ROUNDTABLE
at
Salem Presbyterian Church
Handbook and Information
2016/2017
Salem Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 536
41 East Main Street
Salem, VA 24153
(540) 389-3881
www.salempres.org
What is RoundTable?
RoundTable is what Salem Presbyterian Church calls its midweek ministry for children and youth. It is under the umbrella of the LOGOS System and Program, a national ministry of Christian nurture. LOGOS is found in approximately 4,000 churches in the United states, representing over 25 denominations, and internationally as well. LOGOS provides resources to churches so that children and youth can be nurtured into right relationships of faith with God through Jesus Christ. Salem Presbyterian Church has been involved with LOGOS since 1995.
LOGOS involves the entire congregation. It is only when everyone makes a significant commitment of time, energy and ability to the nurture of young people that the program is most effective. Parents, adults, grandparents, pastors and staff all join together sharing their talents and gifts.
The LOGOS Program
The LOGOS program is a four-part program: Bible Study, Music and Worship Skills, Recreation, and Family Time (dinner and intergenerational activities). All children and youth participate in all four parts of the program each week. The four parts are designed to create an arena in which everyone can practice, through their relationships, the theological concepts learned in Bible Study. The program enables children and youth to experience God’s unconditional love, and to learn to share that love with their peers, adult leaders, and their families.
The four parts are designed to reflect the life of the early church as expressed in Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
· Apostles’ teaching = Bible Study. The Bible Study portion of the LOGOS program provides the foundation upon which the rest of the program is designed. To build Christian relationships and to create an arena in which Christian community can be experienced, everyone must come to know and understand the Bible. Through Bible Study (and participation in Sunday School, Youth Group, Vacation Bible School), we strive to create Biblically literate children and youth who can apply what they have learned to all aspects of their life.
· Fellowship = Recreation. A variety of activities are offered each week to provide the opportunity for young people to play and learn together. These activities are often recreational, but can also be creative or crafty.
· Breaking of bread = Family Time. During the dinner hour, a unique sense of the family of God develops as participants and adult table parents share a meal each week. Typically, we have assigned seats so that the children and the adults can get to know each other and form more solid relationships. The meal is served family style with one of the children as the table server. We practice good manners and model good table conversation. After dinner there are activities as a table or as a large group that continue to build the relationships.
· Prayers = Music and Worship Skills. The experience of corporate worship is at the center of our life together as a Christian community. To prepare the children and youth to participate regularly in worship with the congregation each Sunday, the children learn music to share and occasionally learn about and lead other aspects of worship.
The Importance of Family Members
The RoundTable program is an integral part of the Christian Education program at Salem Presbyterian Church. It works because members of the congregation and other volunteers take seriously the faith development of the young people in our congregation and our community. By registering a young person for RoundTable, you have made a commitment to participate in RoundTable as well!
It is expected that at least one adult from every family with a child registered in the RoundTable program will support their child and the RoundTable program by:
· Identifying your gifts and using them to participate in the RoundTable program. You can participate as a Bible Study teacher, music leader, recreation leader, cook, dishwasher, table parent, shopper, greeter, or chauffeur (transportation assistance).
· Paying a fee which helps the church cover the costs of the program.
· Encouraging regular attendance in RoundTable as well as worship on Sundays and participation in other ministry programs of the church (eg. Sunday School, Youth Group, Vacation Bible School, Mini-Missions, mission trips).
· Praying for the people in the RoundTable program, both children and volunteers.
In some situations, there is not an adult family member who can assume all these commitments, so we also rely on volunteers who do not have children in the program. We believe that children and youth “catch” the Christian faith by entering into relationships with adults who live their Christian faith, and who treat every person as a child of God. Whether you are leading a game, washing dishes, parenting a table, teaching a class, or cooking a meal, you are demonstrating to children and youth in the RoundTable program that you love them, and that you want them to know God and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. They will know by your participation that you believe the RoundTable program to be a high priority for them.
Bible Study Courses
We typically use the Faith for Life curriculum which was produced especially for the LOGOS program. It has been designed to teach in an ordered, cumulative learning style and gives careful attention to age appropriateness. Because we can assume regular attendance, lessons can build on each other, giving our young people a solid and comprehensive understanding of the bible and how it applies to their lives.
Kindergarten and First Grade—Friends and Family in Faith (Biblical teaching about friendships will help children explore their friendships with peers, adults, and family, and will discover Jesus as a special friend.)
Second and Third Grade—Jesus and His Followers or Old Testament Servants of God. With Jesus and His Followers, children explore the life of Jesus and New Testament stories. Jesus is introduced as the one who embodied for others what God is like and how God desires people to live. With Old Testament Servants of God, the children study some of the important people of faith in the Old Testament, learning that just as those people were called to do God’s work, people today continue to be called to serve God.
Fourth and Fifth Grade—God’s People Worship or Surprising Stories. With God’s People Worship, the children study about worship, prayer, and traditions in our own church. With Surprising Stories, the students look more deeply at familiar characters and stories in the Bible in search of what it is saying to them today.
