ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MINISTRY - FALL 2026
Sunday Morning Faith Formation (Sunday School)
Parables
September 13 through October 25 from 10:05-10:45 a.m.
We cannot wait to start Sunday School again this September. This fall we are learning from Jesus through parables in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus used parables, short stories, to teach people about forgiveness, listening to God and more. Through exciting activies alongside our amazing Abiding Fellows, our kids will grow in their faith while following Jesus.
We cannot wait to explore Jesus’ parables with you for the next seven weeks through September and October. If you have not already, please fill out our Children & Family Ministry Annual Event Sign-Up here.
At Abiding Presence, our Sunday morning faith formation follows a workshop model. Kids get to pick an age-appropriate workshop to engage in for the seven week session. Read more about our innovative approach to Sunday School in this article from The Living Lutheran magazine and scroll down the page to read our FAQs.
Registration is LIVE! While pre-registration isn’t required, it helps us out with planning and means you can jump right into the fun when you arrive. Questions, contact Ms. Michaela, Children & Family Minister, at michaela@abidingpresence.net. NOTE: Workshops will plan to meet outside unless otherwise stated.
We hope you’ll join us for all the fun. Here’s a look at what we are offering this fall:
LEGO Discovery (K-2nd Grade) - Calling LEGO Masters, we’ve got an exciting build for you to complete this fall. Join us as we bring Jesus’ parables to life through LEGO storytelling, challenges, and building.
Glue & Glitter (K-2nd Grade) - Ms. Michaela loves glitter, so let’s make some amazing art with it this fall. Each week there will be a new art project that incorporates glue and glitter. From slime to paper mache, you won’t want to miss the fun! This workshop may get messy, please dress in clothes that can get dirty.
P.E. Games (1st-3rd Grade) - Is your favorite class in school P.E.? Then this is the workshop for you! Join us as we turn gym games into a way to learn about Jesus’ parables. Please dress in clothes you can move around in and bring a water bottle.
Clay Creations (3rd-5th Grade) - Messy art is not just for summer, we’ve got a fun clay workshop for our upper elementary friends. We will use clay to teach us about Jesus’ parables from forgiveness to following God. This workshop may get messy, please dress in clothes that can get dirty.
Pokémon (3rd-5th Grade) - Sunday School, I choose you! If you are a fan of the Pokémon card game, this is the workshop for you. Kids will get to learn about Sunday School parables and play Pokémon, what could be better? Kids can bring their cards with them to play with if they would like.
Flag Football (4th-5th Grade) - Blue-42! This workshop will tackle Jesus’ parables and then learn the ins and outs of flag football. Lace up your sneakers and bring your water bottle for a fun workshop this fall.
6th Grade Hangout - This fall we are thrilled to welcome a new class of sixth graders to the 6th Grade Hangout workshop. This is a great space to build friendship and grow in faith before starting Confirmation in Middle School with Pastor Kesley. There will be fun challenges, experiences, and “big kid” fun each week for our tweens. This workshop will do a wide variety of activities, so please dress in clothes that can get dirty, just in case!
Sunday School FAQ’s
Want to know more about our workshop model?
At Abiding Presence, we approach Sunday School by following Jesus’ example to meet people where they are and form faith through relatable experiences. This is exactly what Jesus did when he told parables about sheep, mustard seeds and sibling rivalries. Today, we do that through things kids know about like sports, art and computer games.
Our workshop-based model for Sunday School launched in the fall of 2021 and we’ve never looked back. Suddenly, kids who never wanted to go to Sunday School before were running into the church. Whether you’ve been doing Sunday School for years or this is your first time, we think your kids will love our workshop model.
For this first session, your kiddos will sign up for one workshop for the next eight weeks and engage with Scripture in hands-on ways. Each session, kids will have the opportunity to choose a new workshop (or stick with the same one).
What if we miss a Sunday during the session?
No problem! Our Sunday School workshops change topics about every 5-8 weeks to help students engage in a wide variety of Bible stories, workshop options and themes throughout the school year. The themes are used to help guide the session, but you don’t have to be here every week to follow along. Your family can come all five weeks in the session, or just once.
What does a “typical” Sunday morning look like?
On Sunday’s during our Faith Formation Hour, your kiddos will head directly to their workshop to check-in, receive a name badge, and open with an activity to help the group learn more about one another. There will be lots of people to help you find your way if you aren’t sure where to go.
After kids check in at their workshop, they will have a Bible lesson, which draws on the same Bible story for all the groups. Then, they will move into their workshop activity. Here they will engage in a hands-on way which could look like dancing out their faith in Just Dance, hitting a home run in the Wiffle Ball workshop, or baking some delicious treats in the Culinary Chemistry workshop. Finally, each group will wrap up with a closing prayer. This prayer is the same each week with the hopes that the kids can memorize it and use it at home.
Where do the workshops take place?
We are planning for the vast majority of our workshops this session to be outdoors (weather permitting) with a few indoor options. We encourage kids to come dressed to engage in their workshop activity. Some groups will require tennis shoes. At Abiding Presence, we believe you can worship in your sneakers or your dress shoes. Coming dressed for Sunday School is a perfect way to be ready to worship, too!
Who are the workshop leaders?
One of the amazing things about our Sunday School model is that the vast majority of our workshop leaders are 10th-12th grade high school students.
Our workshop choices draw on the passions and skills of the students teaching them. Why jump rope? Because we have a former Junior Olympian jump roper (which, by the way, we think is really cool). Why flag football? Because we have football players and part-time flag football coaches on our Abiding Fellows team. Our workshop leaders are passionate and knowledgeable about what they are teaching. That means they want to be here and cannot wait to share what they know with the kids.
To be a workshop leader, 10th-12th graders must participate in our Abiding Fellows program. Through this stipend program, they receive training in working with kids, how to teach bible stories and opportunities for faith formation. We think having older youth model faith and involvement in the church to our elementary school kids is incredibly powerful. Throughout the workshop time, we have adults walking around to jump in to offer support as needed.
What about kids with exceptional (special) needs?
If your child has exceptional needs, please be in touch with Michaela Silvis, Children & Family Minister. We seek to make our Sunday School workshops as inclusive as possible. Often, we have enough workshop leaders that we can have someone working one-on-one with a kiddo who might need a little bit of special attention. We have several professionals in the congregation who work with kids on the autism spectrum who are on hand to coach our workshop leaders. If your child wants to give Sunday School a try, we will work with you to make it a positive experience.
What are you doing to keep kids healthy?
Our current COVID best practices include staying home if you feel sick. Your workshop will miss you, but our priority is keeping you and others safe and healthy. We encourage those who are able to be vaccinated to do so, and we will continue to follow CDC guidance for best practices.