Children’s Ministries

We offer a variety of programs designed to support parents and families as together
we fulfill our baptismal promise to children in Christian faith.

We believe children learn in a variety of ways and styles, and our teaching philosophy and curriculum reflect that.

Our approach is truly intergenerational—fostering life-long relationships between and among children and adults through a variety of programs.

Please read more about our programs below. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

children's programs
Sunday School is held from 10–11am September through June, providing Christian education for children age 3 through 5th grade. Parents are encouraged to drop off their preschool children before worship at 9:45am. Children K-5th Grades begin in worship each week and are dismissed after the Children’s Message to the Morning Gathering meeting and Sunday school classes.

Preschool Sunday School Program
Preschool Sunday School is located under the staff offices in the Chapel building. The children enjoy music, Bible story time, playtime, arts and crafts, and a snack each week. The teachers are ready to begin the class at 9:45am weekly. For safety concerns, we ask that all preschool children be dropped off and signed in and out each week by an adult. If your child is attending for the first time or visiting for the day we ask that a parent register their child and inform the teachers of any allergies, special needs or concerns. This will help us to ensure that each child has a nurturing, positive, and safe experience.

Kindergarten through 5th Grade
Sunday school is held most Sundays September through June. Children K-5th Grades begin in worship each week and are dismissed after the Children’s Message to the Morning Gathering meeting and Sunday school classes. Our calendar schedule also includes weeks when children attend the entire service with their parents, such as Children’s Sunday, Youth Sunday, Confirmations Sunday, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost communion Sunday.

Children will have the opportunity to experience the rotation model. The Presbyterian Church (USA)’s We Believe Rotation Model curriculum allows children to learn a biblical story by rotating week-by-week through different rooms that allow exploration in a variety of modalities: Art, Drama, Audio/Visual, and the Computer Lab. After completing a four-week rotation, Children’s Chapel is held in the chapel. Children lead worship and participate in worship and fellowship together. Children’s Chapel begins at 9:45am.

Nursery Care During Worship
Our nursery, for infants through age 2, is staffed each Sunday by nurturing permanent child care providers. To ensure optimal safety the doors to the nursery are locked at all times. Wireless, silent pagers are available for parents to carry with them to worship. The nursery is located off of the Fellowship Center in room 103. Feel free to ask anyone for assistance in finding it. Child care is available for all Sunday morning programming. Please feel free to bring your little ones early, to allow time for the children to get settled before worship begins.

Child Care for Children Birth – Grade Five
Making sure everyone can participate is of great importance to us! Our dedicated child care providers, are available to care for children (infants through grade 5) for Adult Education Forums and classes, and other meetings before and after worship.

PCOL strives to maintain the safest environment for God’s children of all ages.

Logos
A special midweek enrichment program, LOGOS is an innovative Christian “Kids Club” that meets on Wednesdays from 5:00–6:00pm on Zoom for twenty-four weeks, September through March. There is a different theme each week and many activities that relate to the theme. The program invites children, preschool through grade five, to participate in a variety of activities and experiences. The children participate each week in the following: Bible study, worship skills (choir), family time dinner hour, arts and crafts, and playtime.  The children also participate in various mission projects including making lunches for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, collecting mittens for the mitten tree, sending cards to members of the military, nursing homes, and our PCOL Friends at Home. They also participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring campaign, the Haiti Sponsor-a-student campaign, and Thanksgiving food drive for Arm-In-Arm Ministries. We focus on teaching children that each child is a precious child of God, and on building positive relationships between children and adults, as well as among the children. This program is open to all children in the community.

Mission is very important in our church. The children are able to participate in monthly children’s mission projects. Each month we have a mission project including a “hands on” mission activity related to the monthly project, so that children can gain a better understanding of each mission opportunity.

They collect new and nearly new books for local organizations including Every Child valued. They organize and collect mittens gloves, scarves, and hats for Homefront, send cards to members of the military, nursing homes, and our PCOL Friends at Home. They also participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring campaign, the Haiti Sponsor-a-student campaign, and Thanksgiving food drive for Arm-In-Arm Ministries.

In 1999 a task force was formed to develop the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville’s Child Protection Strategies, Methods, and Procedures. The manual was revised and updated in 2014. The goals of this policy are to create the safest possible environment for children while minimizing the potential for child abuse, to protect children and youth entrusted in our care from people who may seek to harm them, educate the church about the subject of child abuse, protect our volunteers and church ministry from the possibility of false accusations and litigation, and respond appropriately to abuse related concerns, including reporting of suspected cases of child abuse.

Each Sunday morning, Robyn Campbell, our Director of Children’s Ministries, personally contacts each adult teacher to make sure that they are aware of our safety procedures in the event of an evacuation, emergency, or shelter-in-place event. The teachers are entered into a group text with our sextant, Victor Rosado, and Robyn Campbell, and communicate directly in the event of an emergency situation.

Evacuation and shelter-in-place plans are in place.

In continuing our efforts, the staff and volunteers participate in ongoing workshops.

For more information about our children’s ministries programs, please contact our Children’s Ministries Director, Robyn Campbell.