Childrens Ministry

 

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MINISTRY VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT

In Children’s Ministry here at First United Methodist Church, we dream of changing our world—one child at a time. We dream of children waking up on Sunday morning, excited to go to church and parents just as excited to take them. We envision lots of smiles as they are welcomed by familiar faces into bright classrooms where they can be kids and learn in an environment that is relevant to their age.

We dream of volunteers so passionate about kids that they teach, listen, and serve with laughter. Even first-time visitors relax as they step through the door.

We dream of a clean kid-friendly facility where many children experience God’s creativity through music, art, games and fun activities. We see a safe environment where moms and dads are happy to drop off their kids and can worship without distraction. We dream of a security policy that builds confidence with parents and protects volunteers and children.

We dream of children learning that they were created by the one and only God, who loves them and who sent his Son, Jesus, so that they may live and believe in him. We hear cheers from Kids Church, where children gather for worship with Bibles and offering, to learn, pray, discuss, and make life-long friendships.

We dream of prayerful adults leading boys and girls to Jesus and beaming with joy as they accept Christ as their Savior. We see whole families joining us and growing closer to God and each other through programs that motivate and equip parents and families as a whole.

We dream of changing our church, our community and our world by building a foundation of faith that leads to a life of devotion to Christ and multiplies the Kingdom of God, one family at a time.

Kids Church LIVE! is our Sunday morning worship service for Children preschool through 5th Grade. We meet during the 8:45 and 11:00 worship times upstairs in the Kids Church on Main Street room. Kids Church LIVE! is a high energy worship experience for kids! Kids learn about the Love of Christ through games, illusions, illustrations, media, and worship. Parents are welcome to sit in with us anytime.

MainStreetLogo.jpgKids Church on Main Street

Every Sunday, during each of our services at 8:45 and 11:00, we offer a service just for kids! Kids Church on Main is a high energy, interactive service for children where we will pray, sing, worship, and learn about the Love of Christ in many different ways. We might use raw eggs, build the wall of Jericho with blocks, make a working volcano or see if we can carry raw eggs across the room in a spoon without dropping it, but kids will also have a spiritual experience where the Bible is taught on their level so they can understand and apply it to their lives. Kids who are at least 4 years old, can sit still for 5-10 minutes and listen to a bible story without getting up and can answer questions by raising their hand may be ready to try Kids Church on Main!
serveworldlogo.jpgSERVE! Is a ministry that takes place each Wednesday nights from 6:00-7:00 p.m. where children and their parents/guardians will have an opportunity to show our community the love of Christ together. Each week will consist of different projects we will do or different guest speakers who will come in and talk about missions and evangelism. Most weeks we will have a short message from Holly, our Children’s Ministry Director, then we will begin our service projects. This is an opportunity for families to do things like, make care packages for local hospitals, make cards for elderly shut-ins or those in the hospital, and some weeks we will be leaving the church to go SERVE! out in the community. We may go hand out Gatorade and frisbees at the park, we may take care baskets to local emergency rooms for those who are stuck in the waiting rooms, returning grocery carts in the parking lot or maybe feed parking meters at the hospitals for people. This is a great time to teach our children how to serve others and to watch as we do it alongside them. It also provides time for spiritual conversations between parents and their children. We will have matching T-Shirts that say, “Kindness in Progress The Church has left the building!” Our service cards will say, “This act of kindness was done for you because we think small things done in the name of Christ can change the world. First United Methodist Church Gallatin, TN.” It will include our church information as well.

 RotationStation.jpgSunday Rotation Station: During the adult Sunday School hour, kids will enjoy an interactive time of Discipleship where learning about Jesus is new and exciting each week. Kids are divided into age groups where they will rotate each week to different stations to learn about the Love of Christ. The stations will include exciting “The Theater, The Café, The Library, The Science Lab, and the Art Gallery. Stations will vary from month to month. Children will enjoy variety each week as they learn about the theme of the month in different ways, such as movies, cooking class, games, storytime, and mission projects.  See the information boards at the church to find out which station your child will be at this week.  Rotation Station begins on Sept. 11th 2011.

 nurseryMinistryLogo.jpgNursery Ministry Our hired and trained nursery staff provide more than just quality childcare.  Nursery is provided during all church programming and can be requested for special meetings and bible studies within the church.  The goal of our nursery staff is to go beyond just caring for the child, but ministering to the whole family.  We believe that ministry to children is also ministry families.;

 

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NAPS Nursery and Preschool Our full time licensed preschool operates Monday through Friday from 6:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  Children will have an educational experience to get them ready for Kindergarten and also be learning about how much God loves them as we blend solid educational curriculum with a strong bible based curriculum.  If you are interested in touring our facility or speaking with our NAPS Director, Shelly Barber, please call the church office.  615-452-1922 

Other ministries, events, activities, and visions planned or that take place throughout the year:

Starbucks for Preschoolers-Weekly story time at Starbucks where preschoolers bring their parents for coffee while we learn preschool colors, shapes and numbers and learn how much Jesus loves us!  (will begin in 2012)

Vacation Bible School takes place each year during the summer

Church-wide Easter Celebration and Egg Hunt takes place the Saturday before Easter at a local farm.  Includes egg hunt, free burgers and hot dogs for all, kite flying, music and more.

Summer Fun Days are sceduled after school ends for the summer.  Activities are random throughout the summer and may include:  Pool parties, picnics, movies and more.  Activities are usually free or very low in cost to parents.

Family Movie Nights takes place during the school year.  A few nights a year, we will host a family movie night where parents and children can enjoy a movie at the church.  Snacks and drinks are provided.  Children enjoy a kid-friendly G-rated movie upstairs in the kids area and adults and older children enjoy a movie downstairs together.

Superfriends Special Needs Ministry-special needs children have a one-to-one buddy during children's regular programming to help include them in regular programming but provide them an opportunity to step away from the other children if they ever feel overwhelmed or just need a break.  We are praying that God provides the right people to begin this ministry in the near future.

Fusion- A ministry to 3rd-5th grade kids designed to provide opportunities for spiritual growth and to build life-long friendships with their Christian friends.  Activities will include, bible study, lock-ins, mission trips, fun outings and more.  This ministry is just beginning and we are looking for people who feel led to help lead in this ministry area.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to be involved with Children’s Ministry or have any questions. Holly Roe-Children’s Ministry Director This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

see my blog  at www.hollyroeonthego.blogspot.com