Faith Lutheran Church
Procliaming, Living, and Growing in Faith
Children's Ministries Overview
Children's Ministries Mission Statement: To provide a dynamic, interactive experience to support our children's journey toward a mature Christian faith
There's nothing more rewarding than helping young children know, love, and follow Jesus Christ. The Children's Ministries program at Faith helps children develop a basic faith belief system that enables them to follow Jesus and rely on God.
- Kids In Christ's Kingdom (K.I.C.K.)
- Foundations of Faith
- X.O.S. (eXploring Our Strengths)
- Communion Preparation Classes
Faith's Sunday morning program is called Kids In Christ's Kingdom (K.I.C.K.) and is based on the rotation model developed in 1990 by a Presbyterian church in Chicago. (Visit www.rotation.org for more information about this style of teaching and learning.) The curriculum used for all rotation programs is based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This theory states that all students learn differently using different intelligences. Gardner's list of intelligences includes verbal, musical, visual, interpersonal, kinesthetic, logical, and naturalist.
The workshop rotation model teaches major Bible studies and concepts through kid-friendly multimedia workshops: art, drama, games, storytelling, and any other education media you can think of. The same Bible story is taught in all of the workshops for three weeks. The children are rotated to a different workshop each week, and the teacher for each workshop stays the same for three weeks. That way, the teacher only needs to prepare one lesson, with minor adjustments to make the lesson age appropriate, as needed.
It is with great pleasure that we at Faith are able to provide these various styles of learning to our children. Classes are held on Sunday mornings during the school year from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
All prekindergarten and kindergarten students are welcome to attend this Wednesday night program offered from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Hannah Hall. The class offers children a second opportunity during the week to learn about Bible stories, sing songs, do crafts, and play games. The program gives the children a time to laugh, have fun, be silly, and move closer to God with a special kind of seriousness.
X.O.S. (eXploring Our Strengths)
eXploring Our Strengths (X.O.S.) is a new program for first and second graders offered on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in Room 4 of Hannah Hall. Over the two-year course children will learn about strengths and self image, 12 specific spiritual gifts, and how these strengths affect our stewardship and discipleship. The concept of spiritual gifts will be introduced without labeling or naming specific strengths in each child. The goal of this program is to provide opportunities to discover strengths and to be an entry point for nurturing emerging gifts. Come join us for stories, music, and fun.
Holy communion at Faith Lutheran Church is open to all baptized Christians. We feel it is the responsibility of a parent or guardian to determine when a child will begin to partcipate. The ministry staff will provide age-appropriate learning opportunities on the subject of holy communion to first grade students and their parents, teaching the theological, biblical, and historical aspects of Holy Communion. Completion of these learning opportunities is not a prerequisite to participating Holy Communion.
The New Adventure Bible, a Bible written for those who are between the ages of 8 and 12, is presented to all 2nd graders at a Sunday-morning worship service each fall. Students and their parents are also encouraged to attend an Up With the Bible class that helps students understand the Bible and its many treasures.
Missions
The fourth Sunday of every rotation is set aside for children to learn about missions. The program is called Compassion4kids and focuses on how our children can minister to other children. All children, ages three through 4th grade, are involved in this caring ministry that will help them to continue to care for others as adults.
Early Childhood Ministries, Children's Ministries, 5th through 8th Grade Ministries, and Youth and Family Ministries are planning a family mission trip for the summer of 2008. The planning for this trip is just getting under way, and information will be added to this web page as it becomes available.
Special Programs
ADVENTure Sunday is a program in celebration of the beginning of Avent that takes place the Sunday morning after Thanskgiving during the education hour from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Many different crafts are made available in St. Michael's Hall, where the room comes alive with activities appropriate for all students. The program is an invitation for all children to begin the journey of Advent together.
Christmas Program
Each year the children of Faith bring the Christmas story to life through story-telling and exciting music. Two different programs take place: one for the three-year-old through kindergarten students and one for the 1st through 4th grade students. The programs involve not only the children, but also uses the talents of many adults. The program is offered on a Sunday afternoon during Advent.
Red Cross Babysitting Certification Class
This class teaches what you need to know and what every parent wants in a responsible babysitter. Designed youth age 11 and older, this class teaches you about how to interview for a babysitting job, choose safe and age-appropriate toys and games, perform first aid, learn diapering and feeding techniques, handle bedtime issues, learn tips for having a safe babysitting experience, and more!
Each summer, Faith offers various camps and programs. In the past there have been art, science, and Spanish camps. We have also had a summer reading program culminiating with a picnic with the pastors and a visit from a storyteller. Other summer programs are described below.
Vacation Bible Camp is held one week each summer, typically in June. The program is for students three years old through just completing the third grade. Students who have completed 4th grade and up have the opportunity to participate by volunteering to be crew leaders or teaching assistants.
Backyard Bible Camp is held one week each summer, typically the afternoons of VBC. The camp is for students just completing 4th through 7th grade. The program is run by Faith's 5th through 8th Grade Ministries Coordinator.