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Sunday Church School classes are provided during the school year. Classes are offered for children two years of age through adults. The Sunday School hour is from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Classes are taught by trained volunteers from within the parish.
Other opportunities for the Sunday School children include the Annual Christmas and Easter programs. Rally Day festivities to begin the school year and an end of the year celebration are also a regular part of our program.
Through large gatherings, smaller gatherings in the classroom and participation in worship services, it is our vision to make the children in the Christian education program at St. Mark’s aware that they are part of their Sunday School class, part of the whole church and part of the family of God.
A complete schedule of events is planned at the beginning of each Sunday School year and newsletters and flyers are sent home periodically to help keep parents informed. Of course, parents are requested and encouraged to be active helping with and visiting in the classes of their children.
In order to prepare teenagers to take on the responsibilities of growing in their relationship with God, a Catechism ministry is offered, which is the centerpiece of St. Mark’s work with middle school age youth. The three-year program offered for our 6th, 7th and 8th grade students uses a small group model and culminates in the Rite of Confirmation. This ministry emphasizes growing relationships between young people and their Lord. Relationships with the church, peers and other adults is also highlighted.
The Bible is the basic textbook while the Apostles' Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Sacraments are explored from that vantage point. Working with the young people is the Pastor and adult small group mentors. Components of this ministry are learning workshops, servant requirements and retreat/fellowship events, all of which are explained and a complete schedule distributed during an orientation session held in the early fall.