The mission of the children's ministry is to provide a positive church experience by teaching children that they can have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Caring volunteers meet with children each Sunday to encourage and nurture their walk with God, helping them to build strong relationships with Jesus that will follow them through adolesence and into adulthood. Activities have purpose in encoraging faith growth.
Kid’s Zone Children’s Ministry Guidelines
Monthly Ministry Volunteers:
1. Know who your partner is for the month and communicate with them at the beginning of the month if you cannot attend and help at any time during the month. If there is a week that neither of you can be present, contact Cathy Thorsen 708.217.0370 or cathy.thorsen@cuchicago.edu.
2. Before the service, take a tub of infant & toddler toys off the shelf, put them in the Kid’s Zone space, set up the children’s table and chairs, and place crayons, coloring books, and puzzles on the table in the Fellowship area near the Kid’s Zone door.
3. As parents with children enter the worship center, welcome them AND the child(ren) and let the parents know that you are available to spend time with the children in the Kid’s Zone area or the Fellowship area during the service if the child(ren) become restless or need to play or move around.
4. Position yourself in the Worship Center so that you will not disrupt the focus of the service if you are needed during the service to spend time with the child(ren) and need to relocate to the fellowship area or the Kid’s Zone space.
5. As the children use plastic, foam or wooden toys, set them aside to be sanitized after the service. Once the child(ren) leave, place the toys that need to be cleaned in the yellow and green bench/storage bin; once cleaned they will be returned to the appropriate bin on the storage shelves.
6. After the service, place unused items back on the storage shelves in the Fellowship area and tidy the area.
Guidelines for Ministry to Children
1. The Kid’s Zone space should be a NO SHOES environment. This keeps the carpet clean, but more importantly, it keeps little fingers and toes safe. This means that you will need to take your shoes off and ask older children to do so too. Children who are not yet walking do not need to have their shoes removed as they are clean and won’t step on anyone.
2. Never allow a visitor to change a diaper of a child other than his or her own (unless you personally know the visitor and you are present during the diaper change).
3. After changing a diaper, use a fresh diaper wipe to wipe the child’s hands then use another clean wipe to clean you own hands.
4. Please do not allow children to chew on your fingers, jewelry, or keys, please give them a toy or a pacifier instead.
5. The walls of the Kid’s Zone are cement; therefore young children who are not stable sitting alone or are new walkers need constant supervision and protection.
6. The baseboard heating system will also be a hazard during the winter so please be aware and protect our little ones.
7. If a child is older than toddler age, make sure they are facing out, not facing you when on your lap. When older children sit on your lap facing you, others may get the wrong idea and we want to avoid this misunderstanding.
8. Remember to get on the child’s eye level and talk, play and interact with the child. Feel free to tell them a Bible Story (children’s Bibles are available in the storage bins). Always emphasize that the stories from the Bible are true stories (especially children who are the age to believe in Santa).
9. Children often talk about many things that may embarrass families, so unless the child speaks of being mistreated or abused, keep the “home-talk” to yourself.
10. Most importantly, don’t forget to LOVE and model Christ-like behavior for the children in the ministry.
Kid’s Zone Clean-Up Crew
1. The kid’s Zone space is a NO SHOES area, so please remove your shoes when you are tidying the area or putting away supplies.
2. Any plastic, foam or wood toys that have been used during the service need to be sanitized before any other children may use them. These toys will be put in the green and yellow bench/storage bin in the Kid’s Zone area. Please check the bin after each service.
3. If toys need to be cleaned use ½ cup bleach to a gallon of hot water and allow them to drain and air dry or put them through your dishwasher at home. Bleach is available in the basement of the Bookstore near the scrub sink if you would like to sanitize the toys at the church.
4. Please vacuum the carpet at least the last Sunday of the month that you volunteer. Check weekly to see if it needs to be vacuumed more often.
5. If it has not been done already, return the toys to the storage shelves outside of the Kid’s Zone area. Also put the coloring books, puzzles and crayons back in the tubs on the storage shelves and put the children’s table and chairs next to the storage shelves until next week.