Children's Ministries

Welcome to Children’s Ministry at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church!

The Children’s Ministry committee coordinates Christian education and faith formation for birth through 5th grade. This includes SEEDS during the worship hour, SPROUT offered at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays,  ROOTED which is the Wednesday night program, BLOOM for 3rd - 5th graders which meets once a month and Vacation Bible School. 


With God’s help, we work to:

  • Create a welcoming environment where children feel safe, comfortable, and loved.
  • Open the pages of scripture with the children so they can meet God there, learn who they are as children of God and disciples of Jesus Christ, and find their place in God’s ongoing story of grace. 
  • Engage children in a variety of ways, mindful of different learning styles and behavioral challenges.
  • Teach children that laughter and joy are part of the Christian faith by ensuring that classes and activities, Bible studies and service projects are also opportunities for fellowship and fun.  
  • Teach children the importance of being part of a faith community as they mature in their understanding of their relationship with God and find new ways to express what they believe and why.

To learn more or discuss our Children's Ministry at OPPC, contact Trish Lisa.

sunday mornings

SEEDS: Christian Formation for birth through 5th grade during the worship services. 


Children’s Message

A brief Children’s Message is shared during both worship services. Children are invited to the front of the Sanctuary for this message designed just for them. Following the Children’s Message, preschool children are welcomed to Rooms 127 and 130 for childcare (escorted by their parents). Kindergarten, first and second graders are encouraged to participate in Children’s Church (escorted by leaders). Third graders and older are invited to stay and share the worship service with their parents in the Sanctuary.


Children’s Church

Children’s Church is available for children in kindergarten, first and second grades during both worship services except on Communion Sundays. On those Sundays, children are encouraged to remain in the Sanctuary to share the sacrament with their families (a class on the Sacraments is offered for children and their parents once a year). Kindergartners who are not ready to remain in the Sanctuary for Communion can be taken to Room 130. During Children’s Church, parent volunteers lead the children in creative prayers, reading Bible stories, and activities that encourage the children to work together as a team. Some weeks children will enjoy a Veggie Tales video or a music video that leads them in motions to a praise song. 


Children’s Church during the 9:00 AM Traditional Worship Service

Children first will attend the 9:00 AM worship service with their families. This is an opportunity for children to experience a portion of worship with their family in the Sanctuary. Following the Children’s Message, kindergarten through second graders who wish to attend Children's Church are escorted by leaders to Room 205  At 10:10 the K through 2nd graders who are in Children’s Church will be led by teachers to their Sunday School classes. If your child is not staying for Sunday School, please come upstairs to room 205 to pick him or her up.


Children’s Church during the 11:10 AM Contemporary Worship Service

Children first will attend the 11:10 AM worship service with their families. This is an opportunity for children to experience a portion of contemporary worship with their families. Following the Children’s Message, kindergarten through second graders are invited to attend Children’s Church in Room 205. This is where parents will pick them up after worship service. 

  • SPROUT

    At 10:00 a.m. during the education hour, children in grades Kindergarten through 5th grade attend classes  where the stories of scripture are experienced through various sacred arts including drama, music, and art.  It's where  are  children can grow in their faith and knowledge of God’s Word through hands-on lessons and creative presentations of the biblical stories.


    We are moving our music education (previously offered through Choristers on Wednesday evenings) to our Sunday mornings.  Leaders are Kim Pietranczyk for music; Rebecca McConnell for drama, and Nancy Peterson for art.  All are professional instructors in their fields; we are really blessed to have their leadership this year!!  Learn more about our instructors HERE.


  • Rooted

    Rev. Trish Lisa and Nursery Director Debbie Meyer lead the Rooted program on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. with the hope of creating a sense of community and connection for children during the week.  They hope that creating a routine of midweek church participation while children are younger might help them continue that pattern of participation as they age into the Middle School and High School youth groups.  Dinner is provided. 


    Parents have also found this Wednesday evening time to be meaningful.  Rev. Mike Samson offers his gifts of listening and support for parents.  We affirm that one way to love and care for children is by supporting their parents.  In response, Rev. Mike is in conversation with the parents to develop a Wednesday program for them which would run simultaneously with Rooted.     

  • BLOOM

    This fellowship group for third through fifth graders meets once a month, usually on Sunday afternoon. A variety of activities are enjoyed throughout the year: age-appropriate mission experiences, bowling, game day, corn maze/hayrides, scavenger hunt, pottery painting, picnicking, hiking, etc. Children are encouraged to bring friends to BLOOM events. The BLOOM experience helps girls and boys recognize the importance of team building and fellowship with peers. When they reach the busy teen years, transition to Youth Ministries events is seamless.

  • Childcare  

    Children ages birth to Pre-K are welcome to come where our staff will care for them while you attend service and Sunday School. The preschool children have their own Sunday School class during the education hour (10:10) in Room 131 (right next to their childcare room).


    Time: 8:45 AM through the close of the 11:10


    Infants (newborns through early-walkers) Room 126

    Toddlers (early-walkers through 2 year olds) Room 127

    Preschoolers (3 year olds through pre-kindergarten 5 year olds) Room 130 (with Sunday School in Room 131 from 10:10 to 11:00 am)


    Three permanent, paid attendants staff the three childcare rooms each Sunday morning. It is a comfort for both children and parents to be welcomed by the same person each week. During each worship service, the attendants are assisted by volunteers from the OPPC family.


    A pager system is in place for Rooms 126 and 127 (infant and toddler rooms). As parents sign their children in, they are assigned a vibrating pager. Should the need arise, they can be paged wherever they are in the church.


    Your child’s safety is of the utmost importance to us. Nationwide background checks are conducted on each of our Children’s Ministry staff, both paid and volunteers. In addition, personal references are checked before childcare attendants are scheduled.


    Refer to the Orchard Park Learning Center portion of this website for information about weekday preschool and childcare opportunities at OPPC.

  • Camp Friendly

    Camp Friendly, OPPC’s summer camp. It is held one week during the summer at Camp Pyoca in Brownstown, Ind.

    Two individual programs, known together as “Camp Friendly,” are held concurrently: the original Camp Friendly, for third through fifth graders; and Junior High Leadership Camp for sixth through eighth graders. For additional information about Camp Friendly, visit their website.

    Camp Friendly Principles

    • Our camps are about friends: making new friends, rejoining old friends, and learning how to play, work, and live together as friends in Christ. 
    • Camp Friendly is open to all, not just members of OPPC. 
    • We encourage campers (especially younger children or first-time campers) to “buddy-up” and recruit a friend to come along for the fun! 

    Camp Friendly Goals

    • Promote spiritual growth
    • Foster relationships with and through Christ
    • Develop self-confidence and leadership

  • Please join us at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church for Vacation Bible School June 7th-11th from 9 a.m. to 12 noon for Bible stories, music, crafts, activities and snacks. 
     
    Children ages 4 (by June 1st and fully potty trained) through those finishing 5th grade are invited to attend.  Our 5th graders will do a special training program to prepare them to become youth volunteers; they will still register as an attendee.
     
    Our additional COVID precautions this year include VBS being held outdoors (or in case of rain, each group will have their own room inside the facility); mask-wearing for those who have completed Kindergarten and older; and extra hand-sanitizing.  We are also limiting the number of available spots for attendees this year to 50% - 70%.  While we will not take temps or ask all the COVID screening questions daily, we DO expect families to only bring healthy children and contact Trish Lisa (317-340-3354 cell;     tlisa@orchardpark.org)  if your child is tested for COVID.  Thank you!
     
    Please register on Realm by CLICKING HERE. Then look for the VBS/Knights of the North Castle link.  Please let me know if you have any questions!     (tlisa@orchardpark.org, 317-340-3354 cell).