Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Children's Ministry at Belleview Community! We are grateful to God for entrusting us with the opportunity to serve you and your children. We believe that children are created for a purpose and are precious gifts from God.
We also recognize the awesome responsibility of raising children. Modeling a life of faith that provides a firm foundation for your children can be rewarding, but also challenging. God has planned for the church to help you in this challenging task.
We are here to provide a loving environment where children experience the love of Jesus. We strive to create a fun, safe, and stimulating place for children to discover God's purpose for their life. In short, we desire to "Celebrate Kids". Thus, the name of children's ministry at Belleview, Celebrate Kids!
Our Vision for Celebrate Kids
We are committed to:
- empowering families to spiritually nurture their children
- encouraging children to accept the gift of God's grace through Jesus
- equipping children as they grow into passionate followers of Christ
By God's grace and the Holy Spirit's power, we will accomplish this by helping children:
- Know the character of God
- Understand the value of studying the Bible
- Experience the power of prayer
- Recognize the joys and trials of following Jesus
- Cultivate a passionate desire to share Christ with others
Core Values for Celebrate Kids : (acronymn: P.R.A.I.S.E.)
P - Celebrate Kids partners with families to spiritually nurture children.
R - Celebrate Kids provides relevant , age-appropriate Bible teaching.
A - Celebrate Kids models how to apply Bible lessons to life.
I - Celebrate Kids will intentionally shepherd children to help them
become passionate followers of Christ.
S - Celebrate Kids will insure emotional and physical safety for children.
E - Celebrate Kids will be an exciting, fun place to be and learn
Nursery (Birth-Toddler ) Nursery service is provided during the worship service and for special events. It is our desire that the nursery at Belleview be an extension of your home by providing quality care and security for your children. Excellent caregivers will lovingly demonstrate the love of Christ by their actions as well as their words.
Celebrate Kids Sunday School Hour (10:45-11:45) In an effort to encourage families to worship together, kids will remain in the service until they are dismissed to venture to their Celebrate Kids hour. Approximately two times a year, Celebrate Kids hour does not meet for the purpose of encouraging interaction and for families to worship together.
Curriculum: In August, we are embarking on a great adventure as we switch our current curriculum to support the objective to grow kids into passionate followers of Jesus, cradle to college. We will be using First Look and 252basics for our preschool to 6th grade classes. Each class will be a bit different in its approach to reaching the bottom line truth according to age-level. We encourage you to visit www.252basics.com to get a taste of this strategy for discipling children.
Pre-school (3-4 years): Teaching Teams will implement "First Look" as a strategy for teaching preschool children three basic Truths:
*God Made Me
*God Loves Me
*Jesus Wants to be My Friend Forever
Parents/Guardians will receive "small talk" cards to utilize at home to guide conversations towards the Truth learned each month. Music CDs, DVD, and other resources are available at www.rethink.org.
252 Basics (K-6th grade): This curriculum is based on the Luke 2: 52 verse, " And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." It is a curriculum and strategy with three purposeful goals:
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I need to make the wise choice.
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I can trust God no matter what.
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I should treat others the way I want to be treated.
Each Sunday will be structured as follows to insure the best learning experience for our kids:
Plug In: Small group time to focus energy
Power Up: Engage the heart in a large group setting
Catch On: Small group interaction to make the connection and practice what they are learning.
K-6th grade are given "Godtime" cards to encourage further study of the virtue taught each month. Parents/ Guardians will receive "Refrigerator" cards to stimulate further discussion on how to practice the virtue in their every day lives.
Year Round Ministry
Becoming a Loving and Logical Parent Classes: Tired of power struggle, lecturing, and wondering if there is a manual for parenting your kids? We have some effective and practical solutions to address these common parenting concerns. Becoming a Love & Logic Parent teaches how to train kids to make responsible decisions using logical consequences with a dose of genuine empathy from you as their parent! These classes are offered periodically throughout the year at a discount.
Vacation Bible Adventure: Each summer we host a fun-filled adventure for children preschool to preteen. Kids learn the value of friendship with God through Jesus Christ in many different ways. In 2007, Belleview families provided a Vacation Bible Adventure at Joshua Station, a transitional housing facility for homeless families. This year (2008), we provided Power Lab during the day to reach out to our community and specifically our child care families. Each year, we evaluate how best to provide opportunities for kids to learn more about Jesus and deepen their friendship with Jesus. Stay tuned for upcoming information regarding plans for summer (2009).