If you have questions about the children’s ministries below or other family and children’s ministries of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, please email Bridget Wachter, Children’s Ministries Committee Chair.
Opportunities for Children
Children’s Room and Sunday School
Loving care is provided in Room 1 for all children through grade 5 during 9:00 am adult education hour.
During the 10:15 am worship service, children in kindergarten, preschool, and younger meet in Room 1 following the Time with Children during the service.
The Children’s Room is overseen by paid staff and church volunteers who have been reviewed and instructed on best practices for interacting with young children. Our young children will grow in faith through story time and engaging play stations!
Room 1 is located down the hall by our beautiful new mural. Children of all ages are always welcome at our worship services, and parents are welcome to check in/check out of the Children’s Room, or stay with their children as needed. Our new Children’s Room begins on September 14.
The Sunday School curriculum for our first through fifth grade students is based on practices Jesus did and taught us to do as faithful followers. This curriculum examines where those practices are found in the Bible and how they are used in Christian faith.
Following the Time with Children in our Sunday worship service, all children are invited to join in Room 2 for music.
Children will also engage in Bible stories, prayer, and hands-on activities while growing in faith and building relationships. Our new Sunday School program year begins September 14, 2025.
Kids Can Do God’s Work
In February, we launched our extended Sunday School class, Kids Can Do God’s Work, where children enjoy lunch and participate in a variety of activities to serve others. Our February 9th event focused on service activities, including creating inspirational treat bags for South Shore Drill Team members, making bookmarks for the patients at Delnor Hopsital, and creating Valentine’s gifts for FVPC members and friends who are senior citizens.
Our next Kids Can event took place on April 27, from 10:30 am-1:00 pm. Our theme was “How Can We Take Care of God’s World?” - tying into Earth Day. To learn more about earth stewardship activities at FVPC, click here.
Our August 17th Kids Can Do God’s Work event - pictured here - was centered on the theme, “Knowing God Is Always with Us.” Following the Blessing of the Backpacks during worship, children gathered for activities including singing and dancing, yoga and mindful breathing, storytelling and a craft. Then, the children enjoyed a pizza and salad lunch in the Great Hall with their parents and siblings, and were joined by Pastor Clinton and his wife, Pastor Deb. After lunch everyone went outside for water games and popsicles.
SAVE THE DATE of October 26 for our next Kids Can Do God’s Work event, and watch this space and church publications for details as they become available.
Questions? Email Dorene Tieche or Bridget Wachter.
Summer Tutoring Program
This summer, the Children and Family Ministry Committee hosted its fourth annual free summer tutoring program. We had 45 students register. This program is one way FVPC is reaching out to the community to show God’s loving care.
Thank you to the following volunteers, whose invaluable contributions made the program a resounding success: Carrie Baginski, Sarah Barthel, Angie Bateman, Jane Bass, Tracy Berthold, Cynthia Eichelberger, Lilia Fleshman, Kathy Hoffman, Liz Holding, Guy Huff, Ken Lewandowski, Joanne Mann, Ruthie Michelson, Ginny Miller, Beth Morgan, Laurie Musielak, Lisa Radlinski, Ally Reilly, Ruth Ann Seney, Dorene Tieche, Marcia Tuma, Pam Turriff, Margie Veseling, Bridget Wachter, and Esther Zange.
The students ended the program with increased confidence as learners and had built a positive connection with caring adults at FVPC, all thanks to their support. A special thanks to:
The Mission Committee, which shopped and assembled eight bags of groceries every week!
Munhall School in St. Charles District 303 for loaning decodable books for the tutors to use with early readers.
The Hubbard family for donating a collection of books.
Kim Kolaczewski for donating chapter books from the Gail Borden Library.
Blackhawk Presbytery for a $1,330 grant, which covered groceries and helped support the program's budget.
Questions? Email Dorene Tieche.
Worship, Music & Service
Special Events
Children in Worship
We believe that if children are to come to understand the importance of a lifetime of attending worship, they must participate in worship with their family. We love the sounds and the curiosity of our youngest disciples as we praise God together. To aid parents with this practice, we have busy bags to keep busy hands occupied. Beyond that, we will provide tips for engaging in worship while also creating rituals for our youngest folks. The nursery space is always available during the 10:15 am worship service, and if you need to step out for a moment, audio is pumped out into the Upper Gathering Space.
Children’s Choir
Our children’s music and worship leadership components are now wrapped into our Sunday School program. These components are led by Bridget Wachter, our Children’s Ministry Committee Chair and Chancel Choir member. You will see children leading music (or other parts of worship) at least once each month.
Mission and Service
Also wrapped into our Sunday School program are projects which challenge children to think about their faith beyond the walls of the church and their family. We will regularly engage in projects with the wider church, or even encourage the adults in the congregation to join our children in various efforts to show God’s love in our local community and around the globe.
Our New Mural - A Warm and Welcoming Change
The Children and Family Ministries Committee wanted to do something to make the hallway leading to the Sunday School classrooms special and inviting. Two gifted artists in our congregation, Sally Edmondson and Becky Pearce, agreed to paint a mural on the wall outside the Choir Room. They put hours into thoughtful planning and painting to create the mural showing a loving Jesus welcoming children in a peaceful wooded setting.
Our Earth Day worship service on April 27 included a litany for the new mural. Later that morning, during our Kids Can Do God’s Work event, the children added their finishing touches to the garden area of the mural.
Initially, the plan was for the mural to be for the children, but it’s easy to see the mural has become a warm and welcoming place for all.