HEROES Update
Children’s Ministry Facility Opens
St. John’s Lutheran Church celebrated the grand opening of a brand new, state of the art Children’s Ministry Suite Sunday, June 28, 2009. Mayor Harvey Hall was in attendance for the ribbon cutting, as well as hundreds of enthusiastic members of the church and community. Tours of the new facility ran throughout the morning.
"God has blessed us ten-fold with this new building," states Christy Burke, Children’s Ministry Director at St. John’s, "My prayer is that the facility would be a tool to bring more children into His Kingdom."
The facility’s large auditorium is fully equipped with a stage, lights, sound, and LCD flat screen TVs for dynamic, multi-media presentations. The interior is painted in kid-friendly colors with a vibrant 3-D set design. Three classrooms in the facility will host the Kindergarteners of St. John’s Lutheran School beginning this fall. The space will serve as the new home to a variety of Children’s Programs at St. John’s, including Sunday School, AWANA, pre-teen ministry, children’s musicals, vacation bible school, and seasonal events at Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
The building is currently used most frequently for Sunday School services, which are held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Children first gather as a large group in the auditorium for high-energy worship, interactive games, and a multi-media presentation of that week’s lesson. After large group time, children break out into small groups divided by grade where an adult facilitator helps them process the lesson through discussion, crafts, and activities. All children of the community are welcome to attend these Sunday morning services.
"We have completely changed the way we do Sunday School," states Children’s Ministry Team Member Paige Burzlaff, "Children will approach me and beg to know what we are going to be doing next week. It’s so great to see the children excited about Sunday School and what they are learning!"
For more information about Children's Ministry at St. John's, contact Christy Burke, Children's Ministry Team Leader, at 665-7815 or cburke@sjlchurch.org.
