Family Ministry
Sundays are a time for the whole family to be blessed by the gospel. We make every effort to meet, love, and teach the kiddos at their current level while challenging and preparing them for the next steps in their relationship with Christ and the church. There is something for everyone from the moment you walk through the door.
All of our children’s ministries are staffed by volunteers who have obtained the necessary clearances.
Check-In
We invite you to head downstairs to visit our check-in counter as you enter the building. If you are planning to utilize any of our care or teaching ministries, you can register your family and obtain an ID sticker for your little ones. This will enable our volunteer staff to recognize your child and keep contact information readily available. This is also a place to ask questions and gather more information about our ministries.
If you are planning on remaining together during the entire worship service, there is a clipboard available at the counter with sermon activities that will help the younger members of your family follow along. If you plan to stay during the Sunday school hour (following the service), you do not need to visit the counter again. Our volunteers will transition the kiddos from one set of volunteers to the next.
Nursery & Toddlers
During our Sunday gatherings, we are happy to provide loving care for the youngest children. Our Nursery is open and staffed 15 minutes prior to the service, just downstairs from our sanctuary. The Nursery is available for young ones from birth until they are ready for the more active Toddler Room.
Toddlers typically remain with their families during the first portion of our worship service. We love having families sing God’s praise together. As the sermon begins, we issue an invitation for participating families to escort their toddlers (age 2 through 4) downstairs to the Toddler Room where they will be greeted and loved by our volunteer staff. We also have speakers in our foyer should you need to step outside during the service.
Kiddos
Most Sundays during the school year, our kiddos (age 5 through 10) are dismissed during the sermon to our Education Building (just across the sidewalk from our main sanctuary) for a Bible lesson. Children are certainly welcome to remain with their families and grab one of our sermon clipboards. If they participate in Kiddos Church, they will receive Christ-centered biblical teaching, prayer, and perhaps a few minutes to burn some energy with an activity!
Our curriculum is based on the Gospel-Centered family devotional materials by Marty Machowski. This approach means that the church and the family can work side-by-side through the whole Bible over a number of years utilizing the same resources. We encourage families to purchase the devotionals (or to ask if they’d like a copy from the church!) so that we can cooperate to raise a generation familiar with the glorious truth of salvation in Jesus.
On Communion Sundays (first Sundays), we return the kiddos to the sanctuary before attending the table so that families can celebrate together. We prepare the children for the Supper by reminding them of its significance and encouraging them to trust their parents regarding their ability to participate.
Following worship, we have a Sunday school hour where the day’s Bible story is reinforced and taught with greater depth. Repetition is a great blessing, and the kiddos respond well to having the story retold (perhaps from a different Story Bible or with different story helps). This second hour is a great opportunity for the whole family to grow even more as disciples of Christ.
Please ask questions!
If you have questions regarding any of our discipleship ministries, please don’t hesitate to contact the church or ask a pastor or volunteer on Sunday morning. We are happy to explain, to help, to pray, or to encourage!