Children Ministries
Children
at All Saints’
Birth – 5th Grade
We want our children to know from day one that they are known and loved, that they matter, and that they are called to join with God’s people in building a more beloved community—where justice, kindness, and compassion prevail and everyone is accepted for who they are.
We also believe that children have a natural sense of spirituality and that faith is caught more than taught. We offer programming each week to engage our kids in the stories, teachings, and love of Jesus to help nurture the faith that is already within them.
Meet the Children’s Ministry Staff
Typical Sunday Schedule
- 8:30 a.m. Little Saints Nursery opens (Birth-Pre-K)
- 8:40 a.m. Gathering for Children’s Church begins (K-3rd grades)
- 9:00 a.m. Worship in the church for families and kids (Grades 4 and up)
- 9:40 a.m. Grades K-3 join families in the church for communion
- 10:15 a.m. Formation for kids, youth, and adults
- 11:15 a.m. Late service in the church
- 12:30 p.m. Little Saints Nursery closes
Sunday Mornings
8:40 a.m. gathering for Children’s Church, K-3rd grades
9:00 a.m. Children’s Church begins
10:20 a.m. Sunday School/Formation
Children’s Church and Sunday School give kids and families the tools they need to ask questions, explore their faith, and grow in relationship with God and our neighbors beyond Sunday mornings.
Many adults with kids at All Saints’ attend our 9:00 a.m. worship service in the church, while their kids attend Children’s Church, joining parents at the Peace. Birth to PreK can attend Nursery and Little Saints’ Church led by parent volunteers.Gatherings for All Ages:
Little Saints
Nursery
Infants through Pre-K
Open on Sunday mornings from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.
1st Floor of the Pritchett Children’s Center
All Saints’ is blessed to have top quality staff, rooms, furnishings and equipment for the care of even the youngest infants. Children attend a 15 minute Little Saints’ Church service where they hear a Bible story, sing songs and learn about God’s love. 3 and 4 year olds continue their wondering through a craft.
Children’s Church
Kindergarten through 3rd Grade
Gathering starts at 8:40 a.m. for the 9:00 a.m. service (September through May)
2nd Floor of the Pritchett Children’s Center
Each week kids in Kindergarten through the 3rd grade gather in the Children’s Chapel for a kid-friendly church service designed to bring their faith to life through songs, stories, movement, and lessons.
Kids actively participate in leading the service by reading, singing, operating the projector, offering prayers, and carrying banners. The goal of Children’s Church is to instill a sense of meaning and purpose behind our foundational Christian practices and traditions as we prepare kids to attend “big church,” starting in the 4th grade.
Kids actively participate in leading the service by reading, singing, offering prayers, carrying torches and banners, and collecting the offering. The goal of Children’s Church is to instill a sense of meaning and purpose behind our foundational Christian practices and traditions as we prepare kids to attend “big church,” starting in the 4th grade. It also allows kids the time to wonder about the stories and think about how they can walk in the way of love in their daily life.
Communion
Kids are welcome to participate in communion, and most Sundays, kids join their parents in the church at the Peace to share in communion with the wider congregation. Once a semester, they remain in Children’s Church to share in an instructed communion service with a member of the clergy.
Parents are always welcome to join us!
Learn it and live it
Formation
Kindergarten through 5th Grade
10:15 a.m. until 11:05 a.m. (September through May) | 2nd Floor of the Pritchett Children’s Center
Formation meets at 10:15 a.m. for hands-on learning and fun as children are immersed in the greatest hits of the Bible using innovative and relevant curriculum. With a motto of “learn it and live it,” we invite kids to see the world through the lens of Jesus’ unconditional love and then share God’s love with their neighbors.
We value diversity, tradition, and integrity and seek to create an environment where everyone is embraced and celebrated as a beloved child of God. We welcome kids from all backgrounds, family configurations, religious traditions, and those with special needs.
K-3rd grades meet as a large group to hear the stories of our faith and then breakout into K-1st grade and 2nd-3rd grade classes for activities and deeper discussion. All kids join in service projects several times during the program year.
Club 45 is our tween class for 4th and 5th graders. After having learned many stories of our faith, Club 45 dives deeper to find connections between these stories and search for connecting themes. Club 45 also starts to learn about our Core Ministries and finds ways to serve in these ministries every 6 weeks.
Midweek in Midtown
Wednesday Evenings
Wednesday evenings at All Saints’ offer a “second sabbath” for busy families, providing a time to spiritually recharge in the middle of the week.
These evenings also provide one of the very best opportunities we have for making friends and building relationships within our church family. Throughout the evening, Children’s Choirs for ages 4 through Grade 6 rehearse with opportunities for the whole family to gather in community.
