As of fall 2006 The Joint Church School of Mendham United Methodist Church/St. Mark’s Episcopal Church enters its eighth year of witnessing to Christian unity in the Mendham area through its creative venture in Christian education. As our two small churches join hands across the street --sharing resources, friendship and outreach—ministry possibilities and growth continue to be enhanced in both churches. Begun in 1999 with a handful of students and teachers, the program has grown annually and now serves up to 60 students with a typical weekly attendance of 25-30. Annual mission projects and joint worship experiences encourage our growth in Christian discipleship
In order to help our communities better understandthe sense of mision tht guides our church school, the leasdership team created a mission statement that now appears on all our comunications.
The Church School Mission Statement
Development of a meaningful and informed faith requires persistence over time. So that parents may be better equipped to support the Christian education of their families, we continue to focus on communication with the home. We began our 2006-2007 season with a family orientation breakfast, attended by approximately 40 students and their parents. At the beginning of each learning season parents receive a schedule of teachers, scriptures and lessons. Seasonal This Season at Home booklets parents keep abreast of the learning goals—encouraging families to read and discuss scripture passages within the family circle—so that our children will come to know the Bible stories and see themselves as part of the ongoing Christian story. Teachers are committed to constancy in prayer and preparation for our lessons. Communication among our teachers is enhanced through regular teacher meetings for evaluation, planning and mutual encouragement.
The basic curriculum resource for our church school is The Seasons of the Spirit Curriculum, which is Bible-focused and stresses the unity of worship, education and service in the life of the Christian community. Seasons seems especially appropriate for our joint Christian education venture, in that it is “grounded and shaped in the international, inclusive heart of the mainline ecumenical church.” The reverent, lectionary-based Bible lessons are rich in prayer, song, arts and story, appealing to a variety of learning styles.
A positive feature of the Joint Church School schedule is that it encourages participation in the worship of the community. At 10:10 Episcopal children join their parents for Holy Communion at St. Mark’s. Methodist children are escorted across the street to join their families for the 10:30 worship service at the United Methodist Church.
Nursery Care, Singing,Circle Time and Classes ( Pre-school - 4th Grade)
Sundays,9:15 AM
St. Mark's
Middle School Class(5th through 8th Grade)
Sundays, 9:15 AM
Downstairs at St. Mark's
High School Class
Sundays, 9:15 AM
Upstairs at St. Mark's
Joint Church School students are growing in discipleship through meaningful outreach projects. For the 2005-2006 school year, the children chose three projects (local, national and global). In the fall the students responded to hurricane disasters by creating 20 health kits to be distributed by UMCOR. During Advent, students raised money for the Morris County Department of Human Services “Adopt-a-Family” Program. The children felt great satisfaction in being able to purchase, wrap and deliver useful Christmas gifts to a family in need of support. In the winter and spring, the students raised over $350 to purchase two llamas for Heifer International self-development programs in Latin America.