2016-2017 Ministry Catalog

CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRY BROCHURE

Churches, First Lutheran

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Library of First Lutheran Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Children and Family Ministries Ministry Catalog 2013-2014

f. lc.

FauxSBN: 0-1234-5678-9

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirement s of our office machinery. It’s

probably not archival quality—but at least it doesn’t get stuck in the printer.

Manufactured in the good ol’ U. S. of A.

Our Vision and Mission

Meet God

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Fa-

ther except through me. If you really know me, you will know my

Father as well.”

John 14:6-7a

It is one of our core values here at First Lutheran Church to “… be-

come deeply devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” The Children and

Family Ministry Team believes that a life-long commitment to disci-

pleship starts at birth, with families that uphold their baptismal

promises. From that time on it is our honor and privilege to create

and conduct a first-class Children and Family Ministry program. We

see the task of helping children to know God as primary to the suc-

cess of our ministry, this church and the development of faithful

adult disciples.

Find Life

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life

for me, you will find it.”

Matthew 10:39

As we grow and mature in our faith, we live our lives differently.

Instead of a life focused on the things of this world, the Christian

who is maturing in faith understands that a life focused on the

things of God’s heart is a life that is really life. The way to serve oth-

ers, the way to fulfill God’s purpose for us, the way to true happi-

ness is to spend life selflessly, for only then will we find life here and

hereafter. It is the mission of the Children and Family Ministries to

provide programs that help to raise-up the kind of disciples that

have truly found new life in Christ.

Make Friends

“’Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ’and I will send you out to fish for

people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Mark 1:17-18

If there’s one thing Jesus knew how to do, it was to build relation-

ships. From the calling of the twelve and friendships with Mary, Mar-

tha and Lazarus to meals with societal outcasts; Jesus cultivated rela-

tionships, and in those relationships built up disciples. In the same

way, we recognize that God is best experienced in the context of

community; in relationships founded on his love and grace that exist

to raise up faithful disciples. We, therefore, endeavor to create pro-

gramming for children and families that create meaningful communi-

ty with age-appropriate class sizes and spaces, and well-trained vol-

unteer leaders.

Marissa Letscher, Director of Children and Family Ministries

Lindsey Scheibe, Assistant Director and Nursery Coordinator

Nursery Attendants: Katherine Grabe, Cristin Stansbury,

Alison Horak, Jordan Cadena, Janise Lane, Sonja

Children and Family Ministries Team:

Jana Grimm, Michelle Kline, Jen Koester, Lindsey Scheibe,

Beth Morrissey, Julie Wegmann, Tonya Trudo, Katie Cervantes

Contact Us:

www.firstlutherancr.org marissal@firstlutherancr.org 319-365-1494

Our Staff

Babies and Toddlers

Baptism

It is our pleasure and our joy to welcome all God’s children into

the family of faith through Baptism. At First Lutheran we offer

Baptism at any age. Our practice is to offer Baptisms about once

per month. Baptism Celebration Sundays are preceded by a

Baptism class one week prior, where you’ll have the chance to

meet other parents and children making the

Baptism journey with you. Also, at the classes, you’ll learn about

Baptism, what it means and why we do it; as well as have the

opportunity to choose a quilt for your child’s Baptism basket.

For more information, Baptism/Baptism Class dates and times,

and to sign-up for classes, please contact us in the church office:

319-365-1494, or recept@firstlutherancr.org.

Cry Room At First Lutheran we place a high value on families attending

worship together. However, we also realize that every

once-in-a-while we all need some “quiet time,” and for those

times we offer a Cry Room just on the east side of the sanctuary

for our littlest worshippers. Our Cry Room is equipped with

sound, a large picture window and comfortable furniture so

parents can still participate in worship, and little ones will be

soothed by the cozy atmosphere.

Nursery We are fortunate, at First Lutheran, to offer a fully-staffed

Nursery, for children age 6 months—4 years-old. The Nursery

can be found on the lower-level near the Luther Fellowship

Center. The Nursery is available during all Sunday morning

services.

Sunday Morning Learning See the details below to find out when and where your age-group

meets on Sunday mornings.

Preschool Sunday School

(3 and 4 Year-Olds) 10am—check in at kiosks

10:15am—meet in classrooms

11:05am—parents/approved grown-up pick up in classrooms

KidZone

(Kindergarten—5th Grade) 10am—check in at kiosks

10:15am—meet in Large Group (Room 307)

11:05am—parents/approved grown-up pick up in classrooms

Connect (4th and 5th Grade)

Connect engages 4th and 5th graders by watching a witty video, exploring biblical text and creating projects for fun and for service! 10am—check in at kiosks 10:15am—meet in classroom (Room 306) 11:05am—parents/approved grown-up pick up in classrooms

Preschool—5th Grade

Preschool—5th Grade

Offering The generosity of First Lutheran’s children is amazing. Over the last

several years, they have collected over $5,500 in offering monies.

