Welcome & Staff

Are you wondering where the most fun happens at Faith Baptist Church? It's right here in the Children's Ministry Department! This ministry to children is alive, innovative and growing because of the incredible volunteer spirit of the family we call Faith. People rally to serve and make our mission a reality. Exciting, child-centered programs are the strategies used to bring children to Jesus. People with a genuine love for Jesus and His children energize our ministry.

Here at Faith children are valued. The Bible makes it quite clear that children are special to God. Everything we do is based upon our ultimate goal that each child will:

• Come to know Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
• Learn to live for Him.
• Be challenged and equipped to share his faith with others.

At Faith Baptist Church we desire:

• For our children to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
• For our parents to apply Deuteronomy 6:5-9 in parenting their children.
• For our volunteers to model Jesus to the children they serve.

It is our hope that this simple handbook will answer questions you might have about this ministry. I am always available to answer questions or to serve you and your family in any capacity. I look forward to working with you as I serve your children.

Our vision is to lead children to love God with all their heart, mind, strength, and soul and love others as they love themselves.

Sheri Hale,
Director of Children's Ministry

Children Staff
Children's Ministry Director, Sheri Hale: Kids are the fuel that gives me energy and joy. God has allowed me to be a mom, a Gram and a teacher in the public schools and here at church. My passion is sharing the love of Jesus with kids in a way that they can relate to. When I'm not with kids, I love time at the beach with my amazing husband Philip and or reading a good book.
Children's Ministry Assistant Director, Rachel Walker: I began working in the children's ministry staff in 2008. My heartbeat is children and international missions. Because Faith is a mission minded church, I have the privilege of combining my two passions and making missions a large part of Faith's Children's Ministry! I also enjoy traveling, reading, eating oreos and milk and cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals!
Children's Ministry Assistant, Nancy Rouse: I have helped out in the Children's Ministry at Faith for about 12 years. About a year ago I began serving on the children's ministry staff at both the Bartlett and Arlington campus. My favorite part about working in children's ministry is getting to share the Gospel with children! My hobbies are reading, going to the beach, riding my Harley Davidson and eating vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup!
Children's Ministry Administrative Assistant, Diane Halford: I am a wife, a mother and a grandmother and I am so glad God made me a "worker bee"! I like to spend time with my family, cooking, catering, swimming, leading aerobics classes and ladies' Bible study classes, teaching 2 year olds, and antiquing. I have worked in the Children's Ministry here at Faith a long time…and I love it!

Calendar of Events

Join us for Kid’s Kamp @ The Grove.
Theme: “Prepare for Take Off”
Sign up at the last round up this Sunday,  March 25 4:45- 5:45 in the gym
All camp fees will remain the same as last year. Make a note of these important dates:

• Grade 1 - June 2-3 $45.00
• Grade 2/3 - June 1-3 $90.00
• Grade 3 thru 5 - June 4-8 $180.00 - $90 deposit/$90 due April 30

Optional plan for 3rd graders only:
Third graders may attend either the weekend camp or the weeklong camp. However, they may only attend one or the other
A half day camp for Kindergarteners @Buckhead
June 14 - Kinder Kamp  Cost: $20.00
Sign up deadline is MARCH 31

April
6th-Family Outreach Easter Event at Tulane Apt. 11:00-1:00
April 1, Church Bible Drill 4:00, room 220
April 7, Children’s Easter Event at Buckhead
April 14, Associational Bible Drill @ Ridgeway Baptist
April 28, State Bible Drill

May      
19th-RA/GA Amazing Race @ The Grove
20th-Children’s Spring Musical
20th-VBS Crew Leaders Training 4:45

June
1-8-Kid’s Kamp @ The Grove
14th-Kinder Kamp @ Buckhead 9:00am-1:00pm

July
9-13 - Vacation Bible School

Programs

Sundays For Kids:

Connection: For Kids in Kindergarten-5th Grade. The curriculum is Bible based, activity oriented and age appropriate for a child's developmental and spiritual needs. 8:00, 9:15 and 10:45am

Kid's Church: For kids in Kindergarten-2nd Grade. Kids experience an up-beat worship service that better meets their developmental needs. The emphasis is hands-on worship and discipleship. 8:00 and 10:45am

Children's Choir/M & M Munchies*: Graded choirs for Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5. Children incorporate drama, creative movement, and sign language with singing to worship the One who game the voice to sing! Following choir our children enjoy a light snack to energize them for the rest of the evening. 4:45-5:45pm; 5:45-6:00pm

