We gather on Sundays to worship --- to sing hymns, to hear God's Word proclaimed, to affirm our faith, and then to go out in service. Each is a part of the educational ministry of the church, which equips us to serve both God and neighbor.
Opportunities for study, service, and fellowship are plentiful and are becoming even more so. Church school classes are offered for people of all ages. In these we discuss biblical stories, our own stories, and what each has to do with the others. Education often takes place outside the classroom. A wide variety of events bring us together to laugh, to learn, and to serve. God has a way of teaching us much about grace through these experiences.
Children
Our children learn to worship by worshiping and, in some cases, by leading in services. Worship education resources are available to children and their parents as they enter the sanctuary. The liturgy includes a time for faith sharing with children, after which children from pre-kindergarten through second grade go to the Young Children's Worship Center.
Nurseries for infants, toddlers, and preschool children are provided during worship services and other special events.
Curricula are carefully selected for all children's church school classes. Older elementary classes are invited to make use of compter technology as they view Bible dramatizations and discussion starters, then extend their learning through small class activities from the "LIVE BIG" curriculum (Hear, See and Live your Belief in God).
Youth
Youth participate regularly in worship and assume full responsibility for a service in the spring. This group worships together, laughs together, and serves together in Brevard and well beyond our town.
The high school group meets every Sunday morning for church school and on alternate Sunday evenings for Presbyterian Youth Connection (PYC). Presbytery events focused on youth are planned for the fall and spring. Montreat's Youth Conference and a mission trip beckon our youth each summer.
Many of the middle school youth participate in confirmation classes. This group also gathers every other Sunday evening for the middle school edition of PYC. Events and excursions sponsored by our church and by the Presbytery offer exciting opportunities for this group as well.
Adults
Christian education is not only for youth and children. It is also for adults, who are as much a part of the educational ministries of this church as their children are. Our adult classes feature everything from traditional Bible studies to group discussions of current events.
More and more opportunities for intergenerational educational ministries will be presenting themselves in the future, especially as we imagine the content and structure of each summer's educational programs. It is quite possible that Vacation Bible School, much like this church, will have a place for everyone in the family --- parent, grandparent, and child --- however "family" is defined.
