Education

The United Methodist Church believes that Sunday School is for life.  However, since not all Christian Education at First United Methodist Church – Farmington happens at the Sunday School hour, we say  Christian Education is for Life.  We plan study opportunities of many varieties for all ages and encourage everyone to join in a class or small group.

The fundamental goal of Christian Education is the development of Christian faith and discipleship. Some important aims of this goal are:

  • To receive God’s grace and grow in faith
  • To enlarge our grasp of the Bible
  • To commune with God
  • To teach and renew our tradition
  • To take part in the church’s nurture and mission
  • To take up our ministry
  • To serve as stewards of God’s gifts
  • To work toward common goals
  • To communicate our faith

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Nursery – Here is where children begin to build a trusting relationship with the church.  The nursery is for children under three years of age and has a paid nursery director and assistants.  Pagers are available and sign- in requirements assure that the children will be comfortable, safe and released only to authorized persons.

  • Classes for Three Year Olds to 5th graders  begin their Sunday in the worship service with their parents.  There is a children’s message after which the children are excused to their classes.
  • These young people learn from a curriculum called Rock Solid:  Building a Heart of Faith.  The curriculum includes multisensory activities, crafts, stories and games – all designed to help children know God through Jesus and experience life-changing transformation.

Middle School – Sunday School for this age group is held at our 9:30 service only.  Their schedule includes study and discussions on varying topics for Christian living.

High School – 9th through 12th graders meet also at the 9:30 service only.  They study topics relevant to their age group from such media as The Case for Faith and the Nooma DVD series.  (High School students do not meet on Communion Sunday, the first Sunday of each month, in order to have a full worship experience on that Sunday.)

Adults – Two classes are held at 8 a.m.

  • Sunrise Book Study with continental breakfast
  • Bible Study Basics (a study of the day’s sermon text)

Bible Study Basics is repeated at 9:30  (Study sheets are available in advance of the class and may be found on the web.)

Special activities and opportunities are also available during the year:

  • Christmas Pageant
  • Advent Workshop
  • Vacation Bible School
  • Mission projects

First United Methodist Church of Farmington works to create a safe environment for its students.  All class leaders and workers with children and youth are required to complete an application and agree to a background check.
IN ADDITION – Several additional study opportunities are offered during the week:

  • Monday 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon – Disciple I — A 32 week in depth Bible study including a workbook and daily readings.
  • Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Study includes Christian books, video series and in-depth Bible study.
  • Tuesday 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Women’s Bible study. Fun and fellowship around the study of various Christian books.
  • Thursday 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Nooma film series. Short films on relevant Christian topics lead to interesting discussions and sharing.

Short term classes of 4-6 weeks are offered during Lent and Advent and are publicized in our newsletter, The Gospel Truth.