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Children's Ministry (Director
- Laura Gingrich)
Summer Events
July 19-21, 2012
Family Camp
Several First Church families had a blast last summer and more are planning to
join us as we return to Mt. Asbury in 2012! Be sure to check out the many other
great camps that are offered through the Susquehanna Conference at
www.susumcamps.org - scholarships are available - contact Laura Gingrich for
more information.
August 6-10, 2012
Vacation Bible School
Every summer the First Church Family opens its doors to the community for a week
of
fun, fellowship and faith development for children in preschool through fifth
grade. We are very excited about this year’s curriculum - God’s Good Green
Earth! - written by Audrey Wilder!
Our Church is a Safe Sanctuary
for
Children
FUMC
adopted and implemented a
Safe Sanctuary
Program to make certain that our children are revered in the way Jesus intended
and that coming to church is a happy occasion. Under the
policy, which protects both children and
vulnerable adults from abusive situations, we have taken steps to
make certain that opportunities for such situations are minimized and that
we have effective means in place for reporting and addressing suspected abuse,
whether it should happen at church or during a church activity, or elsewhere.
There are heightened
screening procedures for new and existing
employees, as well as for volunteers who have regular contact with our
children. These procedures include criminal background checks, child abuse
history clearances and reference checks. FUMC's standard practice
for activities including children is that two adults are present at all
times. On occasions where two adults cannot be
present all the time, a second adult will be available and checking
in on the group periodically.
If a volunteer or
church employee receives a good faith report of abuse of a child,
reporting processes are in
place to insure information gets
reported to the pastors and to the authorities in a prompt manner that maintains
the confidentiality of the child and the person accused while an investigation
is completed. We train employees
and volunteers about our Safe Sanctuary Program and trust the result of our
efforts will be an environment that helps our church and its employees and volunteers
to
serve children in the manner Christ intended.
Sunday
School
Sunday
School is an opportunity for children to come and learn more about
Christian faith in a small group setting. Classes are offered every
Sunday morning from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. for children age two
through grade 5.
Thee Owl's
Nest
Preschoolers enjoy and learn in The Owl's nest on Sunday mornings from
9:30-10:30 a.m. Located adjacent to the nursery, this program follows a preset
curriculum for this age group and includes music, a Bible story, craft, games
and a snack.
The Tree House
If you are in grades Kindergarten through fifth, come join The Tree House on
Sunday mornings from 9:30-10:30. We start off with a short worship time together
before separating into our grade levels to go to workshops.
Nursery
Care
Nursery
care is provided for infants and toddlers during all three Sunday
morning worship services (7:45 a.m. - noon) and during many of our
weekday events. Please see our Nursery
page for more information.
Seeds
“Seeds”,
a children’s group for those in grades K-2,
is a place "Where growing with God is fun for everyone!" Bring your friends!
Seeds in the Primary Sunday school
classrooms from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Sprouts
“Sprouts,”
a children’s group for those in grades 3-5, is a place where children grow closer to God as they learn about covenant
discipleship through prayer, discussions, mission projects and fun activities.
Invite your friends to join us! Sprouts meet
from 6:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m. in the Lounge.
Musical
Programs for Children
There
are many opportunities for children to be involved with music at
First Church. Please see our Music
Ministry page for more information.
Mothers
Together
Something
special for Mothers! Mothers Together, a fun fellowship group for
moms of infants and young children, meets during the school year
from
9:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. on various dates. Come join this delightful
group of ladies! Contact
Laura
Gingrich
at
533-9668
for more information. Please see our
Adult Ministry page for more
small groups.
Parent Resources
Children in Worship
We welcome children in all worship services! This
brochure describes children's actions and thoughts in worship encouraging you to
bring your children to worship.
How Adults Can Nurture Children in the Christian Faith
Ideas for how to nurture Christian faith in our
kids inside and outside the church.
Sensory Sensitivity Inventory
There are children in our community that have sensory sensitivities
that may make it challenging for them to participate as fully as they
would wish during worship and other church gatherings. Please fill out
this inventory so we can become more adaptable and accommodating as a
church community.
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