Faith Lutheran Church
Procliaming, Living, and Growing in Faith
Early Childhood Ministries Overview
Jesus said, " Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." Matthew 19:14-15
- Faith's Infants, Children, and Youth Safety Policy
- Early Childhood Ministries Newsletter: Tiny Tot Times, April 2008
Early Childhood Ministries (ECM) ministers to families with children ages birth through kindergarten. Click on one of the list items below to go directly to that topic or scroll through the topics in the following order.
- Birth Protocol
- Cradle Roll
- Bibles
- Tiny Tot Times Newsletter
- Moms' Night Out
- Social Events
- Service Projects
- Parenting Seminars
- Early Childhood Ministries Staff
- Quiet Corner
- Nursery
- Kindermusik at Faith
When you are expecting a child, whether it's a birth or adoption, please notify the church office at 225-8334. We want to help you celebrate your family's new addition. A rose will be placed on the altar in celebration of your child's life. A fellow church member will bring a bag of goodies and information about baptism and Early Childhood Ministries programming to your home.
After your birth protocol visit, you will start receiving mailings from the church. The materials are sent to families during the first three years of a child's life with suggestions and resources for sharing God's love with your young child.
To help fulfill our church's mission to parents and children, we are committed to providing an age-appropriate Bible to all children. Bibles are presented to both one-year-olds and three-year olds at the beginning of the programming year each fall. If your child has not received a Bible, please contact the church office.
Early Childhood Ministries' newsletter, Tiny Tot Times, has been published monthly since January 2002. The newsletter comes filled with great information to help your family. Devotions, crafts, great books, info about parenting classes, nursery news, and upcoming events are included in each issue. If you are not currently getting the newsletter and would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact the church office at 225-8334.
Moms of young children at Faith meet socially once a month for an evening of relaxing fellowship. Check the calendar on this website, the Faith Weekly insert in the bulletin. or Tiny Tot Times for information about up upcoming get togethers. Past nights out have included a holiday cookie exchange, dinner or dessert at various restaurants, and a movie hight.
Early Childhood Ministries plans social events throughout the year for the entire family. These events are meant to provide an opportunity for social intereaction with other families from Faith. Annual social events include a Halloween party, Valentine party, Easter egg hunt, and parent-child classes and outings. ECM also plans adult-only social events for the parents of young children. Past events have included a beer-tasting and a wine-tasting party.
Early Childhood Ministries service projects provide an opportunity for parents to provide an example for their children by helping others. Each Christmas, ECM coordinates a service project where Faith families with young children and the entire congregation work together to provide Christmas gifts for homeless families with young children in the Interfaith Hospitality Network Network.
Early Childhood Ministries offers parenting seminars throughout the year. The focus is on what parents can learn from their faith and each other to strengthen their parenting skills. Check the calendar on this website, the Faith Weekly insert in the bulletin. or Tiny Tot Times for information about up upcoming seminars.
Early Childhood Ministries Staff
Melinda Littler and Kelli Punelli are Faith's Early Childhood Ministries coordinators. They work with the ECM planning committee to plan and oversee the activities and programs for Faith families with children ages birth through kindergarten.
Your children are more than welcome to go to worship services with you. Because there may be times they get restless during the service and need a break, a quiet corner is located in the commons just outside the church office. The quiet corner is outfitted with a church pew, child-sized table and chairs, quiet toys and books, and a soft rug.
Children are welcome at all worship services. However, the nursery downstairs is available for children from six weeks to through age three. The nursery is staffed with one paid worker and one volunteer during each worship service. The nursery is available during worship services on Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon during the school year and from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. in the summer. The nursery is also available from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings during the school year for Faith Night programming and for other special events.
A Kindermusik class is offered at Faith on Wednesday mornings during the school year. The director of the program is Linda Christiansen from Early Childhood Music of Des Moines. For information about the classes and prices, call Linda at 279-6656.