From the Director
Welcome to St. Bart's Children, Youth & Family Ministries!
Alice Miller points out that a child's primary need is to be loved. The same holds true for the rest of the family! At St. Bart's, when we think of children, we think of families. Our goal in Children, Youth & Family Ministries is to offer an experience of the Love of God to the whole family in various contexts -- in the classroom, in the Family Chapel, at Sunday worship, in special holiday programs, and during intergenerational fellowship events.
Three themes inform the programming here, as we try to address the special challenges of raising ethical and spiritual children in New York City: First, God's children are good, made in the image of God. With this in mind, we hold in tension our desire to involve children in all areas of life and worship with acceptance of a certain amount of noise or "holy chaos." It makes for happy, involved children, who enjoy coming to church on Sundays -- and a wider parish community involved in their young lives. Second, religious formation for children has little to do with memorizing doctrine and a lot to do with creating safe and nurturing spaces for asking questions, sharing experiences of faith, deepening friendships, modeling mercy and justice, and wondering about the mystery of God's presence in our daily lives, as we grow into the people God intends us to be. Third, we nurture an awareness that this community is part of a much larger world community; and we do what we can to broaden our circles of concern through prayer, giving, learning and developing relationships with neighbors in need.
We welcome you to St. Bartholomew's Church. There is a place for you and your family here. Come to a 15-minute Children & Family Chapel Service on Sundays at 10 a.m. and see for yourself how much love, song, and interactive prayer we pack into the quarter-hour before the children skip off to Sunday School and the adults head off to the Rector's Forum!
God's Blessings,
Kathy Bozzuti-Jones
To find out more about any of our CY&F ministries, contact Dr. Kathy Bozzuti-Jones, Ph.D., Director: 212-378-0273 or
kbozzuti-jones@stbarts.org.
Click
here for the CY&F 2007-08 program brochure.
Click
here for a special kids' page in the December 2007 Crossroads.
Click here for a special kids' edition of
Crossroads
