RPC Children's Ministries
Goal: to help parents disciple their covenant children to find life in Christ and
bring life to others
Sunday Bible School (SBS)
Sundays, 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Sept. – June
- SBS is the main discipleship venue for teaching of RPC children
- Current classes: age 2-kindergarten (Bible Story Hour), grades 1–5, grades 6–12
(Note: classes will be generated according to student need and teacher availability)
- Requires 1 teacher per class. Could also team-teach.
- Curriculum: David C. Cook, GCP, CMI
- RPC distinctive will be teaching that is Bible-based, Christ-centered (redemptive),
grace-driven (vs. moralistic) and consistent with Reformed theology, as expressed
in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
- Teachers will make at least a one-quarter and preferably a one-year commitment (Note:
the greater commitment will provide continuity and build relationships with teachers
and students. Ideally, teachers will serve on the basis of giftedness and calling.
Children's Church (CC)
Sundays, 11:30 a.m. – Noon, Sept. – June
- for children 2 years old through 5th grade
- Children ages 2–4 will meet separately for the entire service for supervised play
time, a Bible lesson and activities. Children age 5 through 5th grade will worship
with their families and be dismissed at the sermon for teaching and crafts. Once
a month this older group will meet in the balcony area for instruction in worship
using a special children's bulletin prepared by Pastor Gale specifically for that
week.
- Children will be encouraged in Scripture memory, catechetical instruction, trained
in meaningful worship, how to pray, and presented with crafts and lessons by a variety
of guest helpers.
- Note: will allow for sense of larger covenant community of adults and children in
corporate worship, and will provide for more meaningful ministry to both children
and adults as separate at sermon
- Requires 1 director and 1 helper for each group (2–3, 4–2nd grade). Directors and
helpers will make a 1 month commitment
- A recording of the sermon would be made immediately and given to those nursery or
CC workers missing worship to nurture them through the Word.
Nursery (child care)
- For newborn up to age 2 for both SBS and worship service
- Requires at least 2 workers
Communicants Class
(periodic)
- To prepare students for meaningful church involvement and to become communing members
of RPC
- Curriculum: Steve Smallman's Understanding the Faith (P&R)
Summer Events
- VBS (held 3rd week of July at RPC for children age 3 through 6th grade)
- Tri-Pres Camp (held in August in Northeast, MD for 4th-6th graders)
Equipping/Encouraging of Parents
- Covenant Keepers (monthly) for training, encouragement, fellowship and prayer time
for parents of children at home in helping them in their discipling role
- Provide regular seminars (in-house and outside speakers) to equip parents in raising
their children, including subjects on making worship meaningful for your grade school
children, family devotions, stimulating your children's prayer lives, shepherding
a child's heart, standing for Christ and still being cool, catechizing your children
Cultivating Covenant Community
- Make a concerted, ongoing effort to mobilize adults from the RPC covenant community
to be in involved in ministry to children through work in nursery, hosting youth
events, prayer, surrogate grandparenting, teaching, mentoring
- Make covenant discipleship needs a regular part of the congregation's consciousness
and prayer life, including encouraging SBS involvement by all families
- Advent wreath with different family lighting each of 5 candles; Jesse Tree
- Family activities (e.g., hayride and bonfire, sporting events, mission trips)
Leadership
- Form Children's Ministries Team (CMT, 4–5 members) to oversee, provide central direction
and scheduling, led by a Children's Ministry Director (CMD).
Future
- Junior and Senior high youth groups (weekly for foundations in the faith, fellowship,
fun). Could be just RPC or WC area
- Scouting/Pioneer Girls/Christian Service Brigade/Awana
- Family nights for adult education and children's activities
- Mission trips (just RPC or join with other churches)
- Service projects (to shut-ins, Angel Tree)
- MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers)
- Staffing (e.g., part-time or full-time, paid youth worker)
Needs/Ideas
- Award prizes for catechism memorization. Publish names in bulletin.
- Encourage and support mentoring groups (limited duration, same-sex groups, working
through a curriculum (e.g., CE & P's new materials for (pre-teen and teen discipleship)
- Include older children to minister and use gifts through involvement in SBS, CC,
VBS, music ministry, Christmas Puppet, Wentworth, Worship Service, diaconal project,
ESL
- Involve SBS children in Worship service once a quarter to sing a song they've been
learning, recite a Bible passage, etc.
- Annual children's worker appreciation dinner
- Training conferences for children's ministry leaders (part of RPC budget)
- Develop RPC website as resource for parents and include kids page
Note: all children's workers will agree to the RPC Child Protection Policy