COVID-19 REOPENING UPDATES

Helping Children
Know & Follow Jesus

GRACE KIDS PRE-SCHOOL

Our Pre-school ministry welcomes children into three classes: Nursery, 2’s & 3’s, and Preschool. We strive to provide an environment where each child feels welcomed, known, and loved!

Nursery:

In this class our littlest ones, age birth through 18 months, spend time playing with age-appropriate toys and interacting with kind, loving, care givers. We also provide a private area for nursing moms.

2's and 3's:

This class is for little ones age 18 months through age 3. They start with free play as well as guided activities, then have a time of singing praise songs together before hearing a Bible story. After a small snack they do review crafts or activities to reinforce the Bible truth learned during their story. Our “First Look” curriculum focuses on three main truths all year: GOD MADE ME, GOD LOVES ME, and JESUS WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND FOREVER.

Preschool:

Our preschool class is for children ages 4 and 5 who have not yet entered Kindergarten. This class follows the same schedule as the 2’s and 3’s class and uses the same curriculum. However, their activities, songs, and stories are more intentionally geared for their age and attention span with less free play time.
 
All of our Grace Kid volunteers go through a CORI background screening.

GRACE KIDS ELEMENTARY

Our Elementary kids use the Orange Curriculum which focuses on a new “Life App” (or virtue) each month. Our Bible stories, memory verse and activities lead and encourage us in “downloading” the virtue in our lives where we are ready to use it when needed to show God’s love to the world around us.

Our Kindergarten-5th grade program is structured with both large group and small group aspects. We meet in our large room to at the start to enjoy opening activities in small groups of peers. Then we join all together for a competitive game/activity, worship time, and the Bible story. Following the story, the kids go to break out rooms where they meet with their same earlier small groups to have discussions, do crafts, or other activities to explore how to apply the message of the story to their daily lives (a.k.a. using their Life Apps).

We encourage parents to engage throughout the week with helping kids learn their monthly Bible memory verse and to continue the discussions at home of how/when to use their “downloaded” Apps.

Lori Beaudette

Grace Children's Ministry Leader

MY STORY:
I feel blessed to have grown up in a relationship with Jesus Christ. From the time I was born (in the great state of Montana), being involved in a body of believers was my family’s weekly routine, and I grew to love and embrace that community. My parents and church family instilled in me a love for God’s Word and encouraged me to surrender my life to Christ and to know Him as my Lord and Savior, and then to serve Him - both in and out of church. As early as high school I served in children’s ministry and in college led singing for preschoolers as well as being a junior high, then high school leader. Later, I taught Sunday School and led worship for all ages. My degree in Elementary Education, and jobs within public schools has provided various experiences working with kids, but being able to teach others about God’s love, His Word and His plan for their lives is my passion! I am thrilled to be able to lead the youngest generation here at Grace in that direction - loving God, knowing His Word of Truth, fully surrendering their lives to Him, and living faithfully obedient for Him! It is also my desire to assist parents in the tremendous role of raising kids to know and love God and to help them navigate through the rapid (sometimes raging) waters of that journey!

My husband and I have 3 grown children, two who attend and serve along with us at Grace and one who is married and lives in Ohio. Besides being with my family, I also love to read, do Jazzercise, play pickle ball, and board games, read, get lunch with friends….oh, and read!!
MY HOPE FOR GRACE:
I desire that regardless of one’s age or past experiences, people (kids) would feel welcomed and loved in this place! From infants feeling safe and cared for, to preschoolers beginning to explore their world being pointed to its Creator, to school-age kids opening the Bible and discovering true stories of God’s amazing power and Jesus’ life-changing example - I pray they would hear, then read, and finally know the TRUTH of God’s Word and courageously live it out each day into adulthood, knowing they are supported by their faith community here at Grace.