Kids

At ECV, we consider the kids in our church a blessing and a really important part of our community. Our goal is for Sundays to be as valuable and shaping for the kids as they are for the adults—to help teach our children what it looks like to love and follow Jesus!

Elm City Sprouts meets concurrently with our ECV Worship Gathering (Sundays at 4:00pm) in the  Fellowship Hall (upstairs from Main Sanctuary).

Children's Ministry Schedule/Structure:
Below is an annotated schedule of a typical Sunday Children’s Ministry Gathering:

1. Opening Prayer: We invite God to teach us and help us learn more about him (while having fun too!)

2. Worship: We sing a few songs together to worship God with music.

3. Bible Memory Verse: We practice the monthly bible memory verse together, using motions (and possibly even using songs) to help us remember the verse.
- For older children (ages 4+), they will be given an opportunity before snack-time to recite the memory verse on their own and win a monthly prize if they do so!

4. Offering: We will be collecting a weekly offering to teach kids about giving generously to God and to help others – Children will specifically be collecting funds for tangible goals, such as buying a rabbit for a family though WorldVision or Heifer.org. This can also be a great opportunity for parents of older children to teach the value of tithing (and some math skills as well!)

5. Bible Story/Skit & Discussion: We then dismiss the younger children (ages 2 – 3yrs) to their own classroom to read a bible story, while the older kids will also read the bible story (or watch a skit about the bible story) and discuss some pertinent questions from that story.

6. Snacks: Children will eat healthy snacks together and encourage further discussion on the main points from the bible story. (Parents of kids with special dietary needs are encouraged to provide their own snacks for their children).

7. Activities/Crafts/Games: More opportunities to engage with the main points from the bible story/monthly theme through interactive games, crafts, and other activities.

8. Prayer: Each week, we will encourage the children to pray together with different styles of prayer – Intercessory (praying for one another’s needs), Listening Prayer (spending time practicing hearing from God), and also Prayer for other Countries and/or ECV partnerships.

9. Check-Out/What did you learn?: Before the end of the Children’s Ministry worship time, we will check-in with kids to see what they learned each week, to cement the lesson in their heads as they prepare to go home.