If you’ve been in worship lately, you may have noticed that we are growing in numbers among God’s youngest children. This is wonderful—a joy that the whole church is celebrating! The Ministry in Christian Education (MICE) has been doing an excellent job of providing consistent Sunday morning programming as well as monthly events for church and community, such as the Christmas Gift-Making event and our Valentines’ craft night a few weeks ago.
These growing numbers present new opportunities for structuring Sunday Friends, what we call the time kids spend downstairs during worship. We’re looking into offering a separate track for the older elementary/middle school children, and the youngest friends can sometimes benefit from a leader all to themselves. All that is to say, we need a few more helpers. Whether your interest is in teaching, playing, or being a support around the edges, there is surely a role for you! Please email mice@ucu.church if you’d like to join the rotation. Also, if you know of any youth in the community who might be looking to assist in something like this, please reach out to Pastor Jen.
All of our volunteers who assist in children’s ministry must meet the standards and follow the practices outlined in our Safer Sanctuaries policy. We always have at least two adults present with the children, use open doors and/or rooms with windows, and require all volunteers to have been in the church for at least six months and pass a background check. Later this spring, I’ll be leading a district-wide event for United Methodist churches on updating and reinvigorating Safer Sanctuaries policies. We may find that there are some things we need to add, change, or bring to the forefront, especially as we consider digital ministry. Stay tuned for more details.
It is wonderful to have this new cadre of kids actively participating in the worship and ministry of the church. Again, we give thanks for the committed members of the MICE team who are shepherding this growth and learning, and surely growing and learning themselves through the process. Let us know if you’d like to join in. A dose of childlike faith (and questions!) may be just what is needed.
Pastor Jen