Sunday School Ministry

at Foothills Lutheran Church

The Sunday school ministry at Foothills is an important component of our Christian Education Program. Our ministry encompasses children from birth through grade 6. We support parents in the spiritual nurturing of their children, and provide a regular opportunity for children to come, and bring their friends, to hear and study God’s Word. It is important to differentiate between education and worship. Sunday School and Bible Class (i.e. education) are age-appropriate, whereas worship is where the whole company of believers comes together as God ministers to His people through the Word, and we respond in faith. Therefore, Sunday school and Teen and Adult Bible Classes are scheduled between our Sunday Morning Worship services to enable children to go to Sunday school while their parents go to Bible Study, (children thereby observe that learning about God and His Word is a life-long process).  This also enables families to attend worship together.Sunday School classrooms at FLC are located on the downstairs level.

Our Sunday school ministry includes:

1.  Cradle Roll: (“Beginnings”) This is a parent information package designed to minister to new parents, and support them in their child’s spiritual development.  Following their infant’s baptism, and throughout their child’s first 3 years of life, parents regularly receive newsletters, cards, books, a cassette tape, and various other items, to assist them in the spiritual nurturing of their child.

2.  Sunday morning classes are held between our worship services, from September through June, at Foothills Lutheran Church site 10:00AM.  Classes begin on the Sunday after Labor Day.  Sunday school meets in the fireside room to begin the morning with song, mission project information and prayer.  The children’s offering is also collected at this time.   
The offering is designated for a specific mission project selected by the Sunday school staff each year.

Classes offered are:

* Preschool (age 3), through Grade 6: follow “Our Life In Christ” curriculum, covering Old and New Testament accounts, chronologically when possible, over a 3 year cycle. Lessons are Bible based, and Christ centered, applying Law and Gospel, to emphasize a life application. Parents are very welcome, and invited to participate in their child’s pre-school class if they would like.

* Teens and Adults:  study various topics throughout the year.  There is a second adult study following the lectionary readings for the church year

Curriculum:  We use CPH (Concordia Publishing House) materials, as they support Lutheran Church Canada doctrine, focus on law and gospel with life application, and use age-appropriate activities. Lessons are Bible-based, Christ-centered and life-directed.

* Preschool to Grade 6 classes also study Catechism topics (i.e.: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the 10 Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostle’s Creed). The objective is to help the students gain a deeper appreciation of God’s Word, and help them become more familiar with the Sacraments and other parts of the catechism, thereby enabling them to participate more actively in worship. These are taught in addition to the regular lesson on Sunday mornings. Our Grade 2 students each receive a Bible on Reformation Sunday. Baptismal birthdays are also celebrated in our classrooms.

We have a dedicated, caring group of volunteer teachers, and use the “team-teaching” concept where 2 or more teachers share the teaching responsibility in each class. This allows our teachers and assistants flexibility in their teaching schedule, as well as time to attend a Sunday morning Bible study.