Children's Formation

For our 2 to 4 year old children St. Peter's offers Children's Chapel. Children's Chapel is held on the 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month at 10:15 am in the Church Undercroft. There our toddlers engage in free-form table activities, a song, a bible verse and prayer, followed by music and movement and a craft related to the story of the day. Among the stories the children share are such as: Going to our Church, God Loves Me, Creation, God Made Everything Good, Jesus is Growing and numerous others. Together these little ones are forming the seed of a loving group that will be together for many years to come. The children in chapel and Godly Play return to their families in church before Communion.

For our children in Kindergarten through 5th grade, St. Peter's offers the rich experience of Godly Play. Godly Play respects that children have an innate sense of the presence of God. The Godly Play approach helps them to explore their faith through story, to gain religious language and to enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play. Based on Montessori principles and developed using a spiral curriculum, the Godly Play method serves children through early, middle and late childhood and beyond. Godly Play meets in a beautiful dedicated room on the stage of the parish hall.

CLICK HERE to download our 2025-2026 Godly Play Class schedule

sunday school

In Godly Play, a special environment is prepared for children to work in with adult guides. Two adults (a storyteller and a doorperson) guide the session making time for the children to do the following:

• Be greeted individually by name and enter the space when they are ready.

• Get ready for the presentation (a story or lesson). By being "anchored" in the circle, the storyteller models a quiet and calm demeanor so the children can be ready for the story.

• Hear the Word of God through a presentation based on a Sacred Story, Parable or Liturgical Action.

• Respond to the presentation through shared wondering.

• Respond to the presentation with their own self-selected "work," either expressive art (drawing, painting, building with clay or legos), journaling, or working with the other materials in the room.

• Say goodbye with a dismissal and an individual blessing and leave the space to rejoin the church community.

On the first Sunday of the month families are in church for the entire service, affectionately called, "Family Service." On this Sunday the children lead the worship ministries and the rector’s talk is designed to engage them in reflection and conversation. ​

family service

St. Peter's Youth Group is made up of our Middle & High Schoolers and meets on the 1st Sunday of the month from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Our meetings consist of prayer, faith inquiry, fellowship and fun. Our Youth Group is invited to join in a week-long mission trip in July. Apart from our annual mission trip, our youth are involved in other service ministry projects, with the Mental Health Association, the Interfaith Food Pantry in Morris Plains and the Oaks Health Center in Denville.

CLICK HERE to download our 2025-2026 Youth Group/Confirmation schedule

youth group

Our 8th & 9th graders prepare for Confirmation where they receive the grace of the sacrament to energize their own personal commitment to their baptismal promises. Instruction includes a deeper understanding of the bible, world religions, the history of Christianity and our Episcopal Church, faith and apologetics and sacraments and prayer in our prayer book tradition.

Confirmation