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Worship With Us:
Kids and Youth By Beth Faga The past year the kids
have had multiple opportunities to appear publicly before the larger church
community during performances designed for VBS, Christmas, Mother's Day and
Father's Day. They also participated in a visual art display with the broader
community for our Easter celebration. We introduced new curriculums,
child-only worship times, service projects for the older children,
collaborative projects with all of the children in our program, and a
partnership of eager children's ministry workers who are constantly dreaming
of ways to improve on the program currently in place. Nursery (Birth to 2 years) Our Nursery program
has continued to grow. We average 10-12 children per week, ranging between
the ages of 6 weeks to 2 years old. We hired a full time nursery worker who
is responsible for supervising and preparing the nursery each week. She has
been a great addition to our nursery and it is a real benefit to have her
familiar face in there each week. We also continue to utilize parent
volunteers on a rotating basis. Preschool (3-5 years) The preschool
program utilized a curriculum adapted form the book "God's Little
Handbook for Children". A typical lesson consisted of circle time,
prayer and sharing, a story that related to the theme of the day, and finally
an activity to support the theme. A few projects and activities that the kids
really enjoyed included making their own placemats, mobiles, prayer bracelets
and colored sand jars with a hidden treasure. We average 8-10 children, aged
3-5 in this classroom each week who are taught by volunteers from
within our congregation. Kid's Church (K-4th Grade) We began 2006
exploring Old Testament prophets. The summer months were filled with lessons
on Jesus' Parables that easily lent themselves to object lessons and creative
learning (written by Kate and Kari). The fall was kicked off with a new
teacher-friendly curriculum called Fruit of the Spirit, where each lesson
uses a Bible story to highlight a fruit of the spirit. We strive to make
Jesus more and more tangible to the kids by giving them a foundation of who
He is. This is all made possible by the devoted and committed 5-person
volunteer teaching rotation of 2006. Jr. High (5th - 8th Grade) We purchased and
used a great curriculum for this aged kids, called Pulse. This was used the
first half of 2006. It introduced relevant topics to the kids, focusing on
biblical truths. The curriculum was super-easy for teachers to follow and
provided great games and discussion questions for the kids. It was well
received by the kids. In September, the kids began learning to do inductive
bible study, beginning with Genesis. They have spent the fall playing games
based on what their bible study is and delving into the Word. They also
perform a skit for the Kid's Church once every six weeks that is based on the
fruits of the spirit. Wildfire By Larry Meyer Wildfire Youth Ministry (5th - 12th Grade): In September, our
church started a new youth group called Wildfire Youth Ministry. We started
the group with approximately 15 kids and ended the year averaging about 25
kids at our meetings. Our focus is to reach the unreached and to strengthen
the faith of those who believe. We challenge the kids to live like Jesus. In
order to do that, they need to know what Jesus did, who he was, why he came,
and most importantly...they need to know him personally. We read from the
Bible, pray, worship, play and build community among the kids. Probably most
importantly, we're having a great time together! "We challenge the kids to live like Jesus. In order to do that, they need to know what Jesus did, who he was, why he came, and most importantly ...they need to know him personally. "
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