EASTERN'S YOUTH PROGRAMS:
What are they & how can I get involved?
Weekly Sunday Morning Youth Programs
Church School meets weekly from September 16 to May 18 from 9-10am, and serves children in K-12th grade. Typically, two grades meet together for age appropriate lessons on the Bible and How to apply it to their lives. The various curricula include Bible Stories for the younger ages and topics for older youth (middle & high school) such as Catechism and studies on how to live, work and worship in God?s kingdom.
Children?s Worship meets during the school year during the last half of the morning worship service. This worship experience is designed to help young children in grades preschool-2nd grade learn how to worship God.
Little Stars is an "introduction" to Children & Worship for children three years old (by Dec 1, 2007), and takes place during the last half of the worship service. This program occurs throughout the year and is primarily taught by parents of the children attending the class.
Two's is a nursery for children two years old (by Dec. 1, 2007). The children sing, play games and have a snack time. The nursery is located downstairs in Room 14.
Nursery is provided every Sunday during the worship service for infants and toddlers ages 0-2 years. The nurseries are located in the northwest corner of the Fellowship Room. A nursery coordinator will assist you with sign-in.
Weekday Programs
WEB (which stands for Wedgwood, Eastern and Baxter) is a program that grew out of our interest in working with children in the community who may need assistance in social and academic areas. WEB clubs are run by Wedgwood & Eastern Ave CRC employees weekly.
The WEB Tutoring program is staffed by Eastern members who work one-on-one with children in K-12th grade on homework and academic skill building. WEB tutoring occurs each Thursday from 6-7pm.
WEB Bible Club meets on Tuesday afternoons from 4-5pm, and is open to children ages 5-14. The children are provided with biblical instruction and encouraged to develop devotional and Bible study patterns in their personal lives through a variety of games, stories and activities.
The A Team is a mentoring club for high school age (15-18) young men. It meets every Monday from 4-6pm. We cover many topics from Christian perspective. Subjects include but not limited to sexual abstinence, drug abuse, conflict resolution, leadership etc.
Sunday Evening Programs
These Programs take place on the 1st & 3rd Sunday evening of the month starting September 30 from 5-7pm. Dinner is provided. Some groups may meet for additional sessions on other Sundays or different weekday/weekend evenings.
The Cadets program will meet in two separate groups and serves boys in grades 1st-3rd and 4th-6th. The program focuses on developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and building skills in various areas. In recent groups the boys have built derby cars, attended sporting events, have gone on fishing trips and learned about how to care for God?s world.
GEMS (short for Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) is a program for girls in grades 1st-3rd and 4th-6th. The program focuses on helping the girls identify who they are as children of God through lessons, crafts and activities. In the past the GEMS went on an overnight trip to a cottage, attended Disney on Ice and have done various service-oriented activities.
Shining Stars serves children ages 3 (by Dec 1, 2007) through Kindergarten. This group hears Bible stories, sings songs together and does crafts related to the story that they are learning.
The Middle School Youth Group is actually two groups-one for males and one for females in grades 7 & 8, although they occasionally meet together. In their meeting they have time for recreation, socializing and learning more about their place in God?s world. The groups occasional meet together for activities and meetings, and have gone on overnight trips, sporting events and other fun activities throughout the year.
Eastern Lights is Eastern Ave's high school youth group. The High School group meets every other week to discuss issues and do activities. On the second Wednesday of each month the group hosts a BINGO night at Degage Ministries. Small groups also meet at local coffee houses twice each month. In addition, they do other activities on weekends and go on a spring break mission trip each year. Eastern Lights focuses on helping high school age young people build a closer relationship with Christ and learn to make choices that will help them as they seek their independence in the high school years.
*The age for participation in programs and the age deemed the threshold for meaningful participation in programs is 5 years old. Children who are not yet 5 should not come to events and worship services without being accompanied by a parent for the duration of the service or event. Exceptions may be made based on circumstances reviewed and approved by a program staff person.
Want to learn more about being involved in Eastern?s Youth Programs?
Call Stacey Koetje, Youth Coordinator at 454-4888
