We take that trust seriously and want to build a great partnership with you.
We offer nursery care for our 0-3 year olds all during service, and our older kids (PreK-5th grade) are invited out mid-service for story, crafting and play.
Here are some other things you might like to know…
“What do you talk about with my kids?” & at-home ideas, plus an invite to SIGN UP for a short weekly email with the lesson plan for the upcoming Sunday.
How We Think About Kids Ministry
Parents/caregivers are their kids’ primary spiritual guides. So what is your family faith culture? No need to have it all figured out, it will grow over time! And we want to come alongside and help you, of course. Check out this amazing webinar we had a while ago led by our friend Meredith Miller (above), all about spiritual parenting. Meredith is a pastor and author of the recently published book “Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Kid Doesn’t Have to Heal From.”
Faith is so much more than just knowing Bible stories, verses or “right answers.” It’s about wonder and a relationship with God, self and others that grows and changes over time. We’ll share many Bible stories with our school age kids, yes, but the purpose is to engage the kids’ hearts as well as their heads. So we’ll invite the kids to ask questions, esp. about what they notice about God in each story, and then give them opportunities to respond. (Most likely, they’ll hear each story time and time again over their faith life, and notice new things, ask new questions, and respond in new ways each time. Isn’t that amazing?)
The ways kids learn is embodied and relational. So our time together will emphasize play, creativity and care. If they don’t feel safe and loved while we’re together, how could they possibly trust the loving God we talk about?
Your volunteer participation is valued, but not required. “Unforced” is one of CCLB’s core values, so all our once-a-month volunteers are truly volunteers! Maybe you’re in a burnt out season, maybe there’s some other way you want to contribute to CCLB’s community life. We offer Kid Min on as many Sundays a month as we have volunteers willing, which right now is 4x/month! Contact Diani diani@citychurchlb.org to learn more about volunteering - the more the merrier!
Practical Sunday Morning Details
Safety
All our volunteers are background checked. They also serve together in pairs and are trained on things like appropriate boundaries in showing physical affection.
Nursery, 0-3 years old
Nursery opens at 10:20am, before the 10:30am service.
We encourage you to bring a stocked diaper bag, including sippy cups/bottles and any snacks.
We have a nanny cam available through Zoom if you’d like eyes on your little one from the service!
Kid Min, PreK-5th grade
Older kids begin in service with their families & are invited out with their leaders after a few songs and prayer.
It would be great for your kids to bring water bottles! We don’t do snack in Kid Min, but there are always granola bars, etc. out at the front coffee table.
In Kid Min, kids split into two age groups to rotate through two stations: playground with games and crafts; and story & activity in the classroom.
Pick Up
We know it’s so tempting to get into big conversations when service ends! Our volunteers will be so grateful if you come sign your kids out first, then hang out and talk. (Your kids will enjoy the extra time on the playground while you chat, too!)
“What do you talk about with my kids?” & at-home ideas
If you’d like, you can sign up for a weekly email with the Kid Min lesson plan for the upcoming Sunday! Here’s a sample.
Thestory time station has a general pattern: a short activity and connection question, a Bible story reading with lots of discussion and wonder - pointing towards Jesus and experiencing God as trustworthy and kind - a craft connecting to the story, and a short prayer of blessing as they leave.
Some of our story readings will be in the lesson plans. Otherwise, the main Bible we use with the kids for text and pictures is The Whirl Story Bible. Some reasons we like it: no pronouns used for God, historically accurate brown skin in the artwork, a lot of stories (many centering women!), and some discussion questions built into each story. Older kids might like a “real Bible” at home like this one. (A tentative recommendation - Brenna’s family is trying it out!)
