Faith Exploration for All Ages & Stages
As a people of faith, we are on a journey.
Jesus invites us to follow, to become disciples—learners and lovers of his way of love and justice. And if we accept that invitation our lives will never be the same.
The journey inward is about that longing for something deeper in our relationships, for that something more that we can’t put our finger on—more belonging, more meaning, more peace, more connectedness. There are a number of spiritual practices that help us deepen along the journey inward. Worship, meditation, prayer, storytelling, Sabbath-keeping—all are ancient practices that we are making new in our time and place. For more on the journey inward/journey outward, see Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC, an awesome network of faith communities and an inspiration to us as we learn about discipleship!
As a congregation, we keep on practicing our faith across the lifespan. It starts when our children are small and we support families along the way as they learn together.
For Children (grades Pre-K through 8)
Sunday School – From September – June
Give the gift of faith to your children. It’s a gift that will last a lifetime. Our Sunday School is a dynamic program designed to nurture the next generation of disciples and to spark faithful reflection and cultivate spiritual practice at home.
Through art, play, prayer, and study, our children explore the story of God’s love—the same story that adults hear in the morning’s scripture lessons—and they learn to put Jesus’ teachings about loving our neighbors into practice through periodic service projects.
At 10 AM on Sunday mornings we gather for worship in the sanctuary and the children are dismissed to Sunday School after the pastor invites them forward for a special Children’s Message. (Some families enjoy worshiping together, and so if parents wish we welcome children to remain in worship for the duration instead, and sometimes we worship intergenerationally. Read more about children and worship here.)
Parents and caregivers are their children’s primary religious educators, so we equip families to continue practicing faith with their children throughout the week by sending out a family devotion (like a blessing for the table or a bedtime prayer) each Sunday evening.
To enroll in Sunday School, each child’s caregiver fills out a registration form. There are forms on the table outside of the office or from a Sunday School Teacher. There is no fee for Sunday School, although we encourage donations to support the work of the church.
Nursery – Year round
Give the gift of faith to your children. It’s a gift that will last a lifetime. Our Sunday School is a dynamic program designed to nurture the next generation of disciples and to spark faithful reflection and cultivate spiritual practice at home.
Through art, play, prayer, and study, our children explore the story of God’s love—the same story that adults hear in the morning’s scripture lessons—and they learn to put Jesus’ teachings about loving our neighbors into practice through periodic service projects.
Vacation Bible School – Summer
For Youth (grades 8–12)
Pilgrim Fellowship—better known as PF—is a place for youth to connect and make faith their own. Youth in PF stay connected to our church family through ritual and spiritual practice; serve folks in the congregation and the wider community; and develop healthy, supportive, lasting friendships.
Meetings typically are held on Friday nights. If you come, you might find yourself cooking for people who are homebound, locked in for a night of games and assorted shenanigans at church, tubing or go-kart racing, and the list goes on. All youth from grades 8–12 are welcome!
Our youth are invited to confirm the baptismal vows that their parents made for them. All who were baptized here, have participated in Sunday School, or attend worship are invited to be a part of a Confirmation class. The class provides a background in Christian thought and practice and encourages lives that seek to follow Jesus’ teachings. Mentors accompany each member of the class and help to bridge the journey from learning to living the faith. Rev. Dr. Katherine Adams or a member of the Christian Education Ministry would love to talk with you about the Confirmation process.
It’s not enough to know about faith, or even to experience God’s love for ourselves: we’ve got to live it out by being Christ’s hands and feet in the world!
All youth in high school are invited to join our Youth Mission Trip program. The class meets about twice a month to connect, learn about serving as disciples of Jesus, and plan and carry out fundraising. It all culminates in a week of service-learning and spiritual formation. While on the trip youth build relationships of solidarity with people who are hungry, unhoused, and faced with oppression—discovering their needs and gifts and well as their own. Previous years’ trips have traveled to Boston and to various sites in Appalachia.
For Adults
Our weekly wrestling with the scripture passage for the coming Sunday—taking history, creativity, and our own life experiences into consideration. The drop-in group gathers most Wednesdays at 11 AM. No experience necessary! We meet mostly online. Email our office manager at communications@fccbillerica.org or call (978)663-8433 to get the zoom information.
Get connected. Go deeper. These small groups of 6–8 adults meet for six-week sessions (typically in fall and spring) exploring topics that invite us to connect the big ideas of our faith with our daily lives. Circles are a place for honest, caring conversation about things we may rarely get to talk about day to day—like prayer, salvation, God, and authentic community. Bring your questions and your curiosity.
Connect with a group of seekers and questioners as we explore topics related to spirituality, philosophy, life, and religion over a beer (or your tasty beverage of choice). Come for laidback conversation about the fascinating, the mystifying, and the downright weird. It’s a chance to grow + learn from people who believe differently from you + make some new friends.
This gathering is for everyone—including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, humanists, atheists, and agnostics. You are welcome whatever you believe and however you make meaning of the world.
You can find us in the back righthand corner of the pub side of The Emerald Rose (located in the Pinehurst neighborhood in the south end of Billerica) on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7pm. If it’s your first time, your first drink is on us!