Children in Worship

Nursery Care is provided during all worship services, including the Sunday School hour.

Toddlers through age Two as of September 1 of current school year. Children connect with God and discover more about Jesus through the Deep Blue Bible Curriculum. A monthly focus contains lessons related to the Christian church year — experiencing Bible stories and simple Christian faith concepts literally becomes child’s play. A paid childcare worker assists volunteer Sunday School teachers with changing diapers and assisting potty-training children. Please be sure to bring an extra diaper/set of clothes for emergencies.

Age Three as of September 1 of current school year, and Pre-K (4 year olds) as of September 1 of current school year. These younger children’s classes enjoy the Deep Blue Bible Curriculum and they experience the stories of our faith through story time, crafts, hands-on activities, and worship, led by Sunday School teachers. These two classes also make up our Promises Children’s Choir as they participate in fifteen minutes of music each Sunday morning and sing in worship 2-3 times a year.

As of September 1 of current school year. The Kindergarten class enjoys the Deep Blue Bible Curriculum experiencing the stories of our faith through story time, crafts, hands-on activities, and worship, led by Sunday School teachers. Additionally, this class has a special 15 week study in the fall about worship and Methodist history. During this time, the children will learn what worship means, the different parts of the worship service, special hymns, and participate in worship. Information is provided for parents to help reinforce this learning during worship. As the Kinder Worship Unit begins, kindergarten students will transition out of Children's Chapel and transition into staying in worship with their families. Applied experiential learning is a wonderful way for children to process and internalize everything they are learning about worship in their Sunday school lesson. The study culminates in a special family worship time on a Sunday morning during Sunday school.

Testament Travels, our rotational Sunday School model, is a spiritual journey from past to future. Each week the children rotate to a different room where they explore the scriptures in creative ways. Instead of introducing a new scripture each week, children work with the same Bible story for several weeks in a row, allowing the story to be reinforced in their memories. See a virtual tour of the Covenant Courtyard room. Testament Travels has six stations, each with leaders who have gifts and interests in that particular area. The workshops include Cinema on the Mount, Carpenter’s Workshop for arts and crafts, Covenant Courtyard for cooking and science, Good News Productions for acting out Bible stories, Isham Chapel for music or storytelling, and Circuit Riders with 12 computers each named for the disciples. This rotation model was created on the premise that different people learn in different ways. With Testament Travels, our children will know the stories of Jesus and will experience them in a variety of ways. It is an exciting and meaningful way to learn about Jesus and experience God.

Sixth grade is a special year for our students. Promoted on the first Sunday in June, sixth grade Sunday School is led by teachers who are committed to helping the students connect their faith and their lives. The class spends the year on an overview of the Bible, placing the stories they have learned (or are learning for the first time!) in the context of the entire Biblical narrative. This happens through hands-on learning as well as class discussion. In addition to Sunday School on Sunday mornings, Sixth grade students participate in Confirmation on Sunday evenings.

• Our church provides a two-part sticker security system so parents will be comfortable leaving their children in the nursery. Please fill out the two stickers with your child's name: one serves as the child's nametag and the other part of the sticker remains with the parent. A parent or guardian must return and show this label in order to pick up the child.
• For maximum security, please do not send friends or relatives (including older siblings) to pick up your child. Additionally, if your child has any allergies, please be sure to include that information on the sticker.
• Each family is asked to take a silent pager for children under two years of age, in case they are needed at any time during their church activity.
• Parents, please do not enter the room when dropping off or picking up your child. This will insure safety of all children —those who crawl and those who need special instructions—and also so children do not become anxious to leave when other adults are in the room.

For questions or concerns, contact Misty Miller, Coordinator of Nursery Ministries, 

Please bring diapers, bottles, pacifier, and a change of clothes. Clearly label all your child's belongings: cups, blankets, diaper bags, pacifiers, bottles, change of clothes, etc. Avoid bringing toys from home, as they are easily left behind, along with other items (such as snack food) that you do not want your child to have while in the nursery. Please pack diaper bags carefully, so caregivers can easily find what they need. Our nurseries are peanut and tree nut-free zones. Please do not send any snacks with nuts in them.

Caregivers are instructed not to admit children who are displaying the following signs of illness to the nursery/child care: vomiting, diarrhea, fever or antibiotics for less than 24 hours, yellow or green mucus production, coughing, eye infections, Chicken Pox. If your child develops these symptoms while in the nursery, you will be asked to take him/her home. These guidelines are provided for the best interest of all our children. Caregivers are not allowed to administer medication.

As children grow, they become more aware of their surroundings, especially the people around them. There are several ways to make the time of adjustment easier for parents and children:

• Be consistent in your attendance. Attending regularly helps your child become familiar with the caregivers and the room.
• Take a pager for children under two; you will be called if needed. Our policy is to call parents if their child has been crying continuously for ten minutes.
• Do not linger. Give your child a kiss and tell them you are going to church and you will be back for them—then leave quickly. The sight of you only makes things harder for both of you. You will be paged if needed.
• If a child is upset week after week, it can be helpful for one parent to stay for the hour. This reassures the child as they become familiar with new surroundings.
• Leave the child and their belongings with the caregiver at the door if you are not planning to stay in the room. This helps reduce confusion and anxiety among all of the children.
• Talk to caregivers—tell of needs, concerns, attitudes, favorite blanket, nap times, etc. Share any information that will be helpful to the child and the caregiver while you are away. Also include this information on your child's security sticker.

Childcare for meetings and special events throughout the week is provided as needed for parents who remain on the church campus. You will register online through your specific event. If you have questions about whether child care is provided for an event, contact the person responsible for your meeting or the church office, 817.282.7384. We must have at least 48 hours notice to schedule workers.