message from:
Cris Walterhouse, Children's Ministry Director

“Colossians 1:9-12 speaks my heart’s  cry and prayer for children in our care: ‘For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.’


 “It is God alone who can accomplish this in any child’s heart. Our part is to foster an understanding of God’s heart in our children by being faithful to share the entirety of God’s Word with them, while being sensitive to their unique learning styles and maturity. As we help children learn what Jesus is like, we can help them discover what makes Him smile and affirm those traits in our children, so that they can begin to understand what it means to live as God’s dearly loved children.”

cwalterhouse@californiaroad.org

Nursery  (Birth-Age 2): 

The nursery is open on Sunday mornings during Sunday school (9 am) and the worship service (10:15 am) for babies and toddlers from birth through age 2. A rotation of nursery staff works in the nursery, under the supervision of Ann Werner.
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Preschool  (Ages 2-4):

Sunday School (Sundays from 9-10 am):  Caleb and Rachel Miller teach our preschool Sunday school class each week in the preschool classroom (Room 111). Through the use of flannel graph, active music, and dressing up to act out Bible stories, our young ones have the opportunity to absorb God’s Word in a number of engaging ways.
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Junior Church (Sundays from 10:15-11:15 am):  Preschoolers are invited to their own class during our Sunday worship service to hear the gospel at their level. Our young ones are encouraged (though certainly not required) to join the adults for the beginning of the worship service to discover the beauty of worship as a church family. Before the sermon, preschoolers who are in the sanctuary will be escorted to their class where a rotation of teachers will lead them in a child-friendly class that mirrors the rhythm of worship that the adults follow in the sanctuary.

Midweek Class (Wednesdays during the school year from 7-8 pm):  Preschoolers through elementary students meet together (in Room 111) for a class that discovers the “Attributes of God” through a variety of ways. The class is led by Cris Walterhouse and provides a beautiful “intergenerational” time of learning, with the older ones developing their gifts as they help guide the younger ones.
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Elementary  (Grades K-6):

Sunday School (Sundays from 9-10 am):  Children (grades K-6) join together for Sunday school, led by a rotation of children’s workers. Their lessons are based on that Sunday’s three lectionary readings that are not covered by Pastor Bud’s sermon, in order to provide children with a solid foundation taken from the entire Bible.

Junior Church (Sundays from 10:30-11:15 am):  Children (grades K-4) are invited to Junior Church during the second part of the worship service. Children are encouraged to join adults during the beginning of our worship service to partake in worship as a family. They will then be dismissed before the sermon for an age-appropriate study of Scripture (generally the same passage that Pastor Bud preaches on, so that families can discuss the common Scripture that they hear each week).

Midweek Class (Wednesdays during the school year from 7-8 pm):  Preschoolers through elementary students meet together (in Room 111) for a class that discovers the “Attributes of God” through a variety of ways. The class is led by Cris Walterhouse and provides a beautiful “intergenerational” time of learning, with the older ones developing their gifts as they help guide the younger ones.