Family Ministry
Family Ministry
Family Ministry means children and their parents, guardians, or whomever is active in their faith life learning and growing together, and it also means that you could be one person or a family of eight or more! It means you could be an infant or 99! You are always welcome to come see what Family Ministry is all about!
Family Ministry Mission Statement:
To partner with families to reach and teach them in such a way that they have the greatest opportunity to become fully developed followers of Christ. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up”
THE PARISH EDUCATION BOARD
Candi Ehrich: Vice-President
Amanda Close ~ Dottie Davis ~ Terry Smith
Library ~ Jody Huffstutler Coordinator
Sunday school for ALL Ages
Faith! Family! Fun! 9:15 -10:15 am
Sunday morning Education Hour begins the Sunday following Labor Day Weekend with Rally Sunday and ends the Sunday prior to Memorial Day Weekend with Volunteer Appreciation Sunday.
Age 3 to kindergarten are taught with our Lil’K program. It is our Sunday morning class designed for children 3-K. Lil’K combines an interactive curriculum via video in addition to prayer and worship time for little ones. The lesson looks a lot like Blue’s Clues, only with a Bible theme. Every month we learn a new song, enjoy our knock-knock jokes, memorize God’s Word and laugh with Professor Sock!
Grades 1-4 are taught using Buzz Sunday school curriculum from Group http://buzz.group.com/. R.E.A.L. learning guarantees each lesson is intentionally Relational, Experiential, Applicable, and Learner-based. Every Buzz lesson includes all four of those critical elements. The result: Buzz lessons involve children-and effectively communicate the lesson’s biblical point in a way that sticks. Children don’t just “learn” a lesson; they discover how to live it in daily life.
Grades 5th-6th: Preteens are a moving target. Kids 10 to 12 are too old for children’s Sunday school, but too young for youth. They have a class using Grapple® http://grapple.group.com/preteen-the Sunday school curriculum that answers real-life preteen questions and tackles the issues preteens care about most! Grapple Sunday school curriculum delivers Bible truth the way your preteens want to hear it. Each Sunday they have attention-grabbing preteen Bible lessons that prompt them to to dig into the Bible.
7th-8th Grademeets in RSTC Café for faith formation topics that connect the Bible to their daily life. 7th and 8th Grade students also meet on Wednesdays for Confirmation.
High School Youth meet with our Youth Director for small group Bible Study, prayer, and fellowship. See Youth Page for more information. They also meet on Wednesdays.
Adult Sunday School offers a variety of classes throughout the school year to learn more about our faith in Jesus Christ while sharing in fellowship with others. Contact Family Ministry Director, Bonnie Stauffer @ blcfamily@comcast.net to see what classes are currently being offered.
Family Ministry Milestones
Bethel is committed to equipping parents to develop their children’s life in faith. Splash Cradle Roll is a resource available to families with infants and toddlers to nurture faith in the early years. We also offer monthly Parent Link family newsletters on the Sunday School Family Connection Page of this Website. We begin each school year with a backpack blessing and offer special event programs for the Advent and Lenten seasons. We assist parents with their baptismal promise to, “place in their hands the holy scriptures” by presenting third grade children with a copy of their first Bible on Reformation Sunday. Students may also receive instruction for their preparation to celebrate Holy Communion when parents feel they are ready. Sunday school and eXtreme Wednesday students are invited to participate in the annual Christmas program usually held the 2ndSunday of December. All Students are also encouraged to participate in our annual Souperbowl of Caring Service held each year on Super Bowl Sunday. We end the school year with a breakfast and slide show celebration the Sunday before Memorial Weekend and honor our High School Seniors with quilts and a reception on the first Sunday of June.
eXtreme Wednesdays
Our eXtreme Wednesday Youth and Family Ministry exists to reach non-believing students as well as believing students in order to connect them with other Christians, to help them grow in their faith, to discover their ministry and praise God with their lives.
Confirmation
Young people in grades 7-8 participate in a two year program at eXtreme Wednesdays to confirm the promises that were made for them in infant baptism. Weekly classes meet on Wednesday nights and are asked to attend regular worship and Sunday school classes. Social events and fellowship are also a part of this program.
This faith-development process is a key to strengthening their faith prior to adulthood. Such preparation may greatly affect their future life-decisions. The Confirmation ceremony takes place on Pentecost Sunday.