What to Expect

Well-staffed Childcare: We try to provide a 1:5 adult to child ratio for all events where childcare is offered. The church runs background checks on all people who work in childcare or volunteer in our family ministry.

High Energy Worship: Every Sunday we have great music as part of worship time for ages 2 through 6th grade. In addition, our junior and senior high students enjoy a live worship band each Wednesday night for their weekly service. And FAMJAM! rocks the house the first Saturday of each month when our children’s JAM team and adult vocalists lead our worship time.

Creative Bible Teaching: Each Sunday morning and at our monthly FAMJAM! show, we offer dramatic storytelling and whole-body learning activities for all ages that will give your family something to talk about the rest of the week. Teachers for middle school and senior high students focus on making lessons memorable and relevant.

Small Groups: We provide small groups for ages 3 and up. Elementary kids and below meet as part of their Sunday morning class; senior high small groups meet throughout the week. We believe small groups are a critical part of helping our kids understand God’s love and learning to do things his way in all parts of our lives.

Fun: We provide periodic parties/events for all age groups to help friends and family get to know each other. In addition, FAMJAM! offers great fun in the form of live family entertainment the first Saturday of each month.

Service Opportunities: Students in 6th grade and above are encouraged to serve regularly in our hospitality and family ministries. Several times a year, we also work with the ACTS ministry to coordinate local service opportunities for our families to minister to our community together. Senior high students are also invited to participate in mission trips during the summer.

Materials: Music CDs, Virtue Packs, and other media resources for families are available for purchase in the bookstore. Each week children also bring home papers, crafts, etc. to help you start important discussions at your home, or to practice important spiritual skills together. God Time cards—weekly devotional thoughts for families—are sent out by weekly emails.

Family Ministry Frequently Asked Questions

When do our kids "promote" to their next class?

• Children who will be 3 before September 1 will move to Treasure Cove (our preschool ministry) and children under age 3 change classes at developmentally appropriate stages throughout the year.
• Rising Kindergarteners through rising 8th Graders promote in August.
• Rising 5th and 6th Graders promote to East Lake 56 in August.
• Rising 9th Graders promote to Senior High in June. These students begin attending Senior High the next Wednesday.

When should my children be baptized?
At East Lake we believe baptism is a choice each person should make for him/herself. Therefore we do not baptize infants. At the point your children 1) understand they have sinned and need Jesus' sacrifice to make them right with God and 2) is ready to commit themselves to obeying/following Jesus, they are ready to be baptized. We have found that most children are ready to make this choice sometime after age 8. If your children are asking to be baptized or just have questions about how to become a Christian, we encourage you to attend our "Amazing Race" class as a family. This two-part class meets the two Sundays preceding a scheduled church-wide baptism service.  Our ministry staff is also always willing to talk with parents and children/students individually about their questions.For more information contact Deborah Phipps. 

What's the difference between a "child" dedication and a "family" dedication?
Several times throughout the year we offer an opportunity for families to dedicate themselves to raising their children to know who Jesus is with the hope that the children will eventually make a personal commit to following him. It is also a time in which the congregation dedicates itself to be the extended spiritual family for our children. We feel "family" dedicationis a more accurate description than "child" dedication so that's why we call it that! Typically familes participate in this service within a year of adding a new child to their family, but families are welcome to participate at any point in their development.

How do I sign up to be part of a family dedication service?
Watch the weekly program to find out when the next service is and sign up on the Connection Card.