Children and Youth
At the CCW we care deeply about the faith life of our children; and our collaboration with the Wellesley Village Church, UCC, enables to offer the richest program possible.
Worship at CCW is both warm in its welcome and intimate in its experience. The same is true for the offerings for children. It has been shown that an important influence in a child’s spiritual growth comes from observing others acting out a commitment to their own spiritual growth. Here’s how that looks at CCW when COVID has not forced us inside:
Children of all ages attend worship with their families. They become accustomed to the rhythm of the morning, following the bulletin, standing and sitting, singing and praying, listening and speaking. At all times the Prayground in the sanctuary is open. Children can choose to walk over and explore and stay as long as they like. It is overseen by one of the two Faith Discovery leaders. There the children will find soft toys to interact with, puzzles, coloring pages with images connected to the morning lesson, and quiet crafts. At any point, they can return to sit with their families. The Prayground is open to children of all ages!
Children who are ready to engage with the morning lesson in a more involved way, will be escorted by 2 adults to the Faith Discovery Nook in the nearby library prior to the sermon. There they will hear the scripture story, read it together from the Bible, or watch a Godly Play presentation. This serves as a seed for deeper conversation focusing on weaving the lesson into how we live our lives.
When that conversation has found its natural end, the children return to the sanctuary, either to the Prayground or to their families.
As mentioned, our collaboration with Wellesley Village Church enables us to offer additional experiences for families looking for the kind of faith formation program that only a much larger church can offer with age-segregated classes, and a well-developed youth program. Families looking for this kind of opportunity for their children are encouraged to follow this link to learn more: Wellesley Village Church Programs for Children and Youth. Look under the tab “Spiritual Growth and Community Life.” Families that want both an intimate worship experience and a larger program for their children will be able to have both as our collaboration with Wellesley Village evolves.
Children and Outreach
As a fully intergenerational community, we are committed to finding ways to involve the children in outreach activities, whether it’s serving at Bristol Lodge, helping at Cradles to Crayons, or helping to maintain our own church property. Faith Discovery is represented on the Outreach Committee so that we can coordinate efforts for those projects that can involve the children in ways that would be especially meaningful for them. Past projects have included:
- Making snack-packs for children of moms living in temporary housing due to domestic violence
- Decorating and filling school bags for children in Afghanistan
- Organizing our annual 8-week food drive “Feed My Sheep” which helps to stock the Weston Council on Aging Food Pantry
- Volunteering at Cradles to Crayons
Keeping Our Children and Community Safe
As a gathered community of faith we pledge to conduct our ministry in ways that assure the safety, well-being, and spiritual growth of all our members. We do so out of deep care and concern for the welfare of each and every person who is served by, and who seeks to serve, the ministries of our Church, as all seek to follow the example of the compassionate Christ.
Congregational Church of Weston, UCC 