Gatherings for All Ages:
- 3:30-6:30 p.m. Homework Room, Crafts, and Board Games, and gathering with other parents in our common room, 2nd floor Pritchett Center
- 5:30-7:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Supper, Ellis Hall
Children’s Choirs
Rehearsals:
- 4:00–4:30 p.m: Cherub Choir (ages 4- Kindergarten)
- 4:35–5:10 p.m: Primary Choir (Grades 1-2)
- 5:15–6:00 p.m: Junior Choir (Grades 3-6)
- 6:00–6:30 p.m: Junior Handbells (Grades 4-6)
Midweek Craft Studio
and Open House
3:30 to 6:30 p.m., 2nd floor of Pritchett Center
The 2nd fl of the Pritchett Center is open from 3:30 until 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday for children of all ages (and adults!) to work on homework, play board games, or make crafts while the Children’s Choirs rehearse. Meanwhile, parents can also enjoy fellowship with one another or work quietly while they wait for their children to finish choir rehearsal. Drop in and leave as you please!
Wednesday Night @ All Saints’
Dinner served from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in Ellis Hall
A nutritious family-style dinner is served from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in Ellis Hall.
PARENTING WITH GOD
Parenting with God is a 3 week series once a semester, led by Kathy Roberts, Director of Children’s Ministries, and other parents from the congregation. Each session, participants receive articles/book chapters to read as desired. The class conversations focus on “Parenting” and how our faith can provide a path and support us along the journey. We also learn from each other and grow in our own spiritual journey as we learn how to come alongside our children and wonder together about the Way of Love.
Children and Youth Choirs
Giving our All to God through Music
Musical opportunities for children and youth abound at All Saints’. Our singers give their best to God through their music, the witnessing of their faith, and their commitment. All are welcome. You do not have to be a member at All Saints’.
Choirs for all ages
Find your voice
Pursuing Excellence and Growth
Choirs for children four years old through twelfth grade rehearse weekly throughout the school year and provide music for Sunday worship and other special events. The Youth Choir takes a mini-tour one weekend of the year, and the sixth graders take an annual retreat to Cumberland Island to mark the culmination of their time in Junior Choir. Each spring semester, the primary and junior choirs unite to present the annual musical.
Honoring
Tradition, Diversity, and Commitment
Rehearsals are fun and challenging. In addition to preparing traditional hymns and anthems, songs from different cultures are an important part of our repertoire, often sung in the original languages (Swahili, German, Latin, French, Spanish). As they progress through the choirs, children earn colored beads for their cross necklaces, which are worn with their choir robes. Faithful attendance and commitment to choir are recognized at our end-of-year party in May.
The heart of
Community
Wednesday @ All Saints’
On Wednesday evenings at All Saints’, we offer a meal paired with a communion worship service for the entire All Saints’ community. Many choir families stay for food and fellowship. Dinner is served from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. in Ellis Hall. This is a great way to get to know others in our church family. Come, join our exciting children’s music program at All Saints’. You will be singing your faith the rest of your life!
Staff
SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN
Here at All Saints’ and across the Episcopal Church, we are committed to fostering a culture of safety, transparency, and awareness as we strive to stop and prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and adults.
All staff and other adults who work with children and youth are required to complete an abuse prevention training program designed for the Episcopal Church called “Safeguarding God’s Children,” which is offered in person at least four times annually, as well as online. In 2020 the program was revised and updated to include new information, including important content regarding LGBTQ+ individuals and best practices regarding electronic communications.
Certification must be renewed at least once every three years.
For more information, contact Kathy Roberts.
VBS at All Saints’
Monday – Friday of one week in June
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., with Aftercare option 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Attic (3rd fl Pritchett Center) at All Saints’ Episcopal Church
VBS is the most spectacular week of the year! We get to dive deeper into our faith stories, play and pray together, do art, science, team-building games and drama with a lot of singing and story-telling added in. It is one of the few times where all ages of kids and teens interact together around their faith while parents, grandparents, and other adults help to make it all happen. Invite a neighbor/friend and get a special gift. Volunteer to help us out (teach, help guide kids to classes, check in, gather and prepare snacks, prepare crafts, etc.) by emailing Kathy Roberts at kroberts@allsaintsatlanta.org.
Rising Kindergarteners-5th grade are invited to come see what God’s Love is all about! All children are welcome! VBS is such a different and wonderful time for the kids. They go deeper in their formation, deeper in their friendships – old and new, and deeper in their connection with God and this community. They form friendships with all ages that keeps them wanting to come back on Sundays throughout the year. 5th graders will be counselors-in-training, but still do all the camper stuff!
6th-12th graders can be counselors. To sign up to be a counselor, please email Kathy Roberts with your interest and T-shirt size, kroberts@allsaintsatlanta.org.
