School-age children (6–13) meet in our Junior Church classroom on Sundays at 10.30 during term-time for lessons, music and fellowship, rejoining the congregation at Communion time for a blessing. The lesson materials follow the lectionary cycle and are taken from ‘SundayMax’, an online curriculum resource of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Though the children come from a variety of international backgrounds and have widely varying proficiency in English, we can usually teach exclusively in English, but we adapt as necessary for children who only speak German.
Fun craft projects, games and role playing are valuable supplements to the Gospel lessons in our multilingual classroom. The children’s costumed nativity reading at the carol service and the yearly Junior Church picnic in the summer are highlights that the children and families look forward to. The children’s weekly collection is donated to a charity of the children’s choosing, which affords an early opportunity for our younger church members to learn about Christian giving and helping those less fortunate.
Church of England regulations for child carers and teachers are very strict. In the UK voluntary helpers with children must be screened just like employed people. We take child protection seriously and everyone has to provide a polizeiliches Führungszeugnis and undertake a series of online courses, as well as attend safeguarding training. Information on the Diocese in Europe’s safeguarding policy can be found here.