At First Church, we create spaces of belonging for our children and youth and offer an inclusive, progressive faith formation through the following programming:
- On the 2nd and 3rd Sundays of the month, we offer Sunday School for children and youth in kindergarten through 12th grade. They leave the regular service for Sunday School after the choir anthem and return for Holy Communion (about 30 minutes).
- For youth in 6th–12th grade, we offer monthly events for fellowship and community service.
- We help connect children and youth to United Methodist retreats and camps in the region.
- For infants and children under 5, we offer a staffed nursery during every Sunday worship service. The nursery opens at 9:00 a.m. so adults can attend spirituality classes or choir practice; the worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.
Through Bible study and service, our children and youth grow in their knowledge of the Bible and their compassion for the oppressed—we aim to nurture informed Christians with a social conscience. We have two age groups: preschool through elementary, and middle and high school.
Have questions about our programming for young people? Reach out to April Little, First Church’s Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator, or Rev. Jackie Celin, Associate Pastor of Congregational and Community Engagement.
Service Learning Trips
First Church youth have participated in service learning trips hosted by Sierra Service Project, an ecumenical Christian nonprofit that runs life-changing service projects in low-income communities. Sierra Service Project invites high school, middle school, and intergenerational volunteers to experience the profound power of serving people with a culture and background different from their own. Our most recent trip was to Chiloquin, OR.
These trips are organized by the First Church Global Missions Committee. For more about upcoming trips, contact Michiko Kono, Chair of the Global Missions Committee.