Purpose Of Junior Church

Junior Church seeks to motivate 4th through 6th grade students to learn more about God and His world by providing an interesting and challenging variety of topics and formats. We do not want them to come to church thinking it will be boring or incomprehensible or get into patterns of tuning out, daydreaming or drawing pictures on the bulletin - behavior patterns that may continue until they are well into high school. We also do not want to manufacture fun that has nothing to do with learning or worship. Participatory learning ought to be its own motivator.

Junior Church seeks to prepare children to be critical observers of their culture and to be able to check their observations against God's Word. We want them to be able to respect their school teachers at the same time as they challenge false ideas. We want them to have the confidence to know that the Christian faith holds the intellectual high ground and they can, even as young people, be courageous enough to say, when appropriate, "The Emperor has no clothes!"

Junior Church seeks to cover a wide range of topics that have proved of value over many years of use and are important in many aspects of the Christian life. These include coming to Christ, the spiritual disciplines, witnessing, spiritual warfare and the end of the age. Children have proven themselves capable of understanding many deep and complicated subjects if presented in a clear way. They have, for example, seen the absurdity of the statement, "it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe something," a perception that eludes many Ph D's.

Junior church also seeks to involve many other adults from the church family as guest speakers, either telling of their own lives or covering special topics. Many of the speakers are already experienced, but for a few, this gives an opportunity to gain confidence for other ministries. It also allows the children to see a little bit beneath the surface of some of the adult faces at church.

We also seek to use drama to make Bible characters come alive. We go to Redeemer Residence periodically to have contact with the elderly who are not able to come to church. We seek to understand disabilities by simulating them and by meeting people who live with physical challenges. We have semi-annual hikes to learn appreciation for God's creation and to have another (hopefully) positive experience with the other kids and with adults from church. These experiences help build the community we hope to see by the time they are in Junior and Senior High School.

Junior Church News & Events

• Junior Church Fall 2008 Hike
• Junior Church Spring 2008 Hike
• Junior Church Winter 2008 Science Museum Outing
• Junior Church Fall 2007 Hike
• Junior Church Spring 2007 Hike
• Junior Church Winter 2007 Science Museum Outing
• Junior Church Fall 2006 Hike
• Junior Church Spring 2006 Hike
• April 2006 Two Sunday Worship Services Letter
• Junior Church Winter 2006 Science Museum Outing
• Junior Church Fall 2005 Hike
• Junior Church Spring 2005 Hike
• Junior Church Winter 2005 Science Museum Outing
• Junior Church Fall 2004 Hike
• Junior Church Spring 2004 Hike
• Junior Church Winter 2004 Science Museum Outing
• Junior Church Fall 2003 Hike
• Junior Church Spring 2003 Hike
• First Free Junior Church Fall 2002 Hike
• First Free Junior Church Spring 2002 Hike
• Junior Church Winter Outing to Science Museum (January 2002)
• Fall 2001 Letter to Junior Church Parents
• Junior Church Alumni Hike, August 2001
• First Free Church Junior Church Hike, June 2001
• First Free Church Junior Church January 2001 Hike
• First Free Junior Church Letter, Fall 2000
• Semiannual First Free Junior Church Hike: June 3, 2000

Programs for Preschool and grades K-3 with innovative methods to bring group and individual worship alive.