Sunday School
The St Alfege Sunday School leaders welcome children and young people to join us in the church hall for informal worship, music and other activities while the 10.00am service is taking place in church.
Club Night for older children and young people is on the second and fourth Sunday of each month in the hall from 6pm to 8pm.
There is no Sunday School in the holidays but many of the children and young people enjoy being with their families in the 10am service. During half term when numbers are generally lower, we provide craft and other activities in the church hall.
Our Monthly Schedule during the school terms
First Sunday: 10am All Age Eucharist in the hall
Second Sunday: 10am Sunday School and 6-8pm Club Night in the hall
Third Sunday: 10am Sunday School in the hall
Fourth Sunday: 10am Sunday School and 6-8pm Club Night in the hall
(In months with five Sundays, the fifth Sunday has 10am Sunday School in the hall)
The Sunday School plays a vital role in the life of St Alfege Church in encouraging children to come to church to learn about God’s love. Sunday School helps to build and strengthen our community as children from all backgrounds find faith, friendship and fun each week.
We start the session all together at 10am with a simple welcoming prayer, a story from the bible and discussion about what the story means to us. Singing is also a very important part of our informal worship and the children are always keen to add new songs to their repertoire. At about 10.30am we split into groups, each with its own leaders, for activities that explore the theme of the day and which are appropriate to the age of the children. This exploration is through a variety of activities including art and craft, writing, discussion, games and role play. The emphasis is on enjoyment with spiritual truth being presented at a level that can be easily understood by the different age groups; the children are encouraged to develop real and personal relationships with God. At 10.55am we go into the church to join the congregation for a blessing or to take communion.
On the first Sunday of each month at 10.00am, we have an All Age Eucharist in the hall when Father Chris or Father Yousouf comes and joins us to lead a special service. Children, young people and adults can take communion or receive a blessing in this informal all-age service.
Young People
We are currently developing a new range of activities for older children and young people and we would really welcome some input from those of you in the 11-15 age range. We’re aiming for interesting and varied activities, so do come and join us and bring your ideas and enthusiasm!
We welcome children from the age of three. Those nearly-threes who attend our crèche and may be ready to move up to Sunday School are encouraged to join us for a ‘taster’ session. Please contact one of the leaders if your child would like to try us out.
Parent and carers are very welcome to sit in with their children – particularly when their children are new to the Sunday School. Many of our current leaders are parents who took an interest in our activities, started to help out and eventually became leaders themselves. All of our current leaders have CRB accreditation.
We follow the Roots material to guide our session plans and provide training and support material for leaders. Roots is based on the Revised Common Lectionary which means that the children hear and discuss the very same stories as their parents and carers are hearing on that day in church.
We believe it is very important that our children and young people feel a strong sense of belonging to the St Alfege community, and at key festivals such as Mothering Sunday, Harvest and Christmas, the children perform in the 10am church service. The children also prepare artwork in the Sunday School workshop activities and use it to decorate the children’s chapel in the church.
Once a term, the children sing for the residents of Queen Elizabeth College - bringing great joy to all involved. There is a variety of Sunday School outings including the ever-popular annual pantomime. We ask for written permission of parent/carer before a child is taken off the church premises. There are opportunities for young people to work with us for supervised experience as part of initiatives such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme.
To help children and young people make the transition from supervised Sunday School worship to the more personal choice of confirmation, we encourage children aged 8-13 to join the Communion Crew. This group of youngsters follows a short programme of instruction from Father Chris and Father Yousouf, leading to early admission to communion. They are then able to take communion and feel fully part of the St Alfege congregation – a secure base from which they can later make their own decision on the personal commitment of confirmation.
If you would like information about any of our activities, please contact the Sunday School and Youth Leaders:
Sunday School
Sarah Lavery
020 8692 1919
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Youth Group
Reverend Yousouf Gooljary
020 8691 6670
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