Children's & Youth Ministries
At St. Andrew’s, we believe children are fully-formed spiritual beings and as such, seek to integrate them into the full life of the church. At age-appropriate levels, children are invited to lead in worship, serve in outreach, contribute their artistic gifts, and interact intergenerationally as equals with adults in the eyes of God. Our nursery, children’s chapel, and tween chapel are a mix of didactic teaching as well as relational deepening, with one another in a church family and with God.
Children's Chapel
Children aged 4 through 5th grade are invited to join us every Sunday during the school year during the 10:30 worship service. Meet the teachers on the Ferguson Ave. playground at 10:15. After some recreation time, the children go inside and are grouped by their age for a lesson based on that Sunday's Scripture. Children return to parents in worship in time for Communion. All our Children's Chapel volunteers have had Safe Church Training and are background checked.
Children’s Chapel during the summer
Children’s chapel will be on break after June 7 for four weeks. During that break, the nursery will be welcoming children up through age 5, and as always, children of all ages are welcome in church. As counterintuitive as it may seem, children tend to behave better the closer they are to the front because they can actually see what’s going on! Children’s chapel “lite” will begin on Sunday, July 12 and last until the new program year begins. Children will be led out for the middle part of the service for a very short lesson.
Tween Class
Youth in grades 5 through 7 will have their own chapel time once a month, concurrent with the usual children’s chapel of younger children. Our Tweens have a room just for them, where they meet for Tween Chapel and even just to hang out. We have two events outside of worship per semester: one service project and one purely fun event.
Youth Group
St. Andrew's partners with Hilton Presbyterian for Youth Group for grades 8 and above. News about upcoming events for the youth group can be found in the weekly Net newsletter and on our News & Events page.
Acolytes
Children and youth in 2nd grade and above are invited to serve as acolytes. Acolytes participate in worship, performing a variety of duties during the service such as lighting candles, carrying processional crosses and banners, etc. Contact the church office if your child would like to join this ministry.
Special Worship Services for Families with Children
On Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, worship services especially designed for families with young children are offered.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is four days of fun and learning about God’s love!
2026 Vacation Bible School registration is OPEN!
Registration is now open for this year's VBS, July 13-16, 5:00 to 8:00 PM each evening. Children ages preschool through 5th grade are invited to join the fun! Dinner is included each night.
Nursery
The nursery is open Sunday mornings 9 am to noon for children newborn to age 3. It is staffed by paid professionals who have completed Safe Church training and a background check.
Ginny Chilton, Supervisor of Children's & Youth Ministries
Ginny Chilton joined St. Andrew’s in Newport News as the Supervisor of Children and Youth Ministries in July 2024, expanding her role from Minister of Music.
Ginny's approach to Children and Youth Ministries is shaped by her positive church experiences growing up, her studies at seminary, and the joy she takes in parenting her own children. Ginny holds a Master of Divinity from Boston University, which has equipped her with deep theological understanding and practical skills for ministering to young people and their families.
In her role, Ginny oversees Children's Chapel (for ages 4-12) and youth ministry (grades 6-12), recruits and trains volunteer teachers, and fleshes out the church calendar with activities and accessibility for children and their caretakers in mind.
