What's going on right now
Lots of changes are happening right now. See your child’s age group listed below to get in the know.
The Cove: Nursery-Preschool. Everything in The Cove stays the same for the summer. Children who are three before
September 1 will promote to Treasure Cove on August 23, 2009. Kids who start Kindergarten this fall will promote to
Surge, our elementary ministry, on August 23 as well.
Surge: Kindergarten-4th Grade.Beginning Sunday, September 13, we will implement a new format for our 11:40am elementary ministry (K-4th grade). During the third service only, children in Kindergarten through 1st grade will meet in our Treasure Cove class where they will have their own K/1 small group and participate in interactive learning activities modified to their age level. Those in 2nd-4th grade will meet in Surge for an innovative new program where they will use creative drama and storytelling techniques to interact with God’s truth.
This new format is not intended to be a substitute for our regular Surge ministries. If you currently attend third service, we encourage you to consider bringing your children to the first or second service where they can continue to receive instruction, worship and small group time based on our regular curriculum.
FLO: 5-8th Grade. For the summer, students who just finished 5th-7th grade meet during the 9:00 Sunday morning service
in the student room for games, live worship, teaching and small group discussion. Students who just finished 6th or 7th
grade are invited to participate in small groups on Wednesday nights beginning June 10. Girls meet at the
Phipps (Map and Directions).
Boys meet at the Bucks (Map and Directions) Students graduating from 8th grade this
spring promoted to Current, our high school ministry on May 25 (see below). See the events page for
additional special events.
Current: 9th-12th Grade. For the summer, high school students will meet from 7-9 p.m. at the church building for
hang out time, live worship and teaching. See the events page for additional special events.
Graduating seniors are invited to participate in eMerge a small group for college and early career singles Sunday
nights from 7-9 p.m. at the Millers (Map and Directions)
FamJam: (First Saturday of the month, October – June). FamJam is a vital part of our strategy to enable all families to realize their full potential in Jesus Christ. On the first Saturday of each month, parents and kids fellowship, eat, learn, laugh, and worship together during an hour long creative adventure that features interactive drama, music, creative bible teaching, games, prizes, and a whole lot of fun! Along the way, parents and kids will develop a common faith language that will enable them to discuss and apply biblical principles – such as love, faith, humility, and honesty – to their everyday life. FamJam also gives kids in 3rd grade and up the opportunity to serve and perform on stage by singing and dancing as a part of the JamTeam. Visit our FamJam page for more information.
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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 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.
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 Matthew Guy.
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.
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