Youngster Program Mission
2022-2023 School Year Program News:
Family Registration Form (2023-2024 Program Year)
The 2023-2024 Youngster program features a weekly Bible story, prayer, activity, and time to interact with classmates. This year, we will be using the Telling God’s Story Curriculum for our classroom instruction most Sundays, with an all-ages Creative Community activity (music, making, moving, etc.) approximately once a month. Youngsters from Pre-K until 6th Grade are welcome to join the class, or remain in the (air conditioned!) sanctuary or Rumpus Room at the back of the sanctuary with their grownups.
The mission of the House of Mercy Youngster Program is to point youngsters to the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ by the following means:
- Learning the story of Jesus and the story of God’s dealings with the Hebrew people
- Exploring & experiencing the classic elements of Christian worship
- Celebrating God’s gifts of creativity by making songs, images and stories
- Fostering an ethic of care and a sense of responsibility for each other and for all of creation
Motivation: Free Faith Instead of Religious Manipulation
At its best, the Church in its history has been moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Good News of God’s radical love and engagement with the world. But at its worst, the Church has used tactics such as manipulation, fear, and shame. Since children are especially vulnerable to such tactics, we believe that we must pay great attention to what motivates our attempts to teach our children about Jesus Christ. While our community is far less than perfect, our aim is to create a climate of trust and to foster receptivity to the love of God as revealed in Christ and experienced in worship. That is, we aim to have no other agenda than simply pointing to the free, radical, and life-changing grace of God that is given to us in Jesus Christ.
During the Sunday service, an unstaffed nursery space (AKA the Rumpus Room) is available for infants and toddlers in the back of the sanctuary. There are lots of fun toys!
Youngsters participate in the beginning of the church service and leave for class via the Youngster Parade. The Elder Youngster (youth) program is for 7th graders and up, middle and high schoolers. All ages are also welcome to stay during the service, or enjoy the nursery space (AKA Rumpus Room) at the back of the sanctuary.
Please register youngsters, infants through high school. Even if your child will not be attending class on a regular basis, we’ll make sure you stay in the loop about events or information. (We’d also like to spell their names correctly!) Use the link below to access this google doc form:
Family Registration Form (2023-2024 Program Year)
Baptism is offered throughout the year. Please contact the Pastors for more information or to schedule a baptism: russell@houseofmercy.org or debbie@houseofmercy.org
For more information or if you’re interested in helping with or donating to the Youngster Program, please contact Nancy Abts, Youngster Program Coordinator, at youngsters@houseofmercy.org. Or, find her sitting near the back of the church on Sundays before the Youngster Parade, giving out ’10-peace’ with her daughter 🖐️🖐️ instead of the ‘2-peace’ you might find in other pews ✌️ !