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Children's Ministry (Director
- Laura Gingrich)
Our Church is a Safe Sanctuary
for
Children
When Jesus told the masses to Let the children
come to me, he set the standard for
including children in our faith, our worship and our church.
Over the last few years, our
church has
adopted and implemented a
Safe Sanctuary
Program that takes large strides to make certain that our -Chil.jpg) children are revered in the way Jesus intended, that coming to church is a happy occasion,
and that the tragedies that have befallen children in other places of worship do not happen here. Under our new
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.
Under our policy, 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. Further, our standard practice
for activities including children is that two adults are present at all
times. Remember, the more volunteers we have serving the church, the easier
it is to meet this standard! On those 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, we
have reporting processes in place that insure that the 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 are training our employees
and volunteers about our Safe Sanctuary Program and trust that the result of our
efforts will be an environment that helps our church and its many valued and trusted employees and volunteers
to
serve children in the manner Christ intended. Children are welcome at FUMC-Hershey!
(Photo by Bill Fraley)
Safe
Sanctuary Training – If you work with children or youth at FUMC-Hershey, you must
meet our
Safe Sanctuary Policy guidelines.
Contact
Carol,
533-9668, for the next training session.
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.
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.
Toddlers and Preschoolers meet in the nursery on
the main floor. Kindergarteners through Fifth Graders meet on the bottom
floor. Dedicated teachers, carefully
chosen curriculum, and special events combine to create a meaningful
program. Youth and Adult Sunday School classes, a Contemporary
Worship service, and nursery care for infants are also available
during this worship hour.
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 meet once a month 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
twice a month
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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