Purpose | Structure | Teachers | Curriculum | Communion | Move Up
Safety | Room Map | Discipline Plan | Quarterly Newsletter
Purpose
The purpose of Eternal’s Compass Kids is to teach children to glorify God and fully enjoy Him forever.
To this end, everything we do is grounded in Eternal’s GPS focus which holds that we ought to order our lives around the three things that last forever: God, People, and Scripture.
We believe that we can best fulfill this purpose by striving to do the following:
- Assist and support parents in pointing their children to Jesus Christ and nurturing them in the faith. (Genesis 17:7, Deuteronomy 6) We will strive to provide resources that enable families to follow-up on their children’s Sunday lessons, helping them make prayer and the study of Scripture a central part of life at home.
- Provide gospel-centered, Christ-exalting, Biblical lessons on a weekly basis. (Titus 2:1) We want all of our teaching to be grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ—that it is by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ alone that we are saved from our sin. Furthermore, we believe that Scripture is the revelation of God’s truth, so in each lesson our primary focus will be to teach what a particular passage of Scripture teaches us about God—about who He is, His power, holiness, love, etc. Our goal in teaching the Bible is more than simply communicating lessons in morality; instead, it is to introduce children to the living God! We will encourage all students to bring a Bible to class with them each Sunday and to memorize their monthly Bible verses.
- Model the love of Christ for our children (1 John 4:7-12). We best model the love of Christ for our children by exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in all of our actions as teachers. Along with kindness and patience, we will also provide loving discipline according to Eternal’s Compass Kids’ Discipline Plan.
- Provide children with legitimate opportunities to participate in serving the body of Christ and the community (Luke 10:25-42). As a church, we seek to live others-oriented lives, and we want our children to join us! We will provide regular opportunities throughout the year for our children to participate in C.A.R.E. Ministry endeavors.
- Communicate effectively (Matthew 19:14). We will continually strive to provide instruction that is interesting, engaging, age-appropriate and accommodating to multiple learning styles.
- Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) We want our children to learn that there is no greater joy in the world than a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. To this end, we will strive to make a child’s years in Compass Kids the most enjoyable they have ever had.
Current Structure
Staff oversight: Andy Crissinger (andy@eternalchurch.net)
Infants 0-6 Months *
Location: Childwatch Area
Time: Duration of Adult Worship Gathering
Directors: Danielle Davies and Cindy Collins (travelers@eternalchurch.net)
* This is a suggested move-up age--parents and nursery workers can work together to determine the best room for a baby to be in.
Tiny Travelers (6 months - Toddler 1s)
Location: Downstairs Conference Room
Time: Duration of Adult Worship Gathering
Directors: Danielle Davies and Cindy Collins (travelers@eternalchurch.net)
Tiny Travelers (Toddler 2s)
Location: Childwatch Area
Time: Duration of Adult Worship Gathering
Directors: Danielle Davies and Cindy Collins (travelers@eternalchurch.net)
Voyagers 3s (Preschool: 3 year olds)
Location: Cafe' area
Time: Duration of Adult Worship Gathering
Director: Kim Cash (voyagers@eternalchurch.net)
Voyagers 4s (Preschool: 4 year olds)
Location: Downstairs classroom
Time: Duration of Adult Worship Gathering
Director: Kim Cash (voyagers@eternalchurch.net)
Navigators (Kindergarten)
Location: Upstairs classroom
Time: Children begin in Worship Gathering and are dismissed after songs.
Director: Wendi Michael (navigators@eternalchurch.net)
Explorers (1st grade)
Location: Upstairs Classroom
Time: Children begin in Worship Gathering and are dismissed after songs.
Director: Krista Mow (explorers@eternalchurch.net)
Adventurers (2nd grade)
Location: Upstairs Classroom
Time: Children begin in Worship Gathering and are dismissed after songs.
Director: Krista Mow (adventurers@eternalchurch.net)
Pathfinders (3rd grade)
Location: Upstairs Classroom
Time: Children begin in Worship Gathering and are dismissed after songs.
