Family Ministry

At First Baptist, we believe that what takes place at home is more important than what takes place at church. In any given year, the church has around 50 hours to impact preschoolers, children, and youth. An average elementary-aged student will spend 800 hours playing video games and 1800 hours watching TV. However, parents have around 2500 hours in the same year to impact their sons and daughters. At First Baptist, we want to leverage our limited influence with mom and dad’s greater influence and together help our children develop and grow in their personal faith. This comprehensive plan begins with the understanding that our children will leave our homes one day, and will only take what they deem important with them into the next chapter of their lives.

Preschoolers

Our preschool department begins with our babies and goes through kindergarten. It is a priority to provide a safe environment staffed with the best people possible to communicate essential truths to our preschoolers. During their preschool years we want to teach three essential truths:
1) God created me. 2) God loves me. 3) Jesus wants to be my best friend. If we can, with the help of mom and dad, engage preschoolers with these foundational truths we will consider it a success, and we believe they will be prepared for the next chapter of their lives.

Children

Our children’s ministry begins in first grade and goes through sixth grade. Our Kidstuf ministry takes place once a month and introduces the virtue that will be discussed in the home and in their small groups for the next three weeks. Kidstuf is a time where we bring mom, dad, and kids into a shared environment that will engage both parents and children through media, drama, crowd participation, story telling (the Bible Time), music, art, and dancing. Throughout the 45-minute production we will engage our children with the central thought or virtue and give mom and dad a reference point that can be talked about through the next few weeks with their children.

Kidstuf is not only there to give encouragement to mom and dad, but to actually give a reference point for future conversations and even help in how to begin those conversations throughout the week. There are devotional materials, dinner time conversation tips, drive time materials, and refrigerator memory verses that are made available after each Kidstuf production. Kidstuf takes place at 9:30 in the Old Sanctuary.

For the three to four weeks after Kidstuf, our children will go into their small groups on Sunday mornings, which is called 252. 252 is taken from Luke 2:52: “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” The curriculum is a fast paced, multi-sensory environment centered around a small group leader, multiple environments, and one central thought. This central thought comes from one of three essential truths:
1) I need to do the wise thing. 2) I can trust God no matter what. 3) I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Youth

Our youth ministry begins at seventh grade and goes through the twelfth grade. By the time our students graduate, we want them to learn seven truths: 1) Authentic faith. 2) Spiritual disciplines. 3) Moral boundaries. 4) Healthy relationships. 5) Wise choices. 6) Ultimate authority. 7) Others first. One of these seven truths is the focus of each topic or truth taught at Quake, which begins each Wednesday at 6:30 in the Old Sanctuary. After Quake, small groups meet, and the discussion is focused on what has just been taught. Each small group leader seeks to develop a relationship with their students and to partner with parents in helping their students grow in their faith.