Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do you have Sunday School for children?

2. What is the schedule of activities for children?

3. What are the security procedures?

4. Can I stay in the class room with my child?

5. What do I do while my kids are in Sunday School?

6. What time does the worship service start? At what age do kids come to the worship service?

7. What should my child wear?

8. Will my child need a Bible?

9. Where/how do I get my kids where they need to go?

10. Is there a snack provided for my kids?

11. What do they do in Sunday School?

12. Are there any “extra-curricular” activities for kids? (i.e. Kids’ choir; AWANA, VBS, etc.)

 

Do you have Sunday School for children?

Programming for children of all ages (0-5^th grade) is available during and between all three worship services.

Around Hope, infants and toddlers are cared for in our Nursery (ages 0-2).

We call our “Sunday School”:

• “Sunshine Factory” – for preschoolers (ages 3-5)
• “NRG Zone” (pronounced “Energy Zone”) – for elementary kids (ages 5-11)

Our Sunday Morning children’s programs are designed to engage your child in age-appropriate interactive learning from the time they arrive until the time they leave, and run concurrently with the adult worship times.  While you attend the adult church service, your children are safe and happy participating in programming just for them.

 

What is the schedule of activities for children?

 The Hope Kids’ Ministry is open from 8:20am to 12:45pm each Sunday. Our programming runs generally the same as the adult worship times (8:30, 10:00 and 11:30). Your child’s schedule will depend upon your child’s age:

Ages 0-2 – Nursery
The nursery opens at 8:20am each Sunday, and remains open until 12:45 pm.  Knowing their little ones are safe and well-cared for, parents are able to enjoy the worship service and to volunteer in other areas with peace of mind.

 

Ages 3-5 – Preschool (Sunshine Factory)
Sunshine Factory opens at 8:20am each Sunday with our first program time beginning at 8:30am.

 8:30 – 9:45  All Sunshine Room 44
9:45 – 12:30  Girls Sunshine Room 44 & Boys Caboose Room 59

 

Grades K-5^th – Grade School (NRG Zone)
NRG Zone opens at 8:20am with our first program time beginning at 8:30am.

 8:30 – 9:45      Kids Arts and Leadership (music, games, Bible lessons) – Room 57
9:45 – 10:05    Power Surge (kids worship all together) – Rooms 45 & 54
10:05 – 12:30 NRG! (Hope’s gender-specific, values shaping curriculum, designed to make a lasting impact in your child’s life)

• Younger Girls (K-1) – Room 45
• Older Girls (2nd-5^th grade) – Rooms 40-42
• Younger Boys (K-1) – Room 54
• Older Boys (2-3) – Rooms 53-57

For the sake of continuity (and to prevent disruption), we recommend that, when possible, parents of grade school children check kids in/out in the times between the services rather than during a service.

NOTE: Older NRG Zone Children sometimes change rooms during the services.  If you need help locating the room your child is in, a Welcome Station Volunteer can help you.

 

What are the security procedures?

 Your child’s safety is of prime importance to us!  For this reason, we have security procedures in place.

Nursery
Nursery parents are identified as they return the pager they received when they checked in their child.

Sunshine Factory and NRG Zone
Both you and your child will receive a matching code number, printed on your child’s nametag and on your parent receipt at the time of check-in on Sunday mornings.  Upon check-out, receipts are monitored to ensure that each child is leaving with his/her appropriate adult.

Parents and other adults who do not have a matching code will not be allowed to leave with their child until their identity has been proven and cleared at the Kids’ Welcome Station.

NOTE:  You may wish to arrive 10-15 minutes early upon your first visit to allow time to complete the check-in procedure for first time guests and to get your children settled before the start of the adult worship service.

 

Can I stay in the class room with my child?

Parents are welcome to observe in any of our class rooms in which they have a child.  Parents, who desire to observe in their child’s class room, can pick up a visitor’s badge at the Kids’ Welcome Station near the entrance to the children’s area.

For security purposes however, visitors (people other than parents) are not allowed in the Kids’ Ministry rooms during times of operation.

 

What do I do while my kids are in Sunday School?

Because our programming runs continuously from 8:20am to 12:45pm each Sunday, parents are free to attend worship, volunteer, or simply visit and relax on Main Street while their children are in our care.

NOTE:  Parents are asked to remain at Hope while their kids are checked into the Kids’ Ministry.

 

What time does the worship service start? At what age do kids come to the worship service?

 We have three worship services at Hope:  8:30am, 10:00am, and 11:30am.

On Sundays, our live worship service in Town Hall is reserved for an audience of 6^th grade and older.  The Family Worship Center is available to parents who prefer to worship as a family and choose NOT to check their children (0-5th grade) into our Kids’ Ministry areas.

 

What should my child wear?

Hope Kids have fun when they come to church!  Your child may want to dress in clothes that are comfortable and will enable him/her to participate in games, crafts and activities without concern of “ruining” an outfit.

 

Will my child need a Bible?

Your child is welcome to bring his/her Bible.  However, Bibles are provided in each room to enable all children to participate.

 

Where/how do I get my kids where they need to go?

Upon arrival at Hope, you will want to find a Kids’ Welcome Station located either in front of the Nursery or at the bottom of the ramp straight ahead of the main entrance.  A Kids’ Ministry Volunteer will welcome you and help you get your children checked in and assigned to the appropriate room.

 

Is there a snack provided for my kids?

For younger children (ages 1-Pre-K), small snacks are worked into each programming hour.  The snacks consist of graham crackers or goldfish.

Children (ages 5 -11) who attend the 8:30am Kids’ Arts and Leadership program enjoy a small snack at 9:25am each week.  These snacks are provided by the parents of the participants and vary from week to week.

Water is the only drink provided in the children’s areas.

 

What do they do in Sunday School?

Our programming is designed to engage boys and girls on their age-level with age-appropriate activities, interactive learning opportunities and safe, clean fun!  We provide teaching in an atmosphere of love and acceptance where children are given opportunities to practice the truths they are learning in ways that make sense to them.

Our facilities make observing easy!  When you observe one of our children’s programs, you will notice that movement is a key component in all that we do.  Keeping your child engaged is what we do best!

 

Are there any “extra-curricular” activities for kids? (i.e. Kids’ choir; AWANA, VBS, etc.)

At Hope we do not have regularly scheduled “extra” activities for children outside of Sunday morning.  However, over the course of a year, our grade school children are offered special one-day programs created to celebrate the way God has made them.  These may include a Sock Hop, a Mother/Daughter Tea or a Daddy/Daughter Dance for girls, and a Spec Ops Night, Laser Tag, or a Men and Boys Camping Trip for boys.

In addition, each summer, we take a group of children who have just completed the fourth and fifth grades to Student Life Camp for Kids at Austin College in Sherman, TX.