Children’s Ministry at cota

We are committed to providing a safe and fun atmosphere to nurture the spiritual lives of children.

We have a nursery for infants to preschoolers and our Children’s Ministry, called Godly Play, for K - 4th grades. We encourage you to keep scrolling below to learn more about Godly Play!

On Sundays, we also have a Middle School class, which meets during the church service. High School students stay in the sanctuary for the full worship service. Learn more about our Middle School & High School Ministry on our Student Ministry page.

What is Godly Play?

Godly Play is the way in which we both teach children the stories of the Bible and help them to integrate the truth of these stories into their lives. From Pre-K to 5th grade, Godly Play is a Montessori-based program that encourages children to think personally about faith and God and encourages them to ask questions to build a strong and personal relationship with God.

Many education models teach biblical facts as if they will magically make people believe in God. This misses what is most exciting about religious education: God’s self in the midst of the words playing hide and seek with us. God invites us into — and pursues us in the midst of — scripture. Click the button below to download a “Beginning the Godly Play Year” guide, which will help you understand a bit more of what happens in a Godly Play circle. Also included in the download is our “Ten Best Ways for Parents” guide, which are the ten ways that parents can effectively support their children in the Godly Play program.

Nursery

We offer nursery care during our 10:00AM service for infants and toddlers. Pre-K children who may not quite be ready to sit in a Godly Play circle are also welcome to spend that time in our nursery.

We not only see this is an important gift to our parents in allowing them the margin to focus their minds and hearts on the music, sermon, and liturgy, but we also believe that holding babies, changing diapers, and playing with toddlers are holy activities in which God is present and active.

For more information or any questions, contact our Nursery Coordinator, Lynne Holloway: