Good things are happening at the Church of the Good Shepherd!  The year started off with a refreshed Sunday School program…renovated classrooms, bathrooms and even curriculum.  No small detail was left unnoticed.  There is even a room dedicated to our Youth Group where they can relax, hang out and connect with each other.  

Each week the students participate in Buzz.  Buzz is refered to as “curriculum in a box”.  A five step program is followed for each session which includes games, crafts, stories, acting and more.  The boxes are age appropriate, containing 13 weeks of lessons with everything the teacher will need right inside the box!  (If you are a teacher volunteer, that means no more hunting for supplies at 8:15am Sunday morning!)

The children love it because it encourages them to talk about what is going on in their lives.  They are able to relate to their classmates, learn about each other and see God’s love in action!  It’s a modern approach to Sunday School that aligns with each child’s learning style.  The students agree, our Sunday School program ROCKS!

Outside of our regular lessons, students are invited to hear a bible story told each week by one of our parishioners.  This bible story is the perfect compliment to Buzz since it maintains the balance of a more traditional approach to Sunday School.

Also new at Good Shepherd are shorter, five-week terms.  For the teacher volunteers, this means far less commitment.  For the students, it means a chance to meet several of our adult parishioners.  The downside to a five week term perhaps, is that it can result in many new faces for the children.  To help combat this, teacher volunteers visit classrooms the week before their session begins–introducing themselves to the students to help ease the transition.

Finally, with the Christmas season quickly approaching, our Christmas Pageant preparations are in full swing!  Mary is rehearsing her lines, Joseph is preparing to navigate his path to the manger, the Soldiers are perfecting their marching and all the children actors are eagerly awaiting curtain call on December 11th.  If you are new to the church, this is a great time to see our youth in action!  They clearly are what makes our church thrive!

Good things ARE happening at Church of the Good Shepherd…and we’d love for you to be part of it!