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Elementary Sunday School

Faith Quest - Elementary Sunday School - 9:39 and 11:00

Children in kindergarten - 5th grade participate in Faith Quest - a Sunday School program based on an innovative way to do Christian Education - the Workshop Rotation Model. This model emphasizes multi-dimensional learning and creative ways to teach biblical concepts. Children, kindergarten through 5th grade, begin the hour in an assembly with singing and offering. After assembly, children travel with their Shepherds to their weekly workshop. They study the same story for one month visiting a different workshop each week. Workshops include Creation Station (crafts), Divine Designs Art Studio (art), Journey Land (science/social studies), Joyful Noise (music), Sower's Cinema (movie theater), Rock Solid Academy (Bible skills), Miracle Basket Cafe (cooking), Moved by the Spirit (active games), Acts of the Apostles (drama), and Soulfishers.Net (computer lab). This model of Sunday School is designed to teach the way that children learn by including all types and styles of learning. Children who don't learn well by sitting still and listening to a story will not miss out on these important lessons. Activities are hands on and provide memory connections so the stories become more truly engrained in the children's experience.

Come Visit Our Workshops!

Moved By the Spirit (Room 118)
Musical games, relays, and more are found in this workshop where kids learn by moving!

Creation Station (Room 129)
This workshop is hands-on as children create crafts as a visual reminder of their Bible lesson.

Divine Design Art Studio (Room 131)
Here, children learn Bible stories through creative, imaginative & unique artistic expression.

Sower's Cinema (Room 134)
You will smell the popcorn as you arrive at this theater workshop where the children watch movies related to the unit's theme and work as groups to answer questions and share insights. The popcorn is fresh and served warm!

Rock Solid Academy (Room 135)
We work on our Bible skills by playing games in this fun-filled workshop.

Acts of the Apostles (Room 136)
Our drama workshop allows children to both watch plays and participate in various dramatic activities.

JourneyLand (Room 133)
 A variety of experiences await you here as Bible lessons involving science, history, and geography are presented.

Joyful Noise (Room 137)
Our music workshop is more than just singing songs. In this workshop, we will be creating it, listening to it, trying to memorize it, analyzing it, and using it with skits and illustrations.

Miracle Basket Cafe (Room 119)
As children eat or prepare food in the cooking workshop, they experience Bible stories in a truly different way.

Soulfishers.Net (Room 128)
Our computer workshop is where children play a variety of computer games that reinforce Bible lessons.

Elementary classrooms are on the lower level of the North Campus building. From the parking lot, enter through the "sunflower doors" that face the Family Life Center.

Faith Quest Stories and Themes for 2010-2011
(Preschool - 5th Grade)

August Bible Story:  The Fiery Furnace
September Bible Story: Daniel and the Lions
October Bible Story: Moses in the Bulrushes
November Bible Story: Joseph and His Brothers
December Bible Story: Holy Family
January Bible Story: Zaccheus
February Bible Story: Four Friends & The Paralytic
March Bible Story: The Lord's Prayer
April Bible Story: Easter Story
May Bible Story: On the Road to Emmaus, Worship Readiness (Kindergarten only)
June/July Bible Story: The Bible

Frequently Asked Questions About Elementary Sunday School...

My child is in ____ grade. Where is her Sunday School class?

We do not have grade level Sunday School rooms in the traditional sense. Every Sunday, all elementary children (K-5th) start the hour together in Assembly (N118). They then travel with their Shepherds to their weekly workshop. A schedule is posted on the bulletin board in the check-in area that tells what workshop your child’s grade level is attending each Sunday. This is the workshop where you need to go to pick your child up. This location will change each week.

Who is my child’s Sunday School teacher?

Elementary children (K-5th) do not have Sunday School teachers in the traditional sense.  Each grade has a team of 4-6 Shepherds (2-3 each week) that guide and care for them. These are the people who will know your child’s name and will listen to his/her prayer concerns each week. Our workshop leaders are the actual teachers. We have 7-10 each month who lead the workshop activities.

My child is very shy. Can she attend Sunday School with her older brother’s class?

No. Our lessons are planned for a specific age of child. We would be hampering the effectiveness and the safety of our program if we allow classes to become multi-age. We encourage parents to attend Sunday School with their reluctant child to ease the transition and to help children form relationships within the class.

My child is overwhelmed walking into assembly where over 100 children are jumping around and singing. What I can do?

Come earlier! Arrive while the children are having their “meet and greet” time with their Shepherds (9:30–9:40 –or- 10:50-11:00). Some kids simply need the chance to "settle-in" before the singing begins.

Some weeks my child wants to go to the worship service and other weeks my child wants to go to Sunday School. Is this okay?

It is not only okay, but we encourage it.  Children need to see babies being baptized, to experience taking communion, to hear the choir sing and the orchestra play. Although we include many aspects of worship into our Sunday School hour, we feel that it is also important for children to attend services on a regular basis.

My child checks to see what workshop his grade is attending and then decides whether to go to Sunday School or to worship service with us. Is this okay?

Yes - it doesn’t bother us a bit.  Some children really love arts & crafts, but dislike playing games. This is why we offer such a variety of workshop experiences.  However, keep in mind that the activities within a workshop change monthly. Encourage your child to try each of the workshops several times.

Can my child attend Sunday School at both the 9:39 and 11:00 hours on the same Sunday?

No. The children at both Sunday School hours hear the same lessons and do the same activities. Children need to experience the word of God in different fashions. If your family will be at church for both hours (and we hope you are!), your child should attend Sunday School one hour and go to a worship service the other hour. No child should attend two hours of Sunday School on the same Sunday.

Will my child attend every workshop every month?

No – we have ten workshops and classes rotate to one each Sunday. It takes three months for each class to rotate to every workshop.

Why are some classes divided into groups?

We feel that the ideal size for a class is around 15 children. Every one get a turn, gets a seat, gets to talk, gets help when needed. In some grade levels, we generally have 25-30 each week. We are blessed with enough rooms to make dividing these classes into smaller groups.

My child is in a class that has been split because of the large number of children. She is in one group, but her best friend is in the other group. Can this be changed?

Yes, all you have to do is ask!  Find “Mrs. Kyle” Moore on Sunday morning and she will fix it. We want to keep friends together. The division of the classes is random. The only guidelines are that we will not have one group of all boys and one group of all girls, we will not keep two children together who continuously display unacceptable behavior, and we will not allow a child to bounce back and forth for one group to the other.

Do you collect offering and where does it go?

Offering is collected each Sunday morning during assembly. Each month, a mission is chosen that coordinates with the Bible story that we are studying. Some are local and some are overseas missions. The offering we collect during the month is then sent directly to the organization that supports that particular mission.

I am a student.  Can I help out in Children's Ministries?

We love youth helpers!  They tend to have lots of energy, lots of patience and don't mind sitting on the floor.  Volunteers must be 6th grade or older and must comply with our Safe Sanctuary Policy.  Volunteers need to be able to commit to following a schedule of assigned volunteer dates.  Community service letters can be provided to show number of hours served.

Why sunflowers?

You not only enter the children’s area through “sunflower doors” but a sunflower can be found in each of our workshops. (Hint: Some are big, and some are really small.)

The sunflower truly reflects our theme of “Growing Young Disciples”. Sunflowers grow to be 6-8 feet tall, and on sunny days they track the sun on its journey along the sky from east to west. As we plant seeds of faith in our children, it is our hope that this faith will grow big and tall like a sunflower. And like the sunflower face that turns toward the sun, our faces will also turn toward the “Son”, for indeed our very life depends upon the energy provided by God, the Creator and Sustainer of all living things.
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