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Family Ministry
Frequently Asked Questions |
What can I expect when I send my children/teens to East Lake’s family ministry?
- 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 check 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 grades. In addition, our junior and senior high students enjoy a live worship band for their weekly service. And FamJam rocks the house the first Saturday of each month (October-June) when our children’s JamTeam and adult vocalist lead our worship time.
- Creative Bible Teaching: Each Sunday morning and at our monthly FamJam show, we offer dramatic storytelling and learning activities for all ages that will five 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 critical part of helping out kids understand God’s love and learning to do things his way in all parts of their 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: Each week children 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 weekly in the parent e-mail “This week in Surge”.
When should my children be baptized?
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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 child understands they have sinned and need 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 s 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 Jan van Amerongen.
What’s the difference between “child” dedication and “family” dedication?
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Several times throughout the year we offer an opportunity for families to dedicate themselves raising their children to know who Jesus is with the hope that their children will eventually make personal commitment 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” dedications a more accurate description than “child” dedication so that’s why we call it that! Typically families participate in this service with 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?
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