Progressive Sunday School Program Goals

Revised October 2004

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Our Sunday School,which was launched in October 2004, is designed to teach our children how to think about God and life in a way that supports our Christian values of integrity, acceptance, tolerance , compassion and generosity. Through study of the Christian Bible, story-telling, art projects, music, and other hands-on activities, we teach children about their religious and cultural heritages. We expose children to the moral values, traditions, history, and wonder of the Christian religious life. Our religious education philosophy is to teach, not preach. We strive to educate our children and help them feel comfortable with Christianity. Experienced teachers guide learning and offer developmentally appropriate programs that introduce children to their heritages in an engaging and meaningful way. Children are encouraged to ask the many "why" questions they bring to class and to discuss their faith. The teachers endeavor to interweave social skills instruction and community building into the curriculum.

The goals identified below are for pre-school through to Intermediate children attending our Progressive Sunday School. We are striving to teach all children the following:

An understanding of Christian values.

We draw on the Biblical stories of Jesus to teach about the Christian values of having integrity, honesty, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, generosity and so on.

An understanding of the major rituals of the Christian faith.

Your child(s) will learn about and contribute to the rituals associated with the holidays of the Christian calendar. Children will also learn about and contribute to the rituals surrounding the life cycle of the Christian faith.

Knowledge of the major stories in the Bible.

We strive to help children take the Bible seriously, though not literally. We include historical context in our teaching of Bible stories by explaining that Biblical stories reflect the times and places in which they were written. The program will approach the Bible from a variety of learning styles.

Learning about Prayer: Traditional and Experiential.

Our goal is for children to learn a number of prayers by the time they finish the first year of Sunday School. This includes knowing the important prayers. Children will also learn about the rituals and symbols that accompany prayers by having an opportunity to write their own or be part of the intercessory process. For more information please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.

To request a Sunday School enrollment click here.

St Columba Church

92 Surrey Crescent Grey Lynn
Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand

Telephone +64 9 376 4229, Fax +64 9 376 4225
Postal: P.O.Box 78-080, Grey Lynn Auckland 1030, New Zealand

Vicar: The Rev'd Dr Susan Adams
Associate Priest: The Rev'd Dr Keith King
Community Services Co-ordinator: Margaret Schoneveld
Web Master: Jennifer Gottschalk (Computer Plus)
For more mailing options, please use our email form.

Resources - Philosophy Pages, Sermons, St Cees Archive and News Articles