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Tabernacle Congregational Church, UCC
50 Washington Street ~ Corner of Federal Street
Salem, MA 01970
(978) 744-3164 |
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“Tabernacle Welcomes all the Children every day!”
Handicapped accessible
GODLY PLAY SPOKEN HERE
 Imagine giving your children a most precious gift. The difference that a church home and family can make in a child’s life is immeasurable. It takes a village to raise a child, and what better place to find a village, one with values and morals that match your own, than a church home and family. The community of Tabernacle dedicates itself to you and your children, from baptism through confirmation and beyond. We will be here with you through it all, joys and sufferings, sharing your burdens and your celebrations.
Our Sunday school program encompasses children and youth from birth through grade 12. Classes meet during the Sunday morning service and end at 11:15 AM. Our education classes are held the second Sunday of September through the last Sunday in June. Children worship with the adults in July and August.
Nursery Care
Our nursery is available September through June on Sunday mornings during our worship service and welcomes children ages birth through 3.5 years. Our nursery care provider is Miss Brenda with assistance from Miss Francheska. The children participate in free play and occasional directed arts and crafts. The Nursery is located in the basement next to the elevator.
Grades Pre-K through 3 uses Godly Play, a Montessori based curriculum using manipulatives to tell stories from the Bible. The children engage with the stories through wondering questions and response time. “Godly Play offers a creative, child-honoring way of entering into and experiencing the biblical story. In Godly Play, we play with the language of God and God’s people: our sacred stories, parables, liturgical actins and silence. Through this powerful language, through their wondering, through the community of players gathered together, we hear the deepest invitation of all: an invitation to come play with God.” (from The Complete Guide to Godly Play Parent Page) For more information click on: http://www.godlyplay.org/
Grades 4-12
Our older classes are using a curriculum called The Best of Whole People of God. This is a lectionary-based curriculum that uses the scripture lessons that are heard during worship and that are found on our bulletin inserts, Taking Faith Home.
According to John Westerhoff, a leading Christian educator, children’s presence in worship is not only important, but is necessary if we are to become the whole people of God. (Will Our Children Have Faith by John Westerhoff, III, 1976, 2000)
Westerhoff’s premise is that faith is “caught” not “taught,” and what better way for children to know what faith is all about than to be a part of a community that laughs together, cries together, struggles together, and worships together – a community that lives and shares it faith with all it members.
When a child is baptized in our midst and made a member of the Church of Christ, the adults of the congregation promise to be active in nurturing that child’s faith. We need to work together to do just that – to nurture our children in their faith, and to be nurtured by them in return. Children give us the gift of trust and a fresh point of view; adults can share the gift of acceptance, experience, and the wisdom of the Church through the ages.
We encourage our families to have conversations about faith, about God, about Jesus, about how your faith impacts your choices during the week. The weekly bulletin insert, Taking Faith Home can facilitate these conversations. We also hold several worship services that are intentionally designed as
Intergenerational. These services can be a little different from what we are normally accustomed to.. We will probably see more movement, hear more music, and experience more drama. Periods of silence may not be quite as silent, prayers may be shorted and sermons may contain more stories and illustrations. At Tabernacle the children lead two worship services each year. The first is on the third Sunday in Advent when they present their telling of the Christmas story in pageant style. The second is the third Sunday in May when they lead us in worship for Children’s Day. Each class presents an understanding of a scripture they have studied during the year using music, skits and reading; the third graders receive their Bibles.
Youth Groups
Pilgrim Youth Fellowship (PF)
This group is for Grades 3, 4 & 5 and meets once a month on the first Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:30 pm. Activities include games, self-esteem and community building, community service and fun! Parents provide extra hands or drivers.
Junior Youth Fellowship (JYF) for Grades 6 - 9
This group is for the grades of 6, 7, 8, & 9 and meets twice a month on Sunday afternoons, 11:30 - 1:30 PM. See the church calendar for specific dates. Some of the groups activities are the annual Haunted House in October, serving meals at the Salem Mission (Llifebridge) a Learn to Serve overnight, a church overnight and collecting for the "Souper" Bowl.
Adult Volunteers
Adults are always encouraged and welcome to join us! One may participate in the Christian formation of our children and youth by volunteering for a day or several weeks. We are on this journey together to learn and share.
2011 Sunday School Registration Form
Please download your 2011 Sunday School Registration form here and bring it to Tabernacle Church by Rally Day September 25!
2011 Sunday School Registration Form.pdf
Christian Education Committee Members:
Cyndy Collins, Chair
Sarah Davin
Kathy Dougherty
John Hauber
Joe Bennett
Michele Parr
Laura Wrightson
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