Philosophy of Children’s Ministry

Children’s Ministry

Purpose

We eagerly desire to assist parents in telling the children of Grace the glorious deeds of the Lord (Psalm 78:4).  Our goal is to exalt the Lord so that our children would set their hope in God and not forget His wonderful works (Psalm 78:7).  Realizing that there will most likely be a combination of believing and unbelieving children, we are committed to the following:

Evangelizing unbelieving children – Unbelieving children are continually pointed to the person and work of Jesus Christ as their only hope for salvation.  Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit would open their hearts to receive the good news of the gospel through saving faith and repentance.

Equipping believing children – Believing children need to know how to please the Lord in every area of their life.  Our commitment is to teach these young believers the essential truths from the Bible that will help them love the Lord with all their heart and grow in their Christian walk.

Programs and Events

Sunday School (9:00 am & 10:30 am)

We use Generations of Grace in children’s Sunday School each week.  GOG is a curriculum that covers the entire Bible every three years.  God is the main character in each lesson and children will see His sovereign plan of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.  Preschoolers through 6th grade are taught the same lesson in age appropriate classes, so that families can discuss together what they are learning each week.

GraceKids (Wednesdays 6:30 pm – 8:20 pm)

GraceKids is an action-packed night that features three components:

Catechism

Catechism is a specific type of instruction that began in the early church and taught Christians the essential truths of the gospel.  Using a question and answer format, children will memorize over 100 questions that will build their faith and help them gain an understanding of the great plan of redemption.  Those who memorize all the answers to these important questions become members of the “Catechism Club” and are awarded a trophy at the end of the year.

Choir

An important part of GraceKids is singing!  Kids learn many of the hymns of the past as well as great new songs to help them lift their hearts and voices to the Lord.  Various opportunities are also provided throughout the year for the children’s choir to minister to the church and community with their voices.

Games

Kids will burn off plenty of energy during game time!  Our gamemasters make the night exciting with an assortment of fun games and activities.  This is also a practical time to help children learn to work together, follow directions, and show kindness to others.

Events

VBS

Vacation Bible School gives us a great opportunity for one week during the summer to share the gospel to not only kids at GCC, but children from the community as well.  Gifted and creative teachers present Bible lessons each day and crafts, drama, and games help reinforce the lesson.

Reformation Day

Kids need to know about the great heroes of the faith and Reformation Day (October 31) provides the perfect opportunity to introduce them to men and women God has used throughout church history.  The night is spent helping families remember the impact of God’s Word on Christians of the past.  Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and George Whitefield are just a few of the saints we have learned about on Reformation Day.  The Reformation Carnival has become one of the highlights of the year!

Nursery

We are pleased to provide a clean nursery for infants and toddlers during all Sunday and Midweek services.  Faithful volunteers provide a loving and caring environment for your children while you are in the worship service.  The two and three year old class is taught simple truths from the Bible during the Sunday morning service.