Our Children's Ministry is an integral piece of what we call Family Life! The goal is to partner with families and equip parents as the primary faith influencer. We operate using the ORANGE philosophy of ministry. The ORANGE philosophy basically states that we as the church (red) only get to influence students for a few hours a week, whereas the family (yellow) gets the lion's share of time with the students. So we want to work together to achieve a balance of spiritual influence in the most impactful way possible (ORANGE)!
Our programs at the church are broken down into 3 areas of ministry, each suited for different age ranges.
Kids in 1st-6th grade can be checked in at the same location but will remain with their parents or guardians in the service until dismissal just before the sermon.
Please be sure that each child has their name tag on & that parents or guardians have their parent pick-up tag for pick up after service.
If you are planning to come for the first time, we invite you to pre-register your family at this link. We can’t wait to meet you!
Ready, Set, Go!
In the “Ready, Set, Go!” rooms of our children's ministry, we are prepared and excited to be one of the first people in your baby’s life to share with them the love of our Lord and Savior!
Our nursery volunteers are present each Sunday from 10:15 a.m. until the end of Sunday worship to care for and interact with your little one. We have our babies separated into two rooms…the infant side will welcome those “itty bitties” who might be exploring, but are not yet up for walking around with our very active toddlers. Our toddlers through 2 1/2 years of age will enjoy time in the room located next door. We take our responsibilities seriously in the care of your children but do have the ability to use a check-in system to contact you via text during the service if needed. All of our volunteers have their clearances & background checks.
During your child’s time with us, we will focus on sharing with them three amazing truths.
1. *God made me*
2. *God loves me*
3. *Jesus wants to be my forever friend*
In “Ready, Set, Go!” we believe that from Birth, children can learn what Jesus has told us in Matthew 19:14 NIV “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
We can’t wait to see you and your little ones very soon!!
Fuel Up
We have tons of fun in store for your little ones. From the time they turn 2 1/2 through their Kindergarten year, they will be with us in Fuel Up. Children ages 2 1/2 through 3 years old will be in Room #1 & those who are 4 years old through Kindergarten will be in Room #2. Our curriculum is developmentally appropriate & designed to give children a first impression of their loving heavenly Father. It is simple and fun repeating one basic truth all month.
We have crazy fun activities, games, crafts, Bible story time, worship time, & small group time. This is all part of the plan to help a child believe three key things by the time they are 5 years old:
*GOD MADE ME*
*GOD LOVES ME*
*JESUS WANTS TO BE MY FOREVER FRIEND*
We also equip parents with resources for the home. We call them Parent CUES because they’re designed to “cue” parents to leverage everyday moments with their child to Connect to God’s story, to Uncover something about life, and to Experience something together.
Parent Time:
Rich in vision, monthly “Parent Time” helps parents of babies and toddler imagine the end. Each month parents are reminded that a child is never to young to hear God loves him.
Small Talk:
Designed for older preschoolers, weekly “Small Talk” helps parents create a rhythm at home with ideas for incorporating faith learning into Play Time, Drive Time, Bath Time and Cuddle Time.
Your child's safety is extremely important to us. All of our leaders & volunteers are trained & have undergone background & clearance checks.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Melissa Hickman, Family Life Pastor
Jump Start
Welcome to our Elementary Ministry for kids in 1st through 6th grade!
Our goal is for our kids to discover Jesus through the Bible, apply God’s word to their lives, and develop a biblical worldview. Our *brite curriculum is built on the resilient child discipleship philosophy which has found that kids who experience belonging, believing, and becoming have a more robust faith. We want all kids to become resilient disciples of Jesus Christ by coming to know not only who Jesus is, but realizing they are part of the body of Christ (Belong). We also want kids to place their faith in Jesus (Believe) and share that faith so that others can come to know the love of Jesus (Become).
Each month we introduce a new theme and memory verse that reflects the theme as well as the weekly *brite ideas, which is a simple phrase that kids can remember that sums up the bible passage and what it means for us!
Each week there are “kid questions” that relate to the bible story that is phrased in kid language to foster understanding of what they are learning, why it is important, and how it can be applied to their lives. The theme of the practical questions each week are as follows, “HE” – a question about God, “WE” – a question about People, “ME” – a question about our purpose. These three questions are answered at the end of our Bible story time.
What do Sunday mornings look like for our Elementary students?
Sunday mornings begin at the electronic check-in stations where parents print out a name tag for their child to wear, containing their information as well as a matching Guardian label that will be presented at pick-up time to ensure that each child is picked up safely.
After children are dismissed from the worship service (just prior to the sermon) they will go with their leaders up to Jump Start for a Large Group time of worship & Bible story.
Once upstairs, we’ll break into small groups based on grade level as we dig deeper into the Bible story, practice how to find verses in the Bible, and have hands-on activities to reinforce the lesson.
Children will be picked up after service by their adult with the guardian label and leave with a Challenge Experience or activity to complete throughout the week to further encourage them to dig deeper. Parents will receive a monthly Parent Guide that shares our monthly Bible stories and memory verse, as well as conversation starters to help to continue the conversations that we’ve started here at church.
Connie Gratzer, Children's Ministry Director
