Faith & Justice Learning Lab for Children Ages 5 – 12 Begins Oct 2
South Church launches Faith & Justice Learning Lab, a Sunday morning program for children ages 5 – 12, on October 2. It meets Sunday mornings, 10:00 – 11:00, at South Presbyterian Church, 343 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY. All are welcome: please register here.
“The Faith & Justice Learning Lab was created to prepare children for spiritually-rooted lives of connection and purpose,” said Margery Rossi, minister of South Church. “It offers children wisdom from the stories of our ancestors and role models in our community to faithfully and courageously work toward wholeness and justice in our hurting world.”
“Learning through art, music, story and action allows children to imagine their own role in shaping the world around them,” said Marie-Louise Miller, director of the Faith & Justice Learning and Leadership Labs. “We believe in nurturing the whole child as they grow toward a future where they will lead.”
Created for children right here, right now
South Church received a grant from the Lilly Endowment to create a curriculum that reflects the church’s commitment to faith, justice and the arts. Church members collaborated with Dr. Faye Wilson, a faith leader, journalist and educator, to create a program rooted in local experience and rich in spiritual truth.
It leverages South Church’s uniquely spacious theologies, strong secular and interfaith ties, musically and artistically rich congregation; the successes of its dynamic sustainability initiative and vibrant nursery school; and the present political moment with all its crises and opportunities.
Incorporates art and movement, creates community
The Faith & Justice Learning Lab explores faith through sacred stories in the context of children’s experiences. In lessons such as Who is My Neighbor, Be a Light!, Courage: Justice & Joy, children will create art and explore South’s ministries and program partners, as well as sing, share, listen, make friends and become community.
Step into social justice
Lessons introduce changemakers—heroes of the Bible including Jacob, Abraham and Deborah, and those known around the world such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Anne Frank and Greta Thunberg, as well as people working for justice in the Rivertowns—and learn to see that potential in themselves.
All children will visit Roots & Wings’ organic garden on South’s campus and learn about the connection between the wellness of the earth and the wellness of our bodies. While learning about the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry, they will help make pumpkin pies for neighbors in need and discover the satisfaction of working together for a cause greater than themselves.
Opens interfaith dialogue
Throughout the year, children will consider the beliefs and practices common to all faiths—learning what makes each one unique—and what we all have in common.
For older children: Leadership Lab for tweens and teens
Youth in middle school and high school are invited to participate in the Faith & Justice Leadership Lab, known as The Lab, which launched in 2021. Its mission is to give teens a place to create and lead projects they are passionate about, including monthly Open Mics.
The Faith & Justice Learning Lab and the Lab receive funding from the Hudson River Presbytery Legacy Grant to support the vision of inspiring and empowering children.
ABOUT
South Presbyterian Church has been a vital part of the Village of Dobbs Ferry and the Rivertowns community for nearly 200 years. Building on its rich history of faith-inspired social justice ministries and a longstanding commitment to making music, art, and drama an integral part of communal, spiritual life, they envision the church as a force for social change and strive to make that vision real in our community and beyond.
Community initiatives include Community Nursery School, a nurturing space for preschool children; Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry, which serves approximately 100 food-insecure families each week; Roots & Wings: gardens, a CSA and programs that support sustainability; the Faith & Justice Learning Lab, preparing children for spiritually-rooted lives of connection and purpose and The LAB, supporting teen led projects in social justice, faith and the arts.
