at the 11:00 service. We welcome all newcomers and any parents who want to volunteer to lead it on a rotating basis.

Nursery: A nursery is available for all members and visitors. Currently the nursery is staffed with two paid nursery attendants in addition to a member volunteer for both the 8:30 and the 11:00 service.

Vacation Bible School: For one week during the summer, Vacation Bible school is offered for all children through grade 5. A different theme is chosen each summer and the program typically runs from 9-12 in the morning for that one week.

Adult Forum: About four times each year, an adult forum is held and all adults are invited to attend. Typically, a guest speaker is brought in for these events. The last adult forum was a presentation by Augsburg member Caroline Schneider about her mission trip to Rwanda.

Children’s Christmas Program: Each year during the Christmas season the children prepare and present a Christmas program for the congregation. Members of the congregation direct the play and all children are welcome to participate.

First Communion Instruction for Fifth Graders:
Although children may commune prior to the fifth grade, a formal first communion class is offered to all fifth graders which provides an in-depth study of communion. This is a six week class that is taught during the Sunday school hour. The class culminates with a Maundy Thursday Seder meal participated in by the children and their parents.

Confirmation:
Pastors and members provide formal instruction for three years prior to confirmation. Confirmation instruction starts in the sixth grade and children are confirmed in the spring of their eighth grade year.

Typically, these are hour-long sessions held on a Sunday afternoon for about ten weeks. During the first year, the children learn the Ten Commandments and their meaning. The second year, the Lord’s Prayer is the focus of study. The third year emphasizes the Apostles' Creed. The Christian Education Committee sponsors a banquet for Confirmands and their families the Saturday evening before the Sunday when their baptismal vows are re-affirmed in Confirmation.

It takes many people with lots of energy and faith to provide all of the programs mentioned above. Anyone interested in participating or helping to teach is most heartily encouraged to contact Barbara Jessup or Dina Almerini (Chair and Vice-Chair of Christian Education).

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About: Committees: Christian Education