RA's (Royal Ambassadors)*: For boys in Grades 1-5. Missions' education coupled with practical application best describes RA's. Our boys are given many opportunities to Go.Tell. 6:00-7:15pm

GA's (Girls in Action)*: For girls in Grades 1-5. Missions' education with many missions and ministry opportunities. Our girls learn first-hand to give of their time, money and energy. 6:00-7:15pm

KinderMission*: A hands on Missions education program just for kids in Kindergarten. 6:00-7:15pm

*During the School year

Wednesdays For Kids:

KidZone: For kids in Kindergarten-Grade 5. Where kids learn to follow Jesus! We have action- packed evenings of praise and worship, exciting Bible study, creative application, of Biblical truths and games with a purpose. 6:00-7:15pm

Bible Drill: For boys and girls in Grades 4-6. Bible Drill meets October thru April. Bible memory and Bible usage skills help prepare children for competition at the church, local and state level. 5:00-6:00pm

I'm a Christian Now!: For kids in Grades 2-5. These are small group classes to prepare new Christians for their walk with Jesus! They meet in four weeks sessions. 6:00-7:00pm

Kids EE: For Kids in Grades 5. This 14 week program meets January thru April and equips our kids to share their faith with others. 6:00-7:15pm

Summer Activities: (June, July, August)

Faith's Kids Kamp! Grades 1-5 takes place during the month of June at the Grove at Red Oak Lake. Completed Grades 1-5 stay 1 to 4 nights- depending on the grade. Kids in Kindergarten will have a 1 day camp at Buckhead. Kids enjoy a resident camp in a wooded setting. Our time away allows us to focus on our Father, His creation, and His love for us. We have great fun and fellowship through Bible Study, crafts, water games, music, and drama.

Vacation Bible School! Vacation Bible School takes place during the month of July for Children who have completed Kindergarten thru 5th Grade. Vacation Bible School is an adventurous week of Bible Stories, songs, activities, and interaction.

Security

As outlined in our belief statement, the safety of our children is imperative. Volunteers help us to ensure child safety by following these procedures:

• Children in KG- Gr.2 can only be released to a parent or an adult family member at the end of a class or activity.
• Children in Gr.3-5 can be released at the end of a class or activity to go and meet their parents.
• No child is allowed to leave the building without an adult escort.
• Parents must come into our building to collect their children.
• Volunteers are asked to fill out a questionnaire to work with children here at Faith. [This procedure was implemented in 2005.]
• A background check will be completed on all individuals working with children. This procedure will only focus on child abuse or a crime involving actual attempted sexual molestation of a minor. [This procedure was implemented in 2005.]
• We ask that parents remain on campus when their child is involved in an activity. We have multiple activities in which parents can participate which coincide at the same time as their child's activity.

Kiosk Check In System

For Children in Kindergarten through Second Grade

Children are very important to us here at Faith. In order to provide a safe environment for our precious children, we use a Kiosk Check In System. This system allows our parents to feel more secure in the way we check our children in and out of class.

Kiosk Check-In Locations:

• 3 locations in the Main Nursery hallway and
• 1 located at the foot of the stairwells just outside of room #158.
• 2 check-in stations upstairs outside of both entrances to the Upper Fellowship Hall (Children's Church room).

Procedure:

1. Use the touch screen to enter the last four digits of your home phone number (or the number that our church has in our records).
2. On the screen will appear the names of your family members. Check the names of the family members for which you need nametags (children birth- Gr.2).
3. In about 7 seconds the printer will produce 3 individual tickets for each child. For use:
   • Top ticket goes to the teacher
   • The middle ticket goes on the child as a name tag.
   • The last ticket is for the parent. Parents MUST have this ticket to pick up a child (this ticket can be divided in half so that both parents can have a copy).

Back-Up Plan:

In the event that this procedure is not successful for you, a helpful volunteer will hand write the 3 tickets for you.

Volunteer

Well of COURSE you can volunteer! Whether you enjoy teaching, assistant teaching, making crafts, leading recreation or helping out with special events, there is always a place for you to serve in Children's Ministry! Our staff would love to meet with you and find a place to serve that best suits you. For more information, please contact Sheri Hale or Rachel Walker in the Children's Ministries Office.

Volunteer/Child Ratio

We see the primary responsibility of a volunteer as building a relationship with the children with whom he works. To build that meaningful relationship with children, we encourage a volunteer/ student ratio of:

• KG - Gr. 2: 1 adult leader per 5 children
• Gr. 3 - Gr. 5: 1 adult volunteer per 6-8 children

Not only is it necessary to keep our groups small so that leaders might get to know the children, but also to ensure the safety of our children.