Overview

St. Paul’s Sunday School program for children age 3 through 5th grade is called The Vineyard.  Classes meet Sunday mornings from 9:45 until 10:45 from September through May.  Visitors are always welcome.


The Vineyard is dedicated to help each child build, strengthen, and live his or her relationship with God.  Hands-on, interactive activities are the tools we use to guide the children along their own personal faith journeys. By exploring Bible stories from both the Old and New Testaments each year, children are encouraged to discover God and God’s character, to understand the message of the gospel and God’s plan of salvation, and to internalize what it means to be a Christian and to live each day in relationship with God.

We recognize that our children need to experience God’s Word, not just hear it.  Through the Workshop Rotation Model approach, we provide opportunities for our children to experience the feeling and meaning of God’s Word through active participation that is not merely “fun and games,” but rather a fully engaged learning process.  School age children will explore the Bible and their faith each week in one of five different workshops which utilize hands-on active learning, such as drama, video production, puppetry, first person storytelling, computer, games, art, science, cooking, and more!  Preschool children are introduced to learning about God’s love through stories, songs, activities, and crafts.

For more information, or to register your child for Sunday School, please contact Cherie Schumm at cschumm.stpaul@sbcglobal.net.

What's Happening? 
 
In February, we will be exploring the story of the Prodigal Son, which can be found in Luke 15:11-32. This Bible story is written as a parable, a story that uses elements that were commonly understood by the audience hearing it to teach a specific lesson.

The “prodigal” (meaning wasteful and extravagant) son is a proud young adult, who feels he is entitled to his share of his family estate while his father
is still living. Given his share of the inheritance, he squanders it recklessly. Eventually he finds himself broke and caring for animals that no good Jew
would even touch. This is definitely the lowest point in his life. Determining that life as his father’s servant would be better than what he has, he returns in humility to his father’s home. Instead of being treated as a slave, his father restores him to the full status of son, while the older brother looks on jealously, demanding justice.

The story of the Prodigal Son has multiple themes. The first is that of repentance. The prodigal created a life for himself that was filled with poor choices. He has distanced himself from God and from his family. Finally he reaches a point where he is willing to repent, and to find the willingness to literally turn his life around. In repentance and humility he returns to his father.

Another theme in this story is grace. Before the son can see his father, the father notices him, as he has been looking constantly for his son to come over the horizon. When the father sees him, he calls for a wonderful celebration. All is forgiven!
There are times in our lives when we are in the pit, having exhausted all options, having abandoned God along the way. But God has been watching and waiting for the moment of our return. With God, there is never a point of no return. There
is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. To quote Corrie ten Boom, “There is no pit that God is not deeper still!” There are no exemptions to God’s grace. God accepts
us as we are. Knowing that when we accept God’s
grace we will be freed of the shackles of our sin, we are able to journey through life in relationship with God.