Because of their generosity, they have helped our sister church in

Samé, Tanzania, Crossroads Mission, Families Helping Families, a family

affected by the 2008 flood, folks in need of bus tickets, and more!

That’s amazing!

We want to make sure that the offering the children bring on Sunday

morning continues to do good things in our community and around the

world, and that the children understand what giving is all about.

Money, and where it goes and what it does, are abstract concepts

especially for young children. So, we make it more concrete.

On the first Sunday of each month, we ask that the offering your child

brings with him to Preschool Sunday School, KidZone, or Connect is a

non-perishable food item or items. These will be donated to area

food banks.

On the second and third Sundays of each month, they can bring a

money offering, but they can also bring one or more of the following

items: stuffed animals (gently used and freshly cleaned), books (also

new or gently used), socks (new please), toothbrush (new), toothpaste

(new), shampoo (new), a hairbrush (new), soap, crayons, pencils, and a

notebook (all new, please). These items, along with blankets that we

will make together in class will be packed together in Foster Care Bags.

Many children, when they are placed in a Foster home, do so without

anything of their own. We want them to have their very own bag given

with love from the children at First Lutheran Church. We thank

Families Helping Families for helping us get these bags to the children

who need them most.

Milestones endeavors to uphold our faith traditions, values and practices by educating and equipping the entire family. Milestones starts by

teaching children the who's, what's, whys and how's of our faith, and equips parents to be the primary developers of faith in their children. It then continues through the teenage years as youth make that faith their own through Confirmation and Affirmation of Baptism. Finally, Milestones comes full circle as students graduate High School and move out into the world as adults themselves to pass on their faith to future generations.

For children in preschool through 5th grades, Milestones is a series of three classes every year. All Milestones classes will take place in your child’s Sunday school/KidZone classroom. Children must be accompanied by an adult to Milestones sessions.

We will celebrate Milestones Sundays at multiple times, as well as adding a few other special Milestones related events. Please use the calendar listed on the following page, to plan ahead for these special celebrations!

For Just About Everybody

Session 1

3s: 9/10/16, 9-10AM,

Open House

3s-1st: 10/2/16, 10:15am

2nd-5th: 10/9/16,

10:15am

Session 2

3s-1st: 2/5/17, 10:15am

2nd-5th: 2/12/17,

10:15am

Session 3

4s-1st: 3/26/17, 10:15am

2nd-4th: 4/2/17, 10:15am

5th: 5/7 @ 10:15am, &

5/8/17 @ 6pm

For Just About Everybody

Special Milestone Events Schedule:

September 18, 2016, 9 or 11:15AM: 3 year-old and 3rd grade Bible presentation.

February 11, 2017: 1st Graders paint First Communion plates at Potter’s Obsession

February 19 , 2017: 5th Graders presented with Small Catechism and lead Apostle’s Creed all morning services.

March 4, 2017: 9-10:30AM, 1st Grade Communion Activity Day

March 25, 2017: 9-10:30AM, Kindergarten Lord’s Prayer Activity day (make prayer mats, memorize the Lord’s Prayer).

April 2, 2017: Kindergarten lead Lord’s Prayer on prayer mats in worship at all morning services.

April 9, 2017: Communion Milestone Celebration 9:30 & 11AM.

Worship… Our Faith Family Together

At First Lutheran Church, we value families worshiping together. We

also want our families to help lead worship on Sundays. Entire

families can serve as greeters in the Narthex—welcoming folks as they

arrive for worship, helping prepare Communion supplies before

worship, or serving as Ushers during worship. Children can sign-up to

read Scripture or prayers during worship.

Also, during the sermon at each service, children from 3 years old

through 2nd grade are invited to join a pastor or other Children and

Family Ministry volunteer in the Children’s Library for the Children’s

Chat. This way the grown-ups can hear the sermon, and children get a

message at their own level. Just follow the instructions in your

bulletin to know when the right time is to go. The point is, we want

worship to be about our entire faith family, and we hope you’ll join

us!

Communion Milestone

A word about the Communion Milestone…

In May of 2015, Presiding Bishop Eaton and the church-wide Worship staff invited all congregations of the ELCA into a conversation about the Communion table—as there is a wide variety of practice in the church. One thing is certain, however, and that is that anyone who is baptized is welcome to receive Communion. Anyone.

It has been the experience of many (myself included), that proper instruction must precede one’s participation in Communion—hence the tradition of ‘First Communion.’ However, more and more families are allowing their very young children to participate in Communion—an experience very different even from their own. Because we all approach this sacrament from very different experiences, we thought we ought to take this space to clarify the pattern of instruction at First Lutheran. But before we outline that pattern, please know that when you, the grown-up, decide when your child is ready for Communion, they are welcome at the table. That’s right, you decide.

