Ministries

children

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Our goal is to reach boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ: teaching them to know God intimately, love Him passionately and to serve Him faithfully. We desire to build bridges to families and equip them. In the process, we are committed to enlist, equip and encourage others to do the same.

Please see below for information on our various ministries. For a list of current children's events and activities, please click here. For more information, please contact one of our children's ministry staff:

Kelly Haux, Children's Director Kelly Owrey, AWANA Commander Kelly Schmid, Administrative Assistant

khaux@zoominternet.net kidsassistant@zoominternet.net gcacsecretary@zoominternet.net

724-458-8497 x105 724-458-8497 x114 724-458-8497 x101

AWANA's goal is to "reach children with the gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him". AWANA stands for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15). During AWANA your child will make new friends, play exciting games, compete in rewarding and challenging contests, receive awards as reinforcement for their good performance, and learn and memorize God's Word, the Bible.

We offer two sessions on Wednesdays. Our afternoon session meets from 3:45-5:30 and our evening session meets from 6:30 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. AWANA is for children ages 3 (by September 1st) through grade 6. Our individual clubs are:

Cubbies (Pre-school - 3 yrs old by Sept. 1st)

Sparks (Kindergarten through 2nd Grade)

Truth & Training (Grades 3-6)

For more information on each individual program, please check out the international AWANA website here.

Our nursery includes separate rooms for infants as well as crawlers and walkers, along with a huge classroom for children ages 2-3. The nursery plays a vital part in enabling parents to participate in worship services and allows them to serve God in ministry while their children are receiving excellent care. We have a top notch nursery that provides a clean, safe place for the littlest ones of our church. We are staffed with wonderful volunteers who provide loving care to the many infants and toddlers who attend each week. We also have a paid nursery attendant on staff. Kim Barclay does a wonderful job of directing our volunteers and ensures that the nursery remains a clean and safe environment.

Our children's Sunday school meets every Sunday during the 9:00am worship service. This program plays an important part in transforming the hearts of children. During Sunday school, children grow in their knowledge of God's Word. This ministry allows teachers to assist parents in training up their child in the way that they should go. With a powerful worship time and thought-provoking lessons, children learn what it means to have a relationship with Christ in classes that are geared for their particular age level. Below are the classes we offer to children at GCAC.

Class Classroom Location

Ages 2-3 Aquarium

Age 4 Worship Center

Age 5 Worship Center

1st Grade Sporting Goods

2nd Grade Outfitters Peak

3rd Grade Worship Center

4th Grade Toy Store

5th & 6th Grade Candy Store

All children ages 4-4th grade meet in their individual classrooms then gather in the children's worship center for worship and prayer time. After that they break up into their individual classes for their Sunday school lessons. Tiny Tots (2's & 3's) and the 5th & 6th grade classes report directly to their classroom at the beginning of service.

There are currently three Children’s Church programs serving ages 2 years through 6th grade. These classes run during the 10:45am service and focus on teaching children Biblical lessons and application through many Bible stories, videos, puppets, crafts, drama, music, and guest speakers.

Tiny Tots Nursery (2-3 year olds) - located in the Aquarium

This class continues to be under the Nursery umbrella. College students and nursery volunteers work with our Nursery Attendant to combine play and snack time making it a place that little ones feel safe and cared for.

Jr. Church (Age 4-Kindergarten) - located in Sporting Goods

Using "Hands on" Bible Curriculum, these older pre-school children enjoy Bible stories, games and crafts each week, along with a powerful worship time. Through these activities, they are able to grasp many of the Biblical themes presented in an age-appropriate environment.

Kids Church (Grades 1-6) - located in the Worship Center

This large group worship service combines fun with learning, and provides a place for grade school children to learn about having a relationship with Jesus. Using powerful worship, relevant lessons, fun games and toybox tales, kids grow in their faith each week. This ministry also incorporates a powerful lesson focused on missions once every six weeks which enables the children to learn about reaching the lost and teaches them to pray for our missionaries.

All 5th & 6th graders are welcome to join our "Club 56". We get together once a month for fun, fellowship, service projects, and special outings. Grove City Alliance Church cares very much about this pre-teen age group. We have a desire to help them develop a deeper walk with Christ and to make positive relationships with friends in a Christian environment. Club 56 allows them to "hang out" with kids their own age and to be mentored and guided by committed Christian leaders. Upcoming events are announced in AWANA, Sunday School and Kids Church, as well as posted on our website here.

This special needs ministry is for children who need a little extra help in the classroom during Sunday morning ministries or in our Awana program on Wednesdays. We recruit “buddies” to come alongside kids with special needs to give them an extra hand in the classroom. If you have a child with special needs that you feel could benefit from the program or know of a family that might be interested, please let us know. Once we receive an application form from a family, we do our best to recruit a “buddy” for the child. We then work with the parents to learn the best way to respond to that child’s special needs while integrating them into the classroom experience. Please contact Miss Kelly at khaux@zoominternet.net or at 724-458-8497 for more information.

You can download a family application form here. Also, if you are interested in becoming a "buddy", you can download this buddy application here. Either one can be turned into Miss Kelly at the church or emailed to khaux@zoominternet.net. It is our prayer that this ministry will be a blessing to your family!