Grades 6-8—The teachers for this group design a curriculum using a variety of sources that allow the students to engage with the Bible and the world around them and put into practice the Biblical lessons they have learned.
Grades 9-12 (FISH: Fellowship in Senior High)—The teachers for this group design a curriculum using a variety of sources that allow the students to engage with the Bible and the world around them and put into practice the Biblical lessons they have learned.
RoundTable Calendar
Typically, we hold the RoundTable program for 10 weeks in the Fall, beginning in September and ending before Thanksgiving; and 8 weeks in the Winter, beginning in January and ending at the end of February. Choir continues through December and into the Spring.
Our Weekly Schedule
Each week, all children and youth should check in at the table in front of Gresham Hall
before attending RoundTable/FISH. Each week has a fun theme and participants are encouraged to dress for the theme.
Elementary Schedule (Kindergarten-Fifth Grade)
4:15-5:00 Choir/Worship Skills in Room 118, choir room for K-5th graders
5:00-5:30 Recreation for K-1st graders and for 2-3rd graders
Bible Study for 4-5th graders
5:30-6:00 Bible Study for K-1st graders and for 2-3rd graders
Recreation for 4-5th graders
6:00-6:30 Family Style Dinner for K-5th graders in Gresham Hall
6:30-7:10 Family Time Recreation or Crafts in Gresham Hall
Middle High Youth Schedule (Grades 6-8)
4:15-4:45 Snacks/Homework (Room 213, high school room)
4:45-5:30 Bible Study (Room 213, high school room)
5:30-6:00 Youth Music (Room 118, choir room)
6:00-6:30 Family Style Dinner (Gresham Hall)
6:30-7:10 Service Project or Discussion (Room 213, HS room)
Senior High Youth (Grades 9-12) – FISH
5:30-6:00 Youth Music (Room 118, choir room)
6:00-6:30 Dinner (Room 213, high school room)
6:30-7:10 FISH—study, service projects, or discussion (Room 213, HS room)
RoundTable Registration
Our program is for Kindergarten through 12th Grade. A nursery is provided for the children of volunteers who are not yet in Kindergarten.
A completed registration form is expected for each participant. We do collect a fee to help cover costs of curriculum, meals, and supplies. The fee can be paid by the semester or by the year. However, no child or youth will be denied the experience of RoundTable for financial reasons since scholarship aid is available.
Fees for 2016/2017:
Semester: $30 for 1st child ($25 per additional child)
Year: $55 for 1st child ($40 per additional child)
Visitors
RoundTable participants are encouraged to bring friends to RoundTable. It is helpful to have a “heads-up” if your child is bringing a friend so that an extra place can be set and teachers can be alerted to have extra materials. When a guest has attended twice, the parents will be contacted and invited to register their son/daughter in RoundTable.
Discipline
Our main rule is that “Everyone is a child of God and we should treat everyone that way!” We believe that nothing is more important to God than our relationships with others and with God. We strive to build self-esteem, to take responsibility for our actions, and to build healthy relationships.
Snow Days
If Salem City schools are closed or dismissed early due to inclement weather, RoundTable will be cancelled for that day.
Safety at Church
We strive to create a safe environment for the children, youth, and adults who participate in the programs at Salem Presbyterian Church. We have established standards of safety, as well as policies and procedures that will keep everyone as safe as possible.
· A registration form is required for a child/youth to attend RoundTable. The registration form includes information about emergency contacts, allergies, special needs, and photographs.
· A minimum of two adults are with each group of young people at all times.
· Children and youth are escorted by adults as they move from class to class.
· At the end of RoundTable, an adult is at the Market Street door to assure that children do not leave without an adult. Please come to the door to pick up your son/daughter.
· First aid kits are fully supplied and located throughout the church.
· We have an AED located in the hallway near Gresham Hall. Church staff are trained on how to use it.
· The church building is regularly checked for safety.
RoundTable Staffing
RoundTable is a ministry of our whole congregation. Some of the leadership positions are filled by Church Staff. Other positions are filled by adult volunteers who have child(ren) participating, or members of the congregation.
RoundTable Board (at a minimum): Director, Associate Pastor, Bible Study Teacher, Music and Worship Leader, Kitchen Coordinator, Middle/High School Leader, Parent, Table Parent Coordinator.
Volunteer Positions:
Teachers (expected to be there each week)
Kindergarten and First Grade—2 people
Second and Third Grade—2 people
Fourth and Fifth Grade—2 people
6-8th Grades (Middle School) —2 people
9-12th Grades (FISH)—2 people
Nursery—2 people
Music—director of music at Salem Presbyterian Church
Recreation—2 people
Dinner Dean—1 person
Kitchen Coordinator—1 person
Cooks—5 people
Dish Room Coordinator—1 person
Dishwashers—4 people
Table Parent Coordinator—1 person
Table Parents—12 people (or 2 adults per table)
Shoppers—1-3 people
Table Decorations
Greeter/Registration—1 person
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