St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church
Dayton, Ohio
Children in Church
We would love to have you visit our church with your children! We don’t have a “children’s church” or a nursery. Orthodox children participate fully in the church services from the beginning of their lives, being baptized as infants and receiving Holy Communion.
The Divine Liturgy is full of sights and sounds and the best way to learn is to be in the midst of it often, so that children learn to pray and sing alongside us. We do have a cry room, with a window, so parents with young children can step out briefly, if needed, while still being part of the service.
We offer Church School classes for children PreK (age 4) through 12th grade. These classes currently meet on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays of each month throughout the school year. The children leave church just after the announcements, eat and have a short break. Class Divisions are: PreK-K, 1st-2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-7th, and 8th-12th. All classes meet in the classrooms which open off of the Fellowship Hall. Grades PreK-5th meet 11:45 to 12:15, while older students meet 11:30 to 12:15.
While the big kids are in class, children under age 4 meet in the nave of the church (with their parent) for Music for Tinies. This class is a lot of fun, please feel free to join in!
On Sundays that we do not have Church School, the children can enjoy our outdoor play area behind the back patio. It’s a great place to meet other parents and children.
Other opportunities for children in our church include Children’s Choir for ages 5 and up, St. Nonna’s Family Time for babies, preschoolers and their parents, and June through August we have Summer Park Days at local parks in the Dayton area. One week in July we offer Vacation Church School (we do this jointly with Annunciation Greek Church of Dayton). We also have a few Youth Group activities for teens from time to time, as well as attending Summer Camp. Please ask for more details if your children would like to participate.
So please, bring your children and join us!
