St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church
Dayton, Ohio
What if I bring my kids?
Your kids will be most welcome! Expect to find many other children at the Liturgy as well. Children in the Orthodox Church are customarily baptized and begin receiving Holy Communion as young infants, so kids are full members of the Church from their earliest days.
We don't have "children's church" or a nursery, but bring our kids to pray and sing with us in the service. The Divine Liturgy is full of sights and sounds and the best way to learn about it is to be in the midst of it often. We do have a windowed crying room so parents and young children can step out briefly while still being part of the service.
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St Paul's takes our responsibility to protect our children and youth very seriously. We adhere closely to the Policies, Standards and Procedures on Sexual Misconduct approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OCA in 2014. (Further information from the OCA here) Each classroom always has two unrelated adults present, and all volunteers have had background checks and are trained in abuse prevention.
Sunday School for children PreK (age 4) through 12th grade meets weekly (school year) year after the Liturgy. Children leave church before the announcements, eat and have a short break. Classes for Youth Group run from 11:30 to 12:15. Classes for elementary grades run from 11:45 to 12:15. This year there are classes for PreK-K, 1st-3rd, 4th-5th, Junior Youth Group (6th-8th) and Senior Youth group (9th-12th.) All classes meet in the Church School classrooms which open off of the Fellowship Hall. The elementary school classes follow a common curriculum and also get together for joint events and projects.
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Once children reach elementary school age there are increasing opportunities for participating in the life of the congregation. Girls may begin taking the collection under the guidance of an older girl while boys may begin assisting as altar servers. Junior and senior high youth sing in the choir and are encouraged to read the Epistle and the Hours, bake Prosfora and work on parish service projects.
