We delight in children, and our church is flourishing with kids of all ages!
Children are welcome to stay in the service or join classes downstairs. We love kids, so don't worry about wiggles or noises! Please contact children@adventdenver.com with questions.
Classes
Nursery (6 months - 3 years)
Nursery is available from the beginning of worship to the distribution of Communion, when parents pick up their children so they can join us. Children listen to songs and stories, play, color, and eat a snack together. They are cared for by a paid nursery worker and a trained volunteer from our congregation. Note to parents of nursery children: You will be assigned a pager when you drop your child off in the nursery. Please keep the pager with you during the service in case the nursery needs to contact you for any reason.
Godly Play (3 years - 5th grade)
Godly Play is a story and play based curriculum that cultivates wonder in God’s big story and also forms children to appreciate the riches of Anglican worship. Children learn prayers that are commonly used in our liturgy and interact with the Bible through stories, art, conversation, memory work, and other activities.
Godly Play begins when children are invited to the front of the sanctuary to receive prayer soon after worship begins. They will follow their teachers downstairs to the Godly Play classrooms. Children return upstairs during the Passing of the Peace immediately before communion. Baptized children are welcome to receive communion!
Guiding Principles
Our desire is to foster in our kids a love and wonder for God’s word and His church as they grow meaningful relationships with other kids and adults in a safe environment. Here are some guiding principles that inform our efforts.
We believe
Children are created in God’s image and have the capacity to know and love Jesus in a meaningful way.
Children are vital members of the body of Christ, and strengthen our church family with their presence and participation
Parents need the support of a faith community to come alongside them as they lead their children in the ways of God.
Therefore
We seek to foster an environment where children know that they are welcome and valued, and families are considered in our planning.
We teach that God speak to us through his Word, our authority for life in Christ.
We occasionally include children in our worship services and disciple them in worship and liturgy.
We encourage all our adults to develop appropriate intergenerational relationships with our children and youth.
We strive to ensure that our staff and volunteers are trustworthy, wise, and equipped to work with our children, and that our safety procedures are consistently followed.
We believe parents are the primary disciplers of their children, so we seek to provide resources and opportunities for them along the way.
Children and the Sacraments
All baptized followers of Christ are welcome to receive communion - including children of all ages! Any children who do not take communion are still very welcome to come forward and receive prayer (this applies to big people, too!). We understand that many are coming to our church from different backgrounds with a variety of practices related to baptism. We will gently encourage believing parents to consider the biblical-theological merits of baptizing infants and young children, but will of course respect this as a parent’s decision.