From the moment they are baptized they are welcome, because:

1) Communion is a means of grace where God is present— God meets people in communion.

2) It’s not our table—it’s God’s table, and we don't question Jesus’ guest list.

3) There is no ‘kiddie table’ - if we consider people to be full members of the body of Christ and part of this family, why would we exclude them from this meal?

4) No one really fully understands what’s going on at this table— I certainly don’t, do you? We’re in this to experience it together, to learn together.

Communion Milestone

5) Though they may understand, per our measure, very little of what’s going on, they do have a clear understanding of what it means to be left out—we never want children to feel that God’s table is not for them.

With all of that being said, we do believe instruction about Communion is important. It’s important to hear the stories from Scripture that we point to when the pastor says the Words of Institution. It’s important to know what the bread and wine represent. It’s important. So we take three years to learn about Communion—starting at 4 years old. Here is the progression of our Communion instruction:

4 Years Old: In Communion, God Loves Us

Kindergarten: In Communion, God Cares for Us

1st Grade: Communion Connects Us With God’s Saving Love

The instruction for Communion that the church provides happens in Milestones classes—which are three times each year—Fall, Winter and Spring. But you are your child’s best teacher.

Talk with your child about your communion experiences. What does Communion mean to you? How do you feel when you come to the table for Communion? When you pause for a quiet moment after you’ve taken the bread and wine, what are you doing? What are you thinking? These are the things that will shape your child’s faith, and increase their knowledge of God’s action in Communion. You are your child’s best teacher—and we will do whatever we can to support you!

It is our honor and privilege to care for your children while you are

on First Lutheran’s campus. We have numerous policies and

procedures in place to ensure, to the best of our ability, the safety

of your child. You can help us provide a safe and caring environ-

ment for all children by:

Keeping home children who are sick. Any child who appears to be severely ill, has fever and behavior change or one or more of the following symptoms:

Temperature of 100° F or higher

Diarrhea

Blood in stool

Vomiting

Abdominal pain (persistent)

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)

Pediculosis (Head lice)

Persistent runny nose, watery eyes, and coughing

Or any of the following: Hepatitis A, Impetigo, Measles, Mouth sores, Mumps, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Pinworms, Rash, Scabies, Strep Throat, Chicken Pox or Tuberculosis.

Following proper check-in and check-out procedures, including supplying names of adults who are approved to check your child in and out.

Picking your child up from their classroom at the proper time.

Speaking with your child about appropriate classroom behaviors and language.

Communicating questions and issues to us in a timely manner.

Procedures & Health Policies

Emergency Procedures

In Case of FIRE

Proceed out the building to the Cardiologist PC parking lot at

the corner of 3rd Ave and 10th Street.

DO NOT attempt to pick up your child/ren in ANY part of the

building—they will be evacuated by our trained staff.

WAIT at the parking lot until an ‘ALL CLEAR’ has been given

by an FLC pastor or staff member, then proceed to the east

side of the PCI building (Parking Lot B) to pick up your

child/ren. Children must stay with their teachers until a

parent or guardian comes to pick them up.

In Case of SEVERE WEATHER

Proceed to the FIRST FLOOR hallway and Luther Fellowship

Center.

DO NOT attempt to pick up your child/ren in ANY part of the

building—they will be evacuated by our trained staff.

WAIT in the hallway or the LFC for an ‘ALL CLEAR’ to be given

by an FLC pastor or staff member, then (if all activities have

been concluded) pick up your child/ren from their class

group; OR (if all activities have resumed) wait until the

regularly scheduled dismissal time and pick up your child/ren

from their classroom following proper sign-in/out

procedures.

Spark Family Take-Home Pages

At the beginning of each month,

check the back of your child’s

coloring or activity page for this

awesome take-home resource.

With great questions, activities,

vocabulary and more, these Spark

Family Pages are a great weekly

connection to the story we’re

reading each month!

One of the most significant things you can do to foster faith

development in your child is to talk to them about their faith, what

they hear/learn/discuss/experience on Sunday mornings, and any

other time they’re engaged in education at First Lutheran. In an effort

to equip you for these conversations, we are happy to provide many

FREE resources that you can pick up any time you are in the building!

At-Home Connections

Spark Family Magazine

Spark Family Magazines arrive at FLC

quarterly, and can be found at the stairwell kiosks.

