Spirit Space is the new children’s education program at Fairlawn,
Sunday mornings 10:30-11:30 am (continues all through the summer)

It’s all about encouraging imagination, wonder and living out faith in our choices and actions. We offer an innovative, multi-age, choice-based program for children up to grade 8 with a variety of programs including videography, poetry, visual arts, dance, and dramatic arts to engage children to explore their spirituality and develop kindness to others.

Here are our exciting, talented Program Specialists working with Spirit Space, under the direction of the Minister of Children and Youth.

Samentia Wilson

Hi I’m Samentia Wilson, a familiar face to Spirit Space. I was there for the inception of Spirit Space and was so excited about what it would mean for children to learn new, practical and dynamic ways to interact with God and explore spirituality by asking questions, sometimes tough questions. I am still with Spirit Space, and now work with our Tweens of the Spirit Space Dream Team, and with Young Adults. The tough question are still being asked; however, they are coupled with a new sense of responsibility as we look at who we are in the big picture, and how small actions can have a big impact using a social justice framework.

My passion is community, and I have had the opportunity to work with approximately 20 females between the ages of 8 and 36 in a variety of art forms, mainly dance. We ‘dance to inspire’ and do that one performance at a time. My accomplishments for the community were acknowledged and I was awarded the Community Award by ‘Community Engagement Empowerment’ in 2017.

I was baptized in June 2007 in the ‘Church of God Sabbath-Keeping’ faith. There I have over 7 years of experience working with children and youth of various ages in the capacity of Youth/Dance Leader and teacher. Everyone’s journey is a unique one, and I am so pleased that my journey gets to include my experiences here at Fairlawn.

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Jennifer Elliott

My name is Jennifer. My two daughters and I are excited to join the wonderful community at Fairlawn!

I have been volunteering as a teacher and Church School Superintendent at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, Toronto for the past 5 years. I have a Lay Ministry certificate from Knox College. I have a background as a Child and Youth Worker with a special focus on crisis intervention. I have worked with children from birth-teens in daycares, schools, community programs, camps, church and residential settings. I am an Independent Childcare Provider and operate a small daycare out of my home.

I love working with children. They light up my life and fill me with awe and wonder every single day. I enjoy getting messy with art and craft and active with fun games and dramatic play, as well as challenging the growing minds. My role as a teacher in the church allows me to teach them the basics of Christian living through activities that will have them eager to return each week.

I am looking forward to building new relationships with the families and members of Fairlawn.

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Alex Jebson

My name is Alex Jebson, and I am absolutely thrilled to be working with the Spirit Space. I am currently completing my MDiv at Emmanuel College, feeling called to work in a rural, inter-generational setting in the long-term (having grown up on a dairy farm). With that in mind, I love working with children and incorporating their imaginative and thought-provoking ideas into the larger congregation. My goal in this space is to help kids understand that it is okay to explore their faith, big and small questions. I want to help them understand what a church is, how diverse Christian belief is, and where they can fit into it, as well as explore other religious traditions. The more uncomfortable the questions, the better! I have several passions, which include the arts, especially music. If you hear someone warbling in the halls, it’s probably me. I also have a passion for history, and have worked for several years at a pioneer village, where I developed youth programming around their old church. I love to present the aspects of faith in many different and creative ways, and provide the historical context so that youth can better understand their own faith journeys. As I go through my Masters and explore the tough faith questions, I can’t wait to share this faith journey with the children at Fairlawn United, and I hope to help them explore their own faith. I look forward to building relationships with you all at Fairlawn!

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