Upper Elementary & Youth Programming: The Episcopal Children’s Curriculum

While our youngest children may have had a bumpy start to their Church School experiences due to the pandemic, our upper elementary and middle school-age young people experienced significant disruption. As such, we are currently offering our Episcopal Children’s Curriculum program to a wider age range. If they want to be with us, we want to welcome them – and all their questions.

About the Episcopal Children’s Curriculum

The Episcopal Children’s Curriculum (ECC) is a three-year program developed at Virginia Theological Seminary and is unique among Christian Education programs for its emphasis on Church History and Practice. Relying on themes like Covenant and Community, the ECC program takes core Bible stories and pairs them with important aspects of our lectionary, context about the ancient world, and ongoing project-based elements to support older children’s curiosity about our individual and shared identities as Christians as well as the connections between the historic church and the issues we face in the world today.

Choosing A Bible: The Bible Buffet Approach

By the time they arrive in the ECC community, many of our children are confident readers with the skills needed to begin honing their Bible mechanics, but we don’t just give each child the same Bible. Instead, our Bible Buffet approach encourages each young person to consider what makes our sacred text compelling to them.

Do they want to explore maps and timelines? Would illustrating and journaling about the text help them engage? How do different translations help 0r hinder them?

Following a period of exploration and observation, our ECC students are presented with the Bible that fits them best – and that makes learning to use it and turn to scripture more exciting (and more likely!) than just giving each child the same Bible. It also honors their unique approaches to learning, their particular interests, and serves to highlight the gifts God has given them

Meet The Ministries

In its original form, the ECC program could see us through weekly classroom programs for three years with no break – but that’s not quite our style! Instead, our ECC program meets on a “half time” schedule, with the opportunity to n0t just learn about, but to participate in various ministries on alternating weeks. Though not required, this approach honors the increased maturity and responsibility of this cohort while also supporting the development of positive relationships with leaders throughout the wider church.

Register for Grades 4-8 via Realm here or email Bird for more information/alternate registration options

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