Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church

Children’s Ministry Goals 2010

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY GOALS 2010

The objective of our Children’s Ministries is to provide basic Christian Education, love and care to each child at church in recognition that all are creations of God.  Jesus loved and valued children and taught us all that to enter the kingdom of heaven we should be as a child.  Our goals for 2010 are that we intend to:
• Work with the Children’s Council to vision and implement ministry to, with, and for children and families.
• Offer high quality childcare for all worship services, activities, and events.
• Offer staff development opportunities for child caregivers. 
• Recruit nursery staff to meet the needs of our children.
• Recruit and train volunteer leaders for Early Christian Awareness (ECA) and nursery coordinator.
• Maintain and update ECA equipment as needed.
• Continue to offer Sunday School to 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s at 9:15 each Sunday.
• Continue to organize and improve P.H.A.I.T.H. Connection, our rotation model Sunday school for grades K-5, Sundays, 9:15 a.m.
• Recruit and train Sunday School teachers and P.H.A.I.T.H. Phriends.
• Work to meet the needs of our children with special needs by offering trained child caregivers to assist them during the Sunday School hour and continue to develop an alternative activity time for children with special needs during the 10:30 worship time.
• Offer Children’s Church, our age-appropriate worship offering for preschoolers.  Continue to recruit and equip volunteer leaders for this program.
• Present 3rd graders Bibles and offer follow-up learning activities helping children learn to use and love their Bibles. 
• Plan and participate in an annual Children’s Sabbath planned by clergy, the Children’s Ministry Staff and Children’s Council.  Often 3rd grade Bibles are offered this same weekend.
• Help to promote and support Children’s Choirs as part of children’s Christian education program.
• Plan Vacation Bible School for projected number of 400 children.
• Offer parenting/family classes to address current issues which may include but are not limited to Christian family development, discipline, human sexuality classes for 5th graders, vehicle passenger safety, nutrition, Internet safety, peer pressure, time management, etc.
• Nurture volunteers by providing recognition quarterly for all volunteers in children’s ministries each quarter.
• Nurture children and their families through bereavement cards, birthday cards, cradle crosses, letters to new parents, and special notes at baptism.
• With volunteer support, work to communicate with parents through building an e-mail communication system.
• Organize and promote 45PHriends Club, offering fellowship and mission opportunities for children in grades 4 and 5.
• Continue to offer seasonal special events for children and their families including, but not limited to, the Easter Egg Hunt, an Advent activity, Promotion Sunday, etc.
• Promote both on site and off site family activities for fellowship including activities such as Sunday School class picnics, Arkansas Travelers games, Wild River Country, bowling, putt-putt golf, etc.
• Work with the church Mission Board by providing a Children’s Council representative to serve on that board and by offering family mission opportunities.
• Work with the Children’s Learning Center on shared spaces issues and offer workable solutions for both groups.
• Support and utilize the TM2 Ministry model in order to recruit and assimilate more volunteers in our Children’s Ministry programs.  TM2 will help involve more people and avoid burnout with current volunteers.
• Offer a parent orientation in the spring to parents of upcoming kindergartens and new parents that include information on school-age ministries and P.H.A.I.T.H. Connection Sunday School as well as lessons for children about attending worship.
• Increase average Sunday School attendance by 10%.
• Develop better communication with parents using e-mail by grades to inform of Sunday School lessons, Bible verses, upcoming events, and needs for volunteers.
• Continue to offer a Parents Night Out once a month.
• Have children’s council members contact families who have recently joined the church and who are visiting the church to welcome and to answer any questions.
• Host a luncheon on Sundays at 11:30 three times a year for new members with children who have recently joined the church.
• Bi-monthly newsletter for families of babies through 5th graders with information about Sunday School, upcoming events as well as a list of children’s birthdays for the months the newsletter represents.
• Have open gym time for children and families so folks can hang out at church and have fun together.
• Love each child through learning each child’s name and greeting each child by name when they are at church.
• Have bulletins boards with the goal of building community, helping us get to know each other better and celebrating special occasions such as birthdays, new babies, baptisms and new members with children.
• Have greeters each Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. downstairs at entrance 4 and upstairs by the elevator above entrance 4.
• Develop and implement a Parents Night Out for children with special needs.
• Create fellowship opportunities for babies born with six months of each other and their parents to help folks get to know each other better and create a loving, caring community.
• Have children’s worship books available in the back of worship services for children to use and enjoy during worship.
• Provide family Christmas Eve worship service at 4 p.m. that is meaningful for children and adults.
• Offer parents opportunities for spiritual growth and community building while providing excellent childcare.
• Provide a CD with songs of books of the Bible for $3.00 each to help our children (and adults!) learn the books of the Bible.
• Have fun and share in the JOY of the Lord!