Children's Ministry

Children's ministry is a matrix of faith opportunities for children and families from birth through 6th grade to follow the Marks of Discipleship.

The marks of discipleship are the benchmarks for our faith community and our Children's ministry programs.

 
WORSHIP - worship God weekly
GROW - spend time growing with God through daily prayer, devotions and small groups
RELATIONSHIPS - build relationships with others, one-on-one, in small groups, and fellowship events
GIVING - set aside a tithe of your financial resources
MINISTRY - use your God-given gifts to become actively involved in the ministry of the faith community.

 
At the 10 am and noon Sunday worship services children (pre-school - 6th grade) will leave after the bible time for Kids Kingdom Time and return to worship during the passing of the peace/offering time.

Kids Kingdom Time is a teaching time that follows the theme of the day. The children will use the children's bulletin as their guide.

NURTURE TIME

The people of St. Andrew take seriously our convent with parents at the child's Baptism, which calls for us to support the faith development of the child as he/she grows by being a meaningful community of faith. Its Nurture Time is an intentional ministry of St. Andrew that provides for quality faith conversations between parents and children. Nurture Times are designed to uphold the covenant promise that the parents made at there son/daughters baptism that they would bring them to worship, teach them the Lords Prayer, the Creeds, the Ten commandments and the teachings of Jesus. Nurture Times cover age appropriate faith issues for both the parent and the child. Nurture Times are offered on Sunday mornings at the 9:00 education hour for a period of 3 to 4 weeks per grade. This manageable time frame seems to best suit busy families while giving the family tools needed to spark faith growth in the home, making the church and home partners in faith development.

Nurture Times are where Parents and Children come together to learn, listen, share and create a dynamic Christian Faith relationship. Each year the faith topic has been chose and designed to encourage faith conversation concerning a vital aspect of the Christian Life. Nurture Times cover real-life aspects of faith, from scripture to sexuality, devotions to drugs. Nurture time encourages conversations that make a difference in peoples life.

Confirmation/Middle School

Purpose
Our confirmation ministry is designed to support and partner with parents in the nurture and faith development of youth. This ministry is intended to assist parents in fulfilling their Baptismal promises and to create an atmosphere where youth can grow in their faith.

Mission
The mission of our Confirmation ministry is to enable our youth to know Jesus so that they can "Share and Care In Jesus' Name."

Vision
Our vision is for every youth to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and to know God's love and grace in their lives.

 

Ministry components

Wednesday Evenings
Our Wednesday evening we meet at St. Andrew Lutheran Church from 7-8:30 pm. One of our Pastors will present the topic of the evening followed by the kids gathering in small groups that are comprised of 5-6 youth with one trained adult leader.
Our focus this year is on The Bible. Within the large and small group times youth will encounter the loving and forgiving God of scripture. Styles of learning will include skits, songs, presentations, service, and discussion.

Worship
Youth are expected to be in worship each week. And 24 worship reports are required each year to complete our confirmation program. Regular attendance in worship by both parents and youth is an essential aspect of our confirmation ministry.

Monthly events
Each month we will enjoy an event that is based upon group building and services.

Summer Camp
This camp is at Lutheran Outdoor Ministry Center in Oregon, IL Sunday June 21 -26

A week at camp is one of the most meaningful and important aspects of our Middle School ministry. Students are expected to attend at least one summer camp during their confirmation studies.

Parents and Adults
As our confirmation ministry is a partnership between the congregation and parents it is only natural that parents and adults are involved in different aspects of this ministry. The goal is to give the kids a solid foundation for life and we can not do this without your help. One of the expectations of our confirmation program is that parents be involved in at least one component of the program. At the orientation there will an overview of how you can ensure that this ministry is a huge success.

Areas of participation include but are not limited to; Small group leader, Sunday morning leader, event participant, retreat/summer camp participant, or driver.