We Learn

Church School

The Cotuit Federated Church seeks to help our children grow in their love and knowledge of the God we know in Jesus Christ. We are equipped with a wonderful team of faithful, dedicated teachers. All staff and volunteers are CORI checked and follow our Safe Church practices.

Church school students begin worship with their families in the sanctuary. Following a special Children’s Moment, they gather to learn about Jesus and a love of God. Children reunite with their families for coffee hour following the worship service. 

On communion Sundays, children return to worship to break bread and share the cup of blessing with the rest of the congregation. The communion table is open to people of all ages.

In the summer, we offer Vacation Bible School for a week-long experience of learning about God.

Please complete the short form below for more information or to enroll in Church School:

Nursery Care

Loving and safe childcare for babies and toddlers is available each Sunday. Children may be brought to the nursery before the service begins or during the service.

Each child is an individual with their own rate and style of learning. Cotuit Nursery School strives to have children learn to live comfortably within a group without losing their own individuality.

Children’s ideas allow them to make sense of the world — to think about things, plan, make predictions, and decide. Cotuit Nursery School’s program works toward the development of the whole child, including their ability to direct themselves.

Directed play promotes intellectual and emotional development, as well as physical and social well-being. In all of this, teachers strive to make the most of children’s learning potential and help the children build positive self-images as a learners.

The Cotuit Nursery School offers a Monday, Wednesday and Friday class or a Tuesday and Thursday class from 9am-12pm during the school year.

Here’s what parents say about their experience of Cotuit Nursery School:

“The Cotuit Nursery School is a welcome place for learners. My son loves going to school and his three hours are packed full of learning and fun. I would recommend this school to anyone looking for a loving caring, educational environment.”

“We really cannot say enough about Cotuit Nursery School! Our oldest daughter went a few years ago. She still remembers and talks lovingly about her teachers. We loved it so much we sent our other daughter there this year. The teachers are awesome! They really know how to make learning fun. They do lots of educational activities and go on the best field trips and the kids’ shows cannot be beat! They genuinely care about all their kids. As a parent, I can’t think of anything better than that!”

Learn more about the Cotuit Nursery School here:  

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Confirmation — Confirmation provides an opportunity for youth to explore the life of faith: youth learn about the bible and prayer, worship and mission & justice, church history and what it means to live in community.  The youth learn about God, Jesus, and the Spirit. They explore their call and vocation, and what makes life most meaningful and worth-living. They visit other houses of worship, go on retreat, and have service projects in the community.  

The class is open to youth in grades 8-12.  This class offered every other year provides meaningful spiritual experience for the young people in their lives.

Our Whole Lives — Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula for use in both secular settings and faith communities.

During the program year, Rev. Ballou leads Bible studies and small group discussions for participants to be transformed by God’s Word.

Sometimes the study is an intensive course that lasts the entire program year like Disciple: Becoming Disciples through Bible Study or Jesus in the Gospels.  Sometimes the courses are shorter with a focus on topics like forgiveness, prayer, or discipleship.

Often over the summer, the congregation together reads a book with a sermon series built around that theme.  Books have included: Wayne Muller’s Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, Richard Rohr’s Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps, or Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith.    

Peppered through the calendar year, there are opportunities for Second Hour educational opportunities following worship.  These range from conversations on racial equality to conversations with denominational leaders to the creation of the Kindness Rocks Project.  

Many people wonder where to begin in bible reading, if you are looking for a place to start, we would like to introduce you to the ancient practice of a daily lectionary reading.  The practice of using a Lectionary to assign particular Scripture readings to each Sunday and festival day (i.e. Christmas and Easter) dates back to the fourth century, and has continued through the history of the Christian Church.  You can find a link to this month’s daily reading here: https://www.macucc.org/Lectionary

Looking to follow along with UCC and the daily devotional? Are you looking for a devotional you can follow with friends and family? Look no further! Click the button below for more information.  Plug in link to the UCC Daily Devotional — http://www.ucc.org/feed_your_spirit or  http://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional

The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in 33 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing — both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the bible as their touchstone.  You can find the daily Upper Room devotional here:  https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals