Children's Worship & Arts
When children are dismissed from worship at around 11:20, they are welcomed into Margaret Jewett Hall for a brief period of worship of their own. The 15-minute service includes song, dance, story-telling, drama, and prayer. It offers a chance for children to become familiar with some of the foundational pieces of
The structured service teaches children the basic flow and meaning of worship, allowing them to return to the sanctuary with a greater understanding of what adults “do” at 11:00 every Sunday. The children offer their worship style to the sanctuary service when we gather together as the whole Church. These opportunities often include musical offerings from the First Church Intergenerational Choir, comprised of CW&A children and the First Church Choir.
Following Children’s Worship, children are divided Into groups to participate in 30-minute modules focused on a variety of arts activities. Module offerings include:
- Music (choral singing, rhythm & percussion)
- Movement (folk dance, liturgical dance, creative movement)
- Fine Arts & Crafts (puppet-making, quilting, graphic design, and more)
- Performing Arts (public speaking/reading, drama, clowning)
Arts Modules
Modules are organized as 1-3 week offerings. Some modules are event-focused, leading up to celebrations such as All Saints, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and End-of-the-Year Sundays. Other modules have become yearly offerings, allowing more children to participate or to further develop their skills. Some projects involve all CW&A kids from PreK to 5th grade; other projects are developed for a specific age group.
The Director, Sarah Higginbotham, organizes arts modules by soliciting members of the congregation with specific artistic skill and a passion for sharing their craft. She offers training and support to teaching artists, focusing on how they might best teach their art to children in a brief series of sessions.
Communion and the Outdoor Church
On Communion Sundays, CW&A consists of brief worship followed by a service project before the children re-join the congregation for Communion. Since October 2005, CW&A has partnered with the