Director: Krista Mow (pathfinders@eternalchurch.net)
Pioneers (4th grade Sunday School)
Location: Upstairs Classroom
Time: Pre-service, 9:15-10:15 a.m. (4th graders then attend the entire Worship Gathering with their parents).
Directors: Krista Mow (pioneers@eternalchurch.net) with Andy Crissinger (andy@eternalchurch.net)
Trailblazers (5th grade Sunday School)
Location: Upstairs classroom
Time: Pre-service, 9:15-10:15 a.m. (5th graders then attend the entire Worship Gathering with their parents)
Directors: Krista Mow (trailblazers@eternalchurch.net) with Andy Crissinger (andy@eternalchurch.net)
Preservice Activities*
Kids’ Bible Fun - Infant to 4 years
Location: Childwatch area (downstairs)
Time: 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Coordinators: Danielle Davies and Cindy Collins (travelers@eternalchurch.net)
Kids‘ Bible Fun - Kindergarten - 3rd grade
Location: Upstairs classroom
Time: 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Coordintators: Wendi Michael (navigators@eternalchurch.net) and Krista Mow (explorers@eternalchurch.net)
Kids’ Bible Fun classes are designed to provide a loving, fun atmosphere with Bible games and activities. These programs also provide a ministry to parents who are then able to attend pre-service activies like Adult Sunday School, new member's classes, prayer time, and various volunteer activities.
*Remember, 4th & 5th graders have their normal classes during the pre-service time and then attend worship with their parents. This means that there is something for the whole family during the pre-service hour.
Teacher Expectations
We expect our teachers to have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and be active participants in the Eternal community (membership is highly encouraged). Teachers should have a desire to teach children about the love of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. All teachers are required to read our SafeTraining Manual and have a background check prior to working with our children. We ask our teachers to commit to teaching on a rotational basis (usually two weeks on and four weeks off) and to attend monthly “Teacher Time” meetings during which we pray for the children of Eternal and discuss curriculum and teaching strategies.
Curriculum
We are currently using Great Commission Publications’ “Show Me Jesus” curriculum for all age groups (excluding pre-service classes and 4th Grade Pioneers and 5th Grade Trailblazers classes). “Show Me Jesus” is designed to introduce all parts of the Bible to students with an emphasis on Jesus Christ. GCP‘s description of the curriculum: “A toddler learns the vocabulary of faith. A preschooler learns that God keeps His promises. An elementary student learns to trust, obey and worship God.” Each Sunday students will receive take-home sheets containing fun family ideas for reinforcing the lesson throughout the week.
Communion
If your child has professed faith in Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior, we would invite them to participate in communion. However, we do ask that prior to doing so, parents notify the Session (elders) of their child’s commitment to Christ. The elders would like to meet with the parents and child to hear a brief testimony of the child’s conversion and to encourage the family. These meetings are not meant to be intimidating but rather celebratory in nature. If you would like to notify the elders of your child’s profession of faith in Jesus Christ, please e-mail compasskids@eternalchurch.net.
Move-Up Procedures
Move-Up Sunday is typically the first Sunday after kids go back to school in the fall. For the 2009-2010 school year, Move Up Sunday is August 23. We ask parents to only move students to a new class this one time each calendar year. One exception to this rule is for toddlers (Tiny Travelers)--we will have another move up time time in January for any toddlers who are potty trained and ready to graduate to the Voyager 3s class. Parents of toddlers, we will contact you in December to discuss the possibility of your child moving up to Voyager 3s. If you have any questions, you may contact the director of either the Tiny Travelers (toddler's class) or Voyagers (3 year olds): travelers@eternalchurch.net or voyagers@eternalchurch.net. Thank you!
Safety
As stated earlier, all teachers are required to read our SafeTraining Manual and have a background check. Also, it is our policy that no child under 4th grade be released from class without a parent present. (Thus, as a courtesy for our teachers, we ask parents to be as prompt as possible in picking up children after worship.) Children four years old and under will be checked in by parents and given a number in case parents must be called during service (number appears on the screen during Worship Gathering). Please be sure to notify your child’s teacher about any allergies and/or special needs.