Children

Children are Important at WFMC!

We strive to be a family-friendly church and to provide the very best in children’s education, worship, fellowship and spiritual growth opportunities.  All of our children’s programs reflect our desire to assist parents in raising children who love Jesus deeply and worship Him from their hearts. From Scripture memorization to music, from fun and games to worship experiences, we strive to help children know God and to make Him known.

To register your child(ren) for any Children’s Ministry program, please click here.

 Cradle Roll

Cradle Roll is a special ministry to newborns involving support and small gifts to new parents. Many of our Sunday school classes and ABFs offer meals and other ministries to new parents.

 Sunday School

The children’s Sunday School program features graded classes for children, age 2 through fifth grade.  We use curriculum which is Wesleyan in doctrine and excellent in content and optional activities.  Each children’s class is staffed by at least one adult teacher and one adult assistant who have been carefully chosen and are committed to teaching and caring for children.  Sunday School operates throughout the year.

All classes begin at 9:45 a.m. Below is the slate of classes and room numbers:

2’s – 3’s – Building B Preschool Wing
4’s – K – Building B Preschool Wing
1st /2nd grades – Room A106
3rd/4th grades – Room A104
5th grade – Room A105

 Bible Memory

Integrated into Sunday School, children may choose to participate in this exercise of hiding God’s Word in their hearts.

Children’s Worship Junior

During both 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Sunday worship services, we offer a worship experience for two- and three-year-old children, preparing them to enter Children’s Worship.  Children’s Worship Junior operates throughout the year.

Children’s Worship

Children, age 4 through third grade, are dismissed to Children’s Worship after singing, praying and hearing the Scripture read with their families in the morning worship services. What follows is a special time where children enjoy meeting with God and learn to worship Him. Children are given an opportunity to respond to the story through working with materials that encourage reflection and thought. Children’s Worship is designed to be a serious and devout worship experience for children.

Children’s Worship follows the nine-month school year schedule, with a summer session for children age 4 through grade 1. Through the summer months, older children are invited to worship with their parents during the morning services.

Nursery

Our excellent nursery facilities are staffed with loving and responsible people for Sunday morning and evening services, Wednesday services, and most special events. Our goals are to make you feel secure leaving your child(ren) in our care, and to show Jesus’ love to these youngest attendees of our church.

The age limits for nursery attendance are:

Sunday morning and Wednesday evening: Birth to 24 months

Sunday evenings: Birth to 48 months

Children’s Choirs

The voices of children are among the sweetest of all sounds and one of the richest expressions of worship in any church. Our Music Ministry offers several opportunities in which children may participate throughout the school year.  Check out our current Children’s Music offerings here.

Christian Life Club (CLC)

CLC is for all children, age 2 through grade 5. The lessons and activities are designed to help each child “grow in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and humankind” as Jesus did.

CLC meets Wednesdays, 7:00–8:00 p.m., throughout the nine-month school year. In this time, children can earn awards by memorizing scripture and completing activities monthly. There is an award ceremony in May where children are honored for their hard work.

CLC encourages growth by teaching and explaining how Jesus and the Scriptures relate to personal worth, Bible, spiritual growth, service, friendship, health, missions, family and creation.

Special Events for Children

At WFMC, there are many annually-scheduled special events just for children, including:
  • Vacation Bible School.  This is a major event at WFMC.  Nearly 300 children and another 140 volunteers staff one of the best Bible schools anywhere.  Children love the weekday mornings of songs, skits, crafts and lessons, and they come away knowing Jesus more deeply every year.  Click here for more info about this year’s VBS!
  • Children in the choirs and in Sunday School participate in a Children-Led Worship Service every other May.  The children learn about the elements of our worship service and each Sunday school class is taught how to lead one of them.  The choirs lead in the hymn singing and present a short program to serve as the “sermon.”
  • Another opportunity for children age 4-5th grade is our Palm Saturday program.  Periodically we offer a day of learning about the last week of Jesus’ life through crafts, activities and drama.
  • Our Harvest Festival is an opportunity for children to dress up in silly and fun costumes while others are celebrating Halloween.  We have games based on Bible stories with candy and prizes for all.

A Word About Promotions

The following guideline applies to promotion from the church Nursery into the Children’s Worship Junior, Sunday School, and Christian Life Club 2’s and 3’s programs. Children will be promoted two times per year:

  • Children who turn two years old between January 1 and August 1 will be promoted on Promotion Sunday, typically the third Sunday in August.
  • Children who turn two years old between August 2 and December 31 will be promoted on the first Sunday in January.

Because of the difficulty in constantly bringing new little ones into classes that have an established routine, it is imperative that we follow this policy very carefully.