Invitation to Children's Ministries
The Children’s Ministry here at EHUMC is called KidzTown Ministries, and we are excited to welcome you and your children! KidzTown is a unique set of meaningful and relevant ministries designed to help you and your family to connect to God and one another. I feel honored to join children and adults in exploring the stories of the Christian faith and the rhythms of the Christian year. As we continue to grow, these stories and rhythms offer comfort and wisdom by reminding us of God’s presence throughout the year, challenging us to see the power in each other’s individual stories, and showing us that we are all a part of God’s family. If you’d like to know more about what Embry Hills has to offer you and your children, I’d love to talk with you. You can reach me at susannahb@embryhillsumc.org or (704) 689-7166.
Blessings,
Susannah Bales, LMFT
Director of Nurture & Children’s Ministries
Sunday in Kidztown
There are Sunday ministries for each age!
Newborn to 3 Years
8:30 am – 12:30 pm (Nursery)
Our staff and volunteers provide loving childcare for children during all Sunday services in our Nursery and Toddler rooms located on the Family Life Center side of our building.
4 years to 2nd Grade
9:45 am – 10:45 am (Room 312)
Children “rotate” weekly through theme-focused lessons where they explore a single Bible story through various rotations such as Art, Drama, Missions, Spiritual Practice, Science, and Games!
Club 345: 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade
9:45 am – 10:45 am (Room 211)
Club 345 is a program for “tweens” designed to help bridge the gap between children’s and youth ministry that uses games and discussion to bring the stories of faith alive!
Sunday Worship at Time on the Steps
11:00 am (Sanctuary)
During the 11 am service, this is a time where ALL children are invited to come to the front of the Sanctuary for a mini-lesson just for them. Often the kids take turns in a sort of spiritual Show and Tell by bringing “The Box” home and returning the following Sunday to the Time on the Steps with an object that is important to them, and together we talk about the object and how it relates to God and our faith.
Extended Session for Preschoolers
Immediately following Time on the Steps
(Nursery)
Children are welcome to stay in the sanctuary with their family, or 3-year-olds through Kindergarteners can walk up to the Nursery with Ms. Susannah to go to playtime and a snack of Cheeze-Its and apple juice.
Deep Blue Sundays
Immediately following Time on the Steps (Family Life Center)
Once a month during the school year, kids in 1st-5th grade up walk with Ms. Susannah to the Family Life Center for a special time to learn more about the Bible using the “Deep Blue” curriculum full of videos, music, and games.
Weekday Fun!
The fun isn't just for Sundays!
Wednesday Night KidzTime
In between children's choirs and Wednesday Night Dinner, we host playtime for kids in Room 312 from 5:30-6pm and again from 6:30-7pm.
Kids Book Clubs
The Book Clubs for kids are designed to encourage empathy, fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), critical thinking, & social skills. The Clubs meet monthly during the school year to discuss and do activities with a chosen book. These book club nights are each independent events, meaning you don’t have to attend every event every time and drop-ins are welcome! All books will be award-winning children’s literature, listed on current school reading lists for the year, or pre-read by the adult volunteer facilitators in advance. Parents are always welcome to attend the club to be a part of the discussion. If your children have books they would like to suggest, please let us know. Here are specifics for each club:
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KidzTown University Book Club — For 4-year-olds through 2nd graders and meets in Room 305. Children do not have to read the book beforehand to attend, as we will read it together during group. All books will alternate in a reading range from young reader books to lower elementary reading levels (2.9 and below) because of the wide age range (4 years- 2nd grade), but all kids in the range are welcome to attend.
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345 University Book Club — For this book club, we do longer, more complex books and so we structure and screen in the following ways: These books are for 3rd, 4th, 5th graders and we meet in the Club 345 Room. We ask children to read at least half of the book before attending so that discussion can be robust. All books will generally be in the 4th-grade reading level so kids are reading within one year of their level. Although, every once in a while we will use a 3rd or 5th-grade reading level book.
In addition to all this, we also host events like Trunk or Treat, Vacation Bible School, and more!
More Details for Parents
Drop Off & Pick Up
Please always sign your child in and remain on campus for any event, unless otherwise specified. For most events, kids can be dropped off in room Room 312 on the Education Wing.
Snacks
Cheeze-Its, regular Cheerios, apple juice, and water are served in Nursery and Extended Session. If children have allergy concerns please remind the volunteers at drop off that the child has an allergy and treatment. Also, if you need to bring snacks with your children, please give them to the volunteers to be served safely, as cross-contamination can cause a reaction in our children with severe airborne allergies.
Special Needs & Allergies
We make every effort to be as inclusive as possible to all the needs of the children in our community. If your child has needs that require special consideration, accommodation, accessibility, or training, please let us know and we will work with you and communicate with our volunteers so your child is taken care of in the best way possible. Please keep your child’s information up to date in our online membership software, Realm. This allows us to know your child’s needs and your preferences about considerations such as photo releases and emergency contacts. If you haven’t registered your family on Realm, just ask the staff to assist you in getting signed. It’s easy!
Safe Sanctuaries & Emergencies
Did you know EHUMC has a specific policy to protect children, youth, and vulnerable adults from abuse? It is called Safe Sanctuaries. This policy means that volunteers in KidzTown are trained on specific guidelines followed to ensure protection and transparency. In the event of an emergency evacuation, volunteers will be instructed to bring classes to the front lawn where parents will be able to pick them up.