Summer Church School
Children ages 3 through those that have completed 2nd grade will leave the 10:00 a.m. worship service after the Word with the Children and meet in Room 204. They will be learning more about God’s wonderful world and ways they are able to show love and concern for the world now and for the future. Nursery care will continue to be provided during the service.
Children Remaining in Worship and Opportunities for Service
As we begin the summer schedule at Hope Church your family’s worship experience will be going through some changes. Children who have completed 3rd grade and older will be remaining in the sanctuary throughout the service. We are hoping to help your child with this transition.
We encourage your child to take a Plug into Worship paper found at the entrances to the sanctuary and use this to enrich their worship. They will be given the opportunity to respond to what they have heard the pastors say, to the music shared and the prayers offered. They will also be asked to think about how they can bring that with them into the week ahead. They may put the responses into a box located on the Welcome Center desk after the service or this may be an opportunity for you, the parents, to have a discussion about the service during the week and the brochure may be returned the next time you attend worship. After they have returned three papers, they may come to me to pick out a prize.
There are also Pew Bags available for all the children divided by two age levels. They will be located in the narthex. The bag will contain a clipboard, paper, crayons and some other activity materials. Please have your child return them after the service so that they will be restocked each week.
Some of the older elementary children has expressed interest in helping in the nursery during the service. Although this has traditionally been for the youth exclusively, the Christian Education Ministry with the input from our primary nursery caregiver, Margaret Buckley, has decided to open this opportunity to your older elementary children. There will be a signup sheet in the nursery and your child may sign up for a week starting this June. They will be given some guidance about their responsibilities and the expectations for their involvement. We hope they will help make the nursery a welcoming place for the youngest members of Hope Church. Please make the decision together as a family communicating that nursery helpers are there to do just that. Your child will be committing to help with the care of the toddlers and will be expected to be there the week they have chosen. If they are interested in helping with Summer Church School, please have them contact Jocelyn Van Heest and once again they will be reminded that they are to be of help with the other children.
I hope that your child will feel welcomed and find interest in the worship service but I realize that the transition can be difficult. Together we can help plug your child into summer worship. If I can be of help in any way or if you have any questions please contact me.
~Jocelyn Van Heest, Children’s Ministry Director