Children in our 3’s, Young 4’s, and 4’s/5’s classes gather as a community for the School’s weekly Chapel service. The children and teachers enter while the Music Teacher plays “Enter, Rejoice and Come In.” Children are greeted by the Senior Pastor and School Director as they make their way into the Chapel and settle on the rug. The Senior Pastor leads the highly participatory service, which includes singing and praying, as well as opportunities for individual children to take turns doing special jobs such as bell ringer, candle lighter, prayer helper, and candle snuffer.
Each week the Senior Pastor shares an age-appropriate message of God’s love and the importance of caring for one another and the planet. Chapel is one way that the School lives its mission to nourish children’s spiritual well-being and guide them to become “happy, self-confident global citizens, mindful of God’s love, accepting of themselves and others, filled with curiosity and joy in learning.” Chapel time ends with a blessing, which the children hear each week all year. “God be with you, God go with you, this day and always.”
Three times a year, children’s families are invited to join us for a special Chapel time in the Sanctuary of the Church: Christmas Chapel in December, Grandparents/Special Friends Visiting Day Chapel in April, and End of the Year Chapel in May.
Service Learning
The children participate in many Service Learning projects throughout the year, many of which are highlighted in Chapel, including a cereal drive to support the New York Common Pantry and an annual “Red Bag” initiative, which provides much needed items to children attending the African Dream Academy in Liberia. These Service Learning experiences are another reflection of our mission in action, as Brick, “seeks to be a place in which children, their families, and educators care for others in their classrooms, city, and world.”
Chapel Then and Now
Christmas Chapel in the Sanctuary
