Almighty God, heavenly Father, you have blessed us with the joy and care of children: Give us calm strength and patient wisdom as we bring them up, that we may teach them to love whatever is just and true and good, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.  
Prayer for the Care of Children,  BCP  page 829.

Every Sunday, during the liturgy of the mass, we hear that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind: this is the first and greatest commandment, Jesus tells us.  But in Deuteronomy, where this commandment originally appears, we are also told to keep these words in our hearts, reciting them to our children at all places, morning and evening.  Our homes are to be literally inscribed with the obedience of God; an hour or so a week in a church is not enough.
 
Our ministry for children’s formation at Emmanuel Memorial is grounded upon this foundation.  During the school year, children ages 3-10 are invited to gather together on the second floor of the Mowry Building from 9:10 to 10:00 on Sunday mornings.  There, they learn the basic building blocks of the Christian life such as praying the Lord’s Prayer and the Hail Mary.
 
It is vital to us that our children are incorporated into the unique way in which we Episcopalians, as well as other liturgical Christians, are guided through Scripture each year -- the lectionary.  And to that end, our Sunday School teachers also include a lesson about the week’s appointed readings from the Bible, with hands-on activities to make the stories and themes concrete. The Taking Faith Home handout helps parents continue the message with activities and prayers all week long.
We’re all in this together!
​
​Please contact Fr. Caleb Roberts with any questions you might have.