School Year Programs
Drop-Offs/Pick-Ups for all FirstKids Programming:
– Children 4th grade and younger must be picked up & dropped off by a parent/guardian or sibling in 5th grade or older.
– If any special arrangements need to be made, please notify your child’s teacher or Director ahead of time.
– If you arrive early/before a teacher or helper has arrived, please do not leave your kids unattended.
– In order to stay safe, children will never be released to meet their pick up person in parking lot. Please come inside to pick up your kids! (This applies to all kids 6th grade and below)
Our Sunday School program runs from September – May. We offer classes for kids 3 years old through 6th grade. There are also 7th & 8th Grade and High School Sunday School classes that meet on Sundays, though they use separate curriculum/programs from our 3yo-6th graders. Each month we’ll take on a new theme that will help us to understand our Bible lessons & stories each week, as well as how to be good neighbors. We’ll play games, read stories, do small & large group activities, and have some fun together!
Our Philosophy of Children’s Ministry is to provide safe, welcome, and loving environments for those involved to learn about themselves, each other, and God. We want our kids to feel like church is a place for them to be themselves and feel loved no matter what.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What will my kids do during Sunday School?
While every group and every Sunday are a little different, everyone will typically have some time with music, games/activities, and Bible study.
What age do kids start going to Sunday School?
We offer classes beginning with 3 year olds. We also provide a supervised nursery during our Sunday School hour for children 3 and younger, if you feel your 3 year old is not quite ready for classes.
Is there a fee for my child to participate?
No! We want anyone and everyone to have the same opportunity. You’re always welcome to make donations, but we don’t ask for any monetary support in order for your children to join us for Sunday School!
Do I need to register specifically for Sunday School?
Our “School Year Programs Registration” covers all our programming that happens during the school year. We may ask for RSVPs for special events, but once you’re registered for the year, you’re able and welcome to come to any events and programs we’ve got planned! (Please note VBS will always be a separate registration)
Is there a dress code?
We don’t require or expect your ‘Sunday best’ by any means. We do ask that we keep things ‘appropriate’, but do not offer any specific guidelines. Please use your own discretion.
Who will be working with my kids?
We have an awesome group of volunteers made up of adults and high schoolers from the church! We meet with and train our volunteers to provide training for classroom management and supervision of kids. We also run background checks on every new volunteer who works with children, renewing them every 3-5 years.
What time do they have to be there?
Sunday School starts at 9:45, but often kids start showing up around 9:35. If you arrive earlier and/or you arrive before a teacher or helper has arrived, please do not leave your kids unattended.
Do I stay with them or drop them off?
We ask that you stay with your children until a volunteer is in their room. If you arrive earlier and/or you arrive before a teacher or helper has arrived, please do not leave your kids unattended. Sometimes our 3 year olds aren’t quite ready to be left without parents/guardians/grandparents… in those cases you can chat with the teacher and stay in the room with your kiddos.
Am I able to go to class with my older kids?
While we don’t have strict ‘no parents allowed’ rules, we do encourage parents to allow their kids this time to learn and be with their classmates. One way to be with them is to volunteer to teach or help in their class!
How long does this go?
Sunday School is from 9:45-10:45 on Sunday mornings. We run from September-May typically, and the official start/end dates can be found on our calendar above!
Do we have to be members to attend?
Nope! Anyone can come be a part of Sunday School! Visitors are welcome! If you come more than one time, we ask that you sign your kids up before they attend Sunday School again, if possible. Registration is on our main Children’s Ministry Page.
What do you do in the summer?
We do not currently have weekly events for children in the summer, but we do have a week long VBS program, typically towards the end of June. Once the official date has been set, it can be found on our main Children’s Ministry Page
How do I get involved?
We couldn’t do what we do without the amazing volunteers we have! If you’re interested in helping out, contact the Children’s Ministry Director at children@3cross.org or click the ‘volunteer here’ link on our main Children’s Ministry Page.
Does kids go to worship services?
Yes! Our Sunday School Hour is between our two Sunday morning services, and we encourage our kiddos to be a part of our worship services! Throughout the school year, our kids will help lead different parts of the services or sing at the 11:00 service. We have a Children’s Christmas Program during both Sunday worship services one week in December.
Can my 7th/8th grader or High Schooler be involved in Sunday School?
While our regular Sunday School programming “ages out” after 6th grade, your 7th and 8th grade kids can participate in the Jr. High Sunday School & Wednesday programs! You can find more information on our Confirmation page. High School Sunday School meets regularly, too, and you can contact Josh Carr for more information!
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Contact our Director of Children’s Ministry, at children@3cross.org with any questions, ideas, comments, or concerns!
Wednesday Whams is our mid-week program for 1st-6th graders.
We meet in the Ed Wing from 6:30-7:30 to dig deeper into our weekly Sunday School lessons, play lots of fun games, and make stronger connections with each other. Our programming is a good mix of fun and learning. The smaller group size allows us to not only help our kids connect with each other outside their regular classes, but we also have a chance to get to know them better ourselves. This helps us make our programming even more geared towards what our kids like and respond to best. A lot of our lessons focus on how to be good neighbors, how to treat others and ourselves with kindness, and how to ask questions and search for answers.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What will my kids do during Whams?
Every Wednesday is a little bit different… we watch videos called the ‘So & So Show’ that shares a bible story and helps us dig into it a little bit better. We play games, sometimes we’ll do some crafts, and sometimes we’ll spend time just talking and getting to know each other.
Why is there an age limit?
We offer this program to 1st-6th graders because we want to be able to provide materials and lessons that the kids will be able to understand. Because this program is all large-group environment, having a larger age range would make it difficult to provide content that both the youngest and oldest would understand and engage with.
Do I need to RSVP ahead of time for Whams?
Great question! All our programs are flexible in that you can come whenever it works out for you! With Wednesday nights specifically, we know that there are plenty of activities that our FirstKids are involved in that can make being a ‘regular’ participant get kind of tricky. We have lots of kiddos who come just once a month, while some come every week! We’re happy to have you whenever you’re able to make it! No need to let us know ahead of time.
Do I need to register specifically for Whams?
Our “School Year Programs Registration” covers all our programming that happens during the school year. We may ask for RSVPs for special events, but once you’re registered for the year, you’re able and welcome to come to any events we’ve got planned!
Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Contact our Director of Children’s Ministry, at children@3cross.org with any questions, ideas, comments, or concerns!
