Christian Education
Related Pages
- Virtual Sunday School (during stay-at-home)
- PA Requirements for Volunteers
- Anti-Racism Resources
Calvary Presbyterian Church is committed to offering Christian Education for all members of the church, from preschoolers to adults. We offer a diverse range of opportunities to learn the Word of God in a variety of creative formats. Read more below about our program for the elementary grades, our youth program, and our Adult Forums.
Pre-K through 6th Grade
Calvary strives to provide a Sunday School program which is warm, welcoming and open to all who come, whenever they come. It is an exciting program which provides children with the tools to use for the rest of their lives, as they explore their faith and develop their personal relationship with God.
We support an active Sunday School program for children in preschool through sixth grade every Sunday morning, September through May. The children are grouped into three classes by age: Bulrushes, Olive Branches, and Seekers.
Calvary uses the workshop rotation model of Sunday School. This model presents traditional Biblical stories in a fun format that allows the children to experience them through different instructional methods. Workshops include drama, video, art, science, storytelling, games, puppetry, cooking and computers, with an emphasis on fun, hands-on activities. The children rotate to different workshops each Sunday, each utilizing a particular learning style for its approach to the lesson. The year is divided into units, and for each unit, one Bible story or concept is taught in the workshop format over the course of several weeks. Repetition of the story details gives the children ample opportunity to become familiar with the story on which each unit is focused. The units all tie together to address an overall theme for the year.
Youth Program
Youth Group Photos
Calvary offers both Junior and Senior Youth Groups, which hold monthly meetings in their own Youth Lounge, on the lower level of the Fellowship House. Both groups enjoy a variety of activities – some fun, some service-oriented – which encourage them to explore their faith and put it into action. As a group, they choose activities like snow tubing, canoe trips, amusement park trips, swimming, laser tag, or sleepovers at the church. Each spring they go on a retreat to the Poconos to discuss issues of importance in their lives and how their Christian faith can guide their decision making. Each June they lead the entire church in a worship service they design and execute on their own.
Throughout the year the youth groups participate in community service projects. In the past these have included: preparing Thanksgiving food baskets for the needy, writing to service people overseas and sending gift boxes, serving meals at a homeless shelter, preparing breakfast bags for home-bound elderly in the community, creating cards for home-bound church members, delivering seasonal decorations to the residents of Wyncote Church Home, and preparing Christmas stockings filled with gifts for inner city children.
Confirmation classes are available for youth when they enter their middle school years. There is no set age for confirmation; classes are formed to meet the individual needs of those who express an interest in exploring church membership. Once they have joined the church, youth members are offered opportunities to lend their services to the church as volunteers. They may also choose to join committees to offer their talents in planning church activities.
Adult Forums
Adults at Calvary enjoy a diverse and stimulating offering of educational programs including Bible study, book discussions, movie discussions and adult forums. The subjects embrace a wide variety of topics of both a spiritual and practical nature, all with an emphasis on how we respond as people of God.
Bible Study discussion groups exploring the Old and New Testaments are held periodically throughout the year. Adult forums range from discussions about current evens to book discussions to a discussion of faith formation. Some are led by the pastor, others by lay leaders.
In the fall of 2019, Calvary began an examination of the history of racism in America. Given the events of 2020, Calvary is committed to continuing that study through readings, films and conversations. To learn more about systemic racism, please refer to this brief resource list to begin or continue your study.
Childcare at Calvary
Children of all ages are encouraged to attend the worship service with their families. Approximately 15 minutes into the service, the pastor gathers the children at the front of the church for their own special children’s message. Then they may rejoin their families, or participate in supervised play in the Nursery or Fellowship House. The Nursery is open to all children newborn through first grade, from 10:00 a.m. until noon.
Pre-K through 6th Grade
Calvary strives to provide a Sunday School program which is warm, welcoming and open to all who come, whenever they come. It is an exciting program which provides children with the tools to use for the rest of their lives, as they explore their faith and develop their personal relationship with God.
We support an active Sunday School program for children in preschool through sixth grade every Sunday morning, September through May. The children are grouped into three classes by age: Bulrushes, Olive Branches, and Seekers.
Calvary uses the workshop rotation model of Sunday School. This model presents traditional Biblical stories in a fun format that allows the children to experience them through different instructional methods. Workshops include drama, video, art, science, storytelling, games, puppetry, cooking and computers, with an emphasis on fun, hands-on activities. The children rotate to different workshops each Sunday, each utilizing a particular learning style for its approach to the lesson. The year is divided into units, and for each unit, one Bible story or concept is taught in the workshop format over the course of several weeks. Repetition of the story details gives the children ample opportunity to become familiar with the story on which each unit is focused. The units all tie together to address an overall theme for the year.
Youth Program
Youth Group Photos
Calvary offers both Junior and Senior Youth Groups, which hold monthly meetings in their own Youth Lounge, on the lower level of the Fellowship House. Both groups enjoy a variety of activities – some fun, some service-oriented – which encourage them to explore their faith and put it into action. As a group, they choose activities like snow tubing, canoe trips, amusement park trips, swimming, laser tag, or sleepovers at the church. Each spring they go on a retreat to the Poconos to discuss issues of importance in their lives and how their Christian faith can guide their decision making. Each June they lead the entire church in a worship service they design and execute on their own.
Throughout the year the youth groups participate in community service projects. In the past these have included: preparing Thanksgiving food baskets for the needy, writing to service people overseas and sending gift boxes, serving meals at a homeless shelter, preparing breakfast bags for home-bound elderly in the community, creating cards for home-bound church members, delivering seasonal decorations to the residents of Wyncote Church Home, and preparing Christmas stockings filled with gifts for inner city children.
Confirmation classes are available for youth when they enter their middle school years. There is no set age for confirmation; classes are formed to meet the individual needs of those who express an interest in exploring church membership. Once they have joined the church, youth members are offered opportunities to lend their services to the church as volunteers. They may also choose to join committees to offer their talents in planning church activities.
Adult Forums
Adults at Calvary enjoy a diverse and stimulating offering of educational programs including Bible study, book discussions, movie discussions and adult forums. The subjects embrace a wide variety of topics of both a spiritual and practical nature, all with an emphasis on how we respond as people of God.
Bible Study discussion groups exploring the Old and New Testaments are held periodically throughout the year. Adult forums range from discussions about current evens to book discussions to a discussion of faith formation. Some are led by the pastor, others by lay leaders.
In the fall of 2019, Calvary began an examination of the history of racism in America. Given the events of 2020, Calvary is committed to continuing that study through readings, films and conversations. To learn more about systemic racism, please refer to this brief resource list to begin or continue your study.
Childcare at Calvary
Children of all ages are encouraged to attend the worship service with their families. Approximately 15 minutes into the service, the pastor gathers the children at the front of the church for their own special children’s message. Then they may rejoin their families, or participate in supervised play in the Nursery or Fellowship House. The Nursery is open to all children newborn through first grade, from 10:00 a.m. until noon.