With 48 pages of activities, each issue is a great

resource to keep in the car, carry along as you run

errands, or leave on the kitchen table for

conversation starters during dinner! The magazine

features:

Cut-out prayers: playful ways to

encourage family members to pray together

Faith activities that fit into busy schedules

Bible trivia to help build biblical literacy for all ages

With crazy-busy schedules of work, school, sports, music and more, families

are in a constant state of motion. In order to keep you best-informed of

what’s happening in Children and Family Ministries, we offer six different

ways to keep you connected and informed. From the Church’s website, news-

letter, Spotlight, Bulletin Announcements and Luminary, to the CFM Blog and

Facebook group, you can have all the latest information right at your finger-

tips!

At-Home Connections

The Children and Family

Ministries page of the website

has all the most current

information about programs,

events, and more. From details

about Sunday morning programs

and special events, to a ‘Stuff We

Like’ page where we outline a list

of great

at-home resources and gifts, the

CFM page on the website is your

go-to for everything you’d need

to know!

The CFM Blog is the best tool

you’re not using! Here we update

the schedule of events each

month, post each month’s

blessing so you have it at home,

and more! You can subscribe to

this blog and have updates

delivered right to your email

inbox!

Community-building Events Milestones Events

Training Events Programmatic Events

Worship Events Service Events

September 2016 10: 3 Year Olds Open House, 9AM-10AM, room 111 11: Rally Day – First Sunday for PSS/KZ 18: Bible Presentation for 3 YO and 3rd Grade at both Sunday services. 25: SERVICE DAY: Care packages for Ronald McDonald House 30: CFM Hayrack Ride at Usher’s Ferry

October 2016 2: Milestones Preschool—1st Grade, Non-Perishable Food Offering 9: Milestones 2nd—5th grade 16: Costume Giveaway at Mission of Hope, 3PM 30: REFORMATION SUNDAY CELEBRATION EVENT; Trunk-or-Treat, 3-4PM @ Mission of Hope

November 2016 13: SERVICE DAY: Birthday cards for 90+ members 27: NO PSS/KZ/C45

December 2016 4: Non-Perishable Food Offering 10: Children’s Christmas Program Rehearsal, 9-10:30AM 11: Children’s Christmas Program, 3:30PM 18: SERVICE DAY: Caroling at care centers 25: Merry Christmas! NO Sunday Morning Learning (PSS/KZ/Connect)

January 2017 1: Happy New Year! NO Sunday Morning Learning (PSS/KZ/Connect) 22: SERVICE DAY: Valentines for home-based members

Calendar

Calendar

February 2017

5: Milestones Preschool—1st Grade

11: 1st Grade Event – paint First Communion chalices or plates

at Potter’s Obsession

12: Milestones 2nd—5th

19: SERVICE DAY; 5th Grade lead Apostle’s Creed—all services

March 2017

4: 1st Grade Communion Activity Day, 9-10:30AM LFC

5: Non-Perishable Food Offering

19: SERVICE DAY

25: Kindergarten Lord’s Prayer Activity Day, 9-10:30AM RM308

26: Milestones—Preschool 4s—1st Grade

April 2017

2: Kindergarten lead Lord’s Prayer—all services; Milestones

2nd—4th Grades

9: Palm Sunday (NO PSS/KZ/C45);

Communion Celebration at 9:30 & 11AM

14: Good Friday Children’s Service, 5:30PM

15: Easter Egg Hunt and Breakfast

16: Easter Sunday (NO PSS/KZ/C45)

May 2017

7& 8: 5th Grade Confirmation Orientation

14: Mother’s Day Event

21: Pajama Sunday & Last Day

(PSS/KZ/Connect)

Calendar

June 2017

TBD: 5th Grade Promotion Celebration

12-16: VBS, EWALU Day Camp, 9AM-3PM (FR 9AM-NOON)

Approved Snack List

In an effort to ensure, to the best of our ability, the safety of all children

while they’re in our care, we ask that when providing snacks to your

child’s class, that you please select a snack from this list.

Thank you,

Marissa Letscher, Director of Children and Family Ministries

Orange slices

Apple slices

Grapes

Strawberries

Old Dutch or Rold Gold brand Pretzels

Oreo brand sandwich cookies

Mandarin orange cups

Bananas

Applesauce

Yogurt

Honey Maid brand graham crackers

String cheese

Goldfish brand crackers

Cheez-It crackers

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks

Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups

Kellogg’s Fruit Loops

Kellogg’s Apple Jacks

Ritz crackers

Keebler Fudge Stripes—original

Lorna Doone Shortbread cookies

Nabisco Wheat Thins

Nabisco Teddy Grahams

Nabisco brand Barnum’s Animal crackers

Keebler Scooby-Doo Graham Cracker sticks

Old Dutch Premium Gourmet popcorn

Welches Fruit Snacks

Starburst candies

Tootsie Rolls (in original bag)

TEACHERS: Please check the label on the back of every product, even if

it’s one that’s been provided before. We need to ensure that recipes

and processing/manufacturing has not changed.

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