Got Kids?
Jesus said to them, "Let the little children come to me..."
Mark 10:14
Mark 10:14
Visiting with kids?
Great! Here's what you need to know about bringing kids with you on Sunday:
Bible Classes 9:00-10:00 a.m. — We offer Bible classes for ages 2-18 and for adults. The greeters at the main entrance can point you to your classes. Kids are always welcome to stay with their adults, if they're more comfortable that way. For little ones under 2 years, the nursery and the toddler room (complete with lots of toys) are always open; parents can hear a Bible class or the worship service from speakers in both rooms.
Worship — We invite kids to join their adults during worship. But the nursery and toddler room are open at this time for your convenience, and we also offer Children's Church.
Children's Church is offered every Sunday except the last Sunday of the month. Halfway through the worship service, kids 2 years old through fourth grade are dismissed during a song just before the adult lesson. They move to the fellowship hall for a lesson, singing, and a craft, all designed just for kids. Their adults can pick them up in the fellowship hall after worship. On weeks when there is no Children's Church, kids are encouraged to stay in the sanctuary with their adults. This can make worship just a bit noisier than usual, but we appreciate the opportunity to train our youngsters how to participate in the entire church's worship.
Teen Ministry — Our teens meet together frequently for food, fun, service, and spiritual growth. The goal of our teen ministry is to help our teens grow into healthy adults who faithfully follow Jesus. Ask about upcoming teen events during your first visit, or contact us in advance.
Special Needs — We are accustomed to serving children with a variety of special needs. Yet every kid is different! If your child has special needs, please talk with us when you arrive—or contact us in advance—to help us understand what we can do to make it easier for your child and their adult(s) to be with us.
Bible Classes 9:00-10:00 a.m. — We offer Bible classes for ages 2-18 and for adults. The greeters at the main entrance can point you to your classes. Kids are always welcome to stay with their adults, if they're more comfortable that way. For little ones under 2 years, the nursery and the toddler room (complete with lots of toys) are always open; parents can hear a Bible class or the worship service from speakers in both rooms.
Worship — We invite kids to join their adults during worship. But the nursery and toddler room are open at this time for your convenience, and we also offer Children's Church.
Children's Church is offered every Sunday except the last Sunday of the month. Halfway through the worship service, kids 2 years old through fourth grade are dismissed during a song just before the adult lesson. They move to the fellowship hall for a lesson, singing, and a craft, all designed just for kids. Their adults can pick them up in the fellowship hall after worship. On weeks when there is no Children's Church, kids are encouraged to stay in the sanctuary with their adults. This can make worship just a bit noisier than usual, but we appreciate the opportunity to train our youngsters how to participate in the entire church's worship.
Teen Ministry — Our teens meet together frequently for food, fun, service, and spiritual growth. The goal of our teen ministry is to help our teens grow into healthy adults who faithfully follow Jesus. Ask about upcoming teen events during your first visit, or contact us in advance.
Special Needs — We are accustomed to serving children with a variety of special needs. Yet every kid is different! If your child has special needs, please talk with us when you arrive—or contact us in advance—to help us understand what we can do to make it easier for your child and their adult(s) to be with us.
Intergenerational Ministry for Spiritual Growth
Decades of research into teen ministry and children's ministry has demonstrated that the kids who are most likely to become lifelong followers of Jesus are those who are best integrated into the life of the whole church. This is especially true for teenagers as they grow into adulthood.
Intergenerational ministry begins at home, as parents/guardians model diligent discipleship to Jesus. Parents/guardians are a teen's or child's first examples of what it means to follow Jesus. If they are faithful, their teen or child is more likely to take faith seriously and follow Jesus as an adult.
Then intergenerational ministry expands into the life of the whole church. Studies consistently confirm that it is not those kids who come from a large, event-driven youth ministry who mature best in their faith, but those whose church's youth ministry required the kids to be involved with adults of faith: young adult role models, each other's parents, and grandparents and great-grandparents in the faith. These adults model adult faith in a way that kids' peers cannot—and that helps our kids to grow strong in their own faith.
For this reason, our youth ministry strategy is built around efforts to engage our kids not only with each other, but also with every generation in the congregation. We encourage parents to be active in teaching Bible classes, to join teen service activities, and to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. We play together, all ages. We organize opportunities for our teens to spend time together, but also to spend time connecting with older members of the church, often serving others together.
Our hope is that through our ministry to one another, every person—old and young, adult and teen and child—may receive everything they need to "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
Intergenerational ministry begins at home, as parents/guardians model diligent discipleship to Jesus. Parents/guardians are a teen's or child's first examples of what it means to follow Jesus. If they are faithful, their teen or child is more likely to take faith seriously and follow Jesus as an adult.
Then intergenerational ministry expands into the life of the whole church. Studies consistently confirm that it is not those kids who come from a large, event-driven youth ministry who mature best in their faith, but those whose church's youth ministry required the kids to be involved with adults of faith: young adult role models, each other's parents, and grandparents and great-grandparents in the faith. These adults model adult faith in a way that kids' peers cannot—and that helps our kids to grow strong in their own faith.
For this reason, our youth ministry strategy is built around efforts to engage our kids not only with each other, but also with every generation in the congregation. We encourage parents to be active in teaching Bible classes, to join teen service activities, and to be the spiritual leaders in their homes. We play together, all ages. We organize opportunities for our teens to spend time together, but also to spend time connecting with older members of the church, often serving others together.
Our hope is that through our ministry to one another, every person—old and young, adult and teen and child—may receive everything they need to "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
More for kids, teens, & families |
Game Nights
• board games, card games, etc. for all ages • (almost) every first Saturday of the month — contact the church office to confirm the date • come and go 6:00-9:00 p.m. |
Apple Day
• a Saturday in October — contact the church office for the date & location • apple-picking for all ages, only minutes from Yakima • pick all you want for yourself, your family, & your friends—then pick for Northwest Harvest food bank! |