gatewaykids: vision

Our Mission:

We see in God’s Word that he puts importance on loving and discipling children. Our Gateway Kids leaders are passionate about seeing this lived out in the Church. We long to see our community become an integrated, intergenerational community. That means being a community not just of young adults, older adults, kids and babies all in the same building one day a week - but instead being a community of people, brought together by Jesus, who live life together.

Research from the Fuller Youth Institute shows that when kids feel as if they’re a part of a whole community of believers, their faith is more likely to stick. Teaching for kids at age appropriate levels and with intentionality is incredibly important, but it is not the only important thing. We also know that community plays a big role in who a child grows up to be - and a community of faith plays a big role in whether a child chooses to cling to Jesus or not. That is why we believe so strongly in letting our Gateway Kids know that they are each an image bearer of God - and that their presence matters to us because it matters to God.

We believe part of loving and discipling our next generation well means that we take them with us along the way - including them in the work we are doing on the behalf of our God. Instead of just telling them what it looks like to be a disciple trying to follow Jesus - we want to let them see it in action. We want to participate with our kids in the way of Jesus.

 
 

Vision for our Classes:

 

  • INFANT - 5 YEARS OLD

    We will work to create a loving, quiet, calming environment for our little ones. For more stimulation, we provide a lot of toys, blocks, balls, books, and bouncy seats.

    Volunteers: All of our volunteers will love playing with babies and are prepared to help with any separation anxiety. They will make sure that they get any special instructions from the parents regarding feeding, changing, and sleeping habits when the child is dropped off.

    Nursery Safety: Volunteers will wash toys after each service and send home any soft/plush items after service to be laundered. They are to be trained to sanitize their hands after diaper changing and touching any body fluids on a child. Care is taken to look for the developmental needs of babies so they know their ability to sit up or not, how competent they are at standing and pulling up, etc. These things are revisited regularly.

    This is a place that exists to create age-appropriate environments for kids to explore and create. We want each child to experience God’s love through relationships with volunteers, curriculum activities, worship, and Bible stories.

    We want children to experience a sense of belonging to the family of God; that they are cared for physically, emotionally, and that they are deeply loved by this community. We want to help every child find their identity in being a child of God, knowing that they are uniquely made, with special gifts, abilities, and personalities, and that they have a voice in the Kingdom of God.

    Discoveries made through direct experiences are more transformational and exciting for children than lessons in which adults tell them what they ought to know. Using a combination of active and interactive learning methods and exciting storytelling tools, we will help children discover, understand, and apply God’s word. When we prepare to teach a value, we begin by asking how we can lead children to experience the value themselves. We allow time for free play and exploration, music time, teaching time, activity, and application time.

    Learn With Your Child: Parents play an important part in what the child is learning. Each month the parents will receive a memory verse handout to help parents reinforce the Bible lessons at home.

  • KINDERGARTEN - 4TH GRADE

    We want to help kids connect what the Bible teaches to what they see and experience in life. Our goal is to help kids progress naturally through the topics of who they are in Christ, who God is and what He does and cares about. Carefully selected Bible stories and passages will give the children an overview of the Old and New Testaments.

    Children will spend time in worship with their families before meeting their teacher to go to class. During class, they will spend time sharing their “Highs and lows” with the group, watching a brief video accompanied by a Bible story, and pray together. They will also have a variety of games, activities, crafts, and snack time. We will also set aside time for journaling, so they can process individually as well as ask questions.

    Learn with Your Child: Parents play an important part in what the child is learning. Each month the parents should receive a handout which includes a memory verse along with suggestions for activities and conversation to help parents reinforce the Bible lessons at home.

  • 5TH GRADE

    A year-long class designed to cover some of the basics of the faith and to help them prepare for some of the big transitions they will soon face. The class will cover four major units: The Story, The Creeds, Prayer, and the Beatitudes.

    In The Story unit, we'll take those random Bible stories they've heard growing up and help pull them together into one coherent, overall story about God and his work in the world. We'll encourage students to begin to see this story as their own story, a story that shapes and forms them in powerful ways.

    In the unit on The Creeds, we'll explore questions like, "What is baptism for?" "Why is the church important?," and "What is the role of the Holy Spirit in my life?"

    In our unit on The Lord's Prayer, we'll spend some time exploring what prayer is and working through Jesus' example for us in prayer.

    In our final unit on The Beatitudes, we'll consider what it means to follow Jesus and live in his upside-down kingdom.

 

For the Future:

Coming Soon!