Children's Minstries

For more information about Children’s Ministries and ways you might be involved, please contact our Co-Directors of Children’s Ministries, Leslie Lowry and Belinda Lowry, at 708.798.2800 x16, or llowry@fccfaithful.org or blowry@fccfaithful.org.

Children’s Ministries
From Nursery Care through Sixth Grade, Children’s Ministries focuses on the most important message of all time – “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” For our youngest kids, it’s all about letting them know that they are safe and welcome in God’s house, and that church is filled with adults who care for them. Promised Land, our Sunday School for grades 1-6, is a joyous exploration of the Bible through every means possible, including drama, art, video, storytelling, cooking, and computers.   We take very seriously our commitment to assist parents in fulfilling the vows they take at baptism.  Helping parents raise their children to faith in Jesus Christ is our top priority.  Believing that worship is as important for children as it is for adults, we encourage children’s active participation in the worship life of our church.  Thus we encourage families to worship together at the 9 a.m. service before attending education opportunities at 10:30. This changes for the summer, as follows.

Summer Schedule 2009

Nursery Care
Our caring, paid staff cares for children, infants through age one, in a safe and loving environment in our well-equipped nursery during all Sunday morning worship services.  At check-in, parents are given a pager should they be needed in the Nursery at any time during the worship services. Nursery care starts at 9:45am.

All Children Aged 2 Years to 5th Grade
All children ages 2 years to 5th grade shall begin Sunday mornings in worship with their families. During the time of "Passing the Peace" they will be invited to the Gathering Space and led to the appropriate activities.

2s through Ks
Sam Hartmann will accompany our younger children to the preschool wing for Sunday school. This program will run ALL Sundays through August 16th. This ministry is for those preschoolers who have outgrown the Nursery, and whose horizons are expanding daily! It is child care with a fun Bible lesson included. A typical fun day includes hearing the Bible story and doing a small craft along with some movement and music. The class meets weekly in Room 6 (the Snoopy Room), and parents are always welcome to observe, help out, or just come play along. The classroom opens to a wonderful and secure outdoor playground which is used, weather permitting.

"Worship in the Temple" in Promised Land - Grades 1 through 5
Leslie Lowry and Belinda Lowry will meet our older children and host "Worship in the Temple" in the 2nd floor Promised Land. This program will run summer Sundays through August 16th, EXCEPT for first Sundays, which are All Church Worship. July 5 and August 2 children will remain in worship to participate in "all church" worship and Holy Communion.

Promised Land is a wonderful, multi-sensory exploration of our faith stories for grades 1-6, built upon what is called the Rotation Workshop Model.  Children better internalize the stories and their meaning as we engage a Bible story for four consecutive Sundays, re-experiencing it through storytelling, video, computers, crafts, drama – any number of means.

The rooms in Promised Land are like no other Sunday School you’ve seen.  One is a purple theatre, another is a tent with large pillows made for storytelling, while another is a computer lab created to look like an underwater wonderland.  Come on up for a Promised Land tour and see just what we mean!

Parental Involvement
All parents are invited and encouraged to contribute time and energy in Children’s Ministry so that their children can observe their parents taking responsibility for the faith development of all of our children.  Volunteer opportunities come in all shapes and sizes and for short or long periods of time.  If taking a break from volunteering in Children’s Ministries, a Parents’ Place is offered during the 10:30 a.m. hour for parents to gather, share faith and wrestle with the joys and challenges of parenting little ones to faith in Jesus Christ.