Children Ministries
Praise Kids is a program of music for our children. Jan Watts (FCC’s Minister of Music) meets with children ages 3 through 5th grade from 8:45 until 9:00 every Sunday morning. This meets in the Choir Room which is room #104 off the Christian Life Center.
Each of our Children’s Sunday School classes have a team of three dedicated teachers that are on a rotating schedule. We are using the Bible based curriculum Faith Weaver.
Our Children’s Sunday School Program is made up of the following classes (all of these rooms are off the Christian Life Center):
Nursery - Infants 3 months through 3 years. Our nursery is open to older children with special needs and on special occasions - meet in Room # 106.
Our nursery is staffed by two qualified adults. Each year the Caregivers earn six Continuing Education Units in Child Care.
Sunday School - Classes for ages 4 years - 5th grade are held every Sunday at 9:00 a.m..
3 and 4 year olds - meet in Room # 107
5 & 6 ( 1st. grade) year olds meet in Room #105
2nd & 3rd grade meet in Room #209
4th & 5th grade meet in Room #211
FCC has a great youth program on Sunday evenings for children 4 years- 12 grades. Our youth groups are:
“Worship and Wonder” is a ministry for children that takes place on Sunday mornings during adult worship service. The program is for “rising” four year old children (children three years old who have attended preschool) through 4th graders. The children will come forward during the adult worship service to receive a blessing from the minister. The children are then dismissed to go to their special Worship Center in our Library- next to our sanctuary.
The ministry is structured in such a way that it encourages children to experience God while learning the stories of God. It involves helping children to worship in a special Worship Center apart from the worshiping congregation. As the children grow and mature, worship becomes more meaningful.
This ministry uses Montessori approach of storytelling as a primary means for encountering God. God is experienced. It gives appropriate freedom, so young children can respond to stories of God through continued work with the story figures and art materials. It enables young children to bring their life experiences into dialogue with God within the context of the biblical stories. And, remarkably, it provides a way for young children to tell the stories of God to others.
A trained Storyteller and two Greeters lead in the worship experience. Each child is personally welcomed by a Greeter as they prepare to enter the “Worship and Wonder” Center. The children and Storyteller sit in a circle on the floor. Children praise God through singing as well as signing the songs each Sunday. They experience Bible stories , the parables and sacred stories by expressing what they have learned through artwork or revisiting a previous story. They share in this sacred worship service which concludes with a “feast” (crackers and juice). Children may bring an offering to God or they may present their artwork as a gift to God during the worship experience.
At the close of our adult worship in the sanctuary, parents/grandparents come and wait at the door of the “Worship and Wonder” Center. Each child receives a personal blessing from the Storyteller after which they are individually dismissed to their caregiver.
What a blessing it is to be able to share God’s love with these young children is such a special way. We hope that your child will join us soon as together we learn about God’s love.
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