Character School at FSC
Character School is the name adopted by Fountain Street Church’s Sunday school programming during the 1950’s when it engaged in a then ground-breaking practice of Character Education. The exact practice has evolved but the name has endured and it’s still pertinent to much of what we do here – aiming not to save souls, but to shape them and to provide opportunities for learners of all ages to explore issues of depth and meaning to them.
Like our other learning ministries, we are particularly interested in fostering religious literacy (facts and concepts about religion), spiritual fluency and engagement (spiritual practices and disciplines such as prayer, meditation, and movement), and moral competence (how to make difficult decisions based on your religious convictions).
We ask that all grown-ups complete a registration form for children in their family who are participating in the learning ministries of the church. Please register either as a VISITOR if you are checking us out or use the Character School REGISTRATION FORM if you would like to stay a little longer. These forms help us track our attendance and have accurate emergency and contact information. If you would like additional information, please contact our Character School Director, Lydia Stubbs, at either (616) 459-8386 ext. 226 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Character School News!
The weeks toward the end of the school and church year are flying by rather fast. Sometimes May feels like one long stretch of endless to-do lists. Let's all slow down a bit and enjoy the sun and each other.
May brings with it Choir Performances, both Junior and Cherub Choirs will be in the 11:00 a.m. Worship Service on Mother's Day. Multiple celebrations will take place on May 19th; come join us! Our 6th Graders will be honored and invited to move into Tower Club - we will have a Church-Wide Celebration of our accomplishments. The Youth Choirs celebrate a wonderful year together!
During the next several weeks, the children finish their investigations of the curricula for the year; we will conclude the Social Action Projects and look forward to some large group activities.
Summer Character School starts on June 30th at 10:00 a.m. We switch to the earlier time the same day that the Worship Service starts in the Chapel. The topic for the summer is "Multi-Culturalism".
We have another full month ahead - let's dive in, it is great to be alive! Thank you for bringing your children to the Character School. They certainly are Freeing their Minds, Growing their Souls, and Changing the World!
Click HERE for a detailed list of events.
Click HERE for the 2012-2013 curriculum.
Our Character School is a wonderful, exciting, and interesting place to be...come join us! For a list of our Character School volunteer opportunities, please click HERE.
A BIG thank you goes out to all of our long-term Classroom Leaders, who provide so much stability and community in our rooms right now. The children appreciate having a consistent Leader, and we would love to repeat this experience next year too. We invite you to think about this possibility. Can you imagine yourself broadening your spiritual journey while working with the same group of children? It is a very rewarding adventure to help our Character School kids form a cohesive community and foster friendships.
We would like to invite all congregants to come and join us! The children love to see your talents. Do you like to sing? Dance? Read stories? Build things? We would enjoy your company!
The State of the Character School
Our Character School children are set forth onto their spiritual journey while participating in the life of FSC. For most kids that is the beginning of a lifelong quest. While there, they also build a community of like-minded friends, and together they "Free the Mind, Grow the Soul, and Change the World".
FSC gives our Character School children a unique opportunity to question religious beliefs without anybody raising an eyebrow. The kids can engage in discussions while reading from a selection of religious texts, and learn that their thoughts and questions are taken serious. We provide the freedom to be who they are in their growing development. Coming here on Sunday mornings gives the children another tool to develop their character.
The atmosphere within the Character School has definately been positive! Families are engaged and the program is running on high energy. Resources and time are always in short supply and high demand. We are working within our means and hope to make an impact on each individual child and family who come through our doors!
Character School at FSC
What is the schedule like on a regular Sunday?
- Families come to FSC around 9:25 a.m. if they are participating in Junior Choir.
- They might come around 9:40 a.m. if they are part of the E-Worship Service or if they are in 7th or 8th Grades.
- Or they come around 10:45 a.m. for the start of the Character School.
11:00 a.m. Character School:
- We ask that adults sign their children in and out of their respective classrooms.
- After children enter the room, they will be greeted by the Classroom Leaders and encouraged to participate in free play with their friends.
- A short while later, the children and Leaders gather in the circle to light the candle, say the opening prayer, and conduct Roses & Thorns, (our way of sharing the good and bad stuff of the week).
- The topic of the day will be introduced at that time, and for the older children, often a discussion will follow; whereas the younger children will dive into the investigation right away.
- Many of our explorations are hands-on. We might take a cook, tour, build, decorate, or act out various topics.
- At some point, the children will receive a small snack and discuss the findings of the day
during the closing circle.
What do you teach the children?
Check out the links on the right side of this page for various ages.
Places for Children & Youth:
Room 203 - Childcare
Choir Room - Jr. Choir
Choir Room - Cherub Choir
Room 405 - Tower Club
Room 205 - Fountain Club
Character School:
Room 206 - Nursery
Room 201 - 3 year olds
Room 203 - Pre-K
Room 204 - Kindergarten
Room 305 - 1st Grade
Room 302 - 2nd Grade
Room 303 - 3rd Grade
Room 404 - 4th Grade
Room 403 - 5th/6th Grades
