Children

Children at St. Paul’s learn quickly that the church is THEIRS. It is their home. They are welcome here-- they are as much a part of the life of the church as every other member. There is no place that is “off limits”, and there is nothing that they can do that would make them unwelcome, or that would make them unloved, by their church family.

At St. Paul’s, kids form relationships with each other, away from the “Compare and Compete” that exists in the outside world. They learn an alternative life narrative in church and in our programs-- that happiness and self worth can be measured by metrics other than material and financial success. This is a really necessary life lesson and it doesn’t get taught in many other places.

Kids in church get to interact with kids who are older than they are, and younger, and learn that the world is a much bigger place than just their own school classroom or their own neighborhood. At St. Paul’s, kids get to form relationships with caring adults who are involved in children and youth ministry who have no expectations of what each child “should” be able to do. There is no evaluation or determination of value based on their academics, athletics, or anything else. Children are welcomed just as they are, and their value is simply in the fact that they are children of God.

At St. Paul’s, kids experience God through relationships and in community. They learn how it feels to seek and serve Christ in others, and they feel the light of Christ in their own hearts. When Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them,” he meant all children-- all of them, including your own.[