GROW

Breakfast Bunch Sunday School for children (ages 3 to grade 6) provides a warm and caring learning environment for children and youth to grow in God’s love through fellowship and story. (Breakfast Bunch happens at 9am on Sundays, Sept-June)

Adult Sunday School focuses on specific seasonal topics such as stewardship or the meaning of Lent.  (Please check the calendar for dates.).

RITES OF GROWTH in our BAPTISMAL LIVES: 

Here at Calvary, we believe faith is a journey with milestones along the way.  Recognizing that with every experience we share, we grow closer to the Lord and to each other.  (Please contact the church office if you are interested in any of these rites for yourself or your children.)

Holy Baptism: 

A prerequisite for the following rites and educational opportunities. At Baptism, parents and the congregation promise to help the newly baptized grow in faith, understanding, and community within the congregation. 

Presentation of Bibles (1st grade):

At Baptism, parents are entrusted with the responsibility of giving the Holy scriptures to their children. When Calvary’s children are in first grade, the congregation invites parents to receive a Bible and place it in their child’s hands to fulfill this promise. These Bibles are the same version used in worship, so parents can help their children learn how to navigate the scriptures and follow along when the lessons are read during the service.

First Communion Instruction (3rd grade):

Parents are entrusted at Holy Baptism with the responsibility of bringing their children to the Holy Supper. Communion is received by anyone whose hands reach out for the Body and Blood of Christ, regardless of age, but it is good and necessary to have a time of formal instruction to deepen one's understanding of:  what’s happening during Holy Communion, what we as Lutherans particularly believe about this sacrament, and what impact the Eucharist has on our lives once we receive it.           

Catechetical Instruction (Confirmation) (7th & 8th grade):

Parents are entrusted at Holy Baptism with a long list of responsibilities, and the congregation commits to supporting the newly baptized and their family in these endeavors. Catechetical Instruction is the last piece of that promise. 

In this two-year program, Catechetical students are given basic instruction about the parts of the Bible and the overarching narrative of God’s love for, and presence with, God’s people. Students are also taught basic Lutheran theology using Luther’s Small Catechism as the core tool to learn about the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Sacraments. These baptized children are then given the opportunity to make public affirmation of their baptisms and take on for themselves the promises and responsibilities of growing in their faith - still, of course, with the whole church community and their family actively engaged and supporting them throughout their lives.