"Train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov 22:6 RSV)

At Saint Francis, we are committed to growing disciples for Jesus Christ. This is true even for our youngest members!  Our goal is to give our children the spiritual tools they need for a life-long faith journey. We do this through exciting programs that are designed with today's kids in mind.

Safe Sanctuary

God calls us to create a community where children and youth can grow safe & strong in their faith and experience of God’s love.  To this end, St. Francis participates in the Safe Sanctuary policies created by the United Methodist Church.  These policies are designed to reduce the risk of abuse of children and youth at all St. Francis UMC activities.

Safe Sanctuary Training - St. Francis will hold Safe Sanctuary training on Wed, March 11 at 6:30pm and Sat, March 14 at 10:00am.  All volunteers in the St. Francis children's or youth ministries who are not Safe Sanctuary-approved should plan to attend one of these sessions.  If questions, please contact Lisa Richards or Pam Cook at 704-846-6177.

Sunday School
          Sunday School meets every Sunday morning at 9:30am. 

Preschool – Our preschoolers gather for Bible stories that focus on beginning faith concepts. We explore these stories with games, music, snacks and more!

Elementary Grades - Our Elementary-age children explore their faith through the Live B.I.G. curriculum series. The purpose of this series is to help children live out their Belief In God through a variety of learning activities. Each week, our children experience the Bible story through games, crafts, discussions, Bible readings and more. Classes are designed with today’s children in mind – full of energy and meaningful lessons. Classes are grouped as follows: Kindergarten- First Grade, Second – Third Grades and Fourth - Fifth grades.

For more information on our children's classes, please contact our Christian Education Director, Lisa Richards.

All kindergarten – 5th graders are invited to participate in Kids on a Mission which exposes our children to different types of ministries in the church, local community and world community.  We meet once a quarter at 4:00pm on a Sunday afternoon.   Explorers Contact: Libby Gordon.

Sunday Morning Worship

Our children are an important part of Worship! To help our children participate in the Worship experience, we offer:

Children's Bulletins - a guide for our children that explores the day's message.

A Time with the Children - children are invited up to the front of the sanctuary for a special message designed especially for them!

Children's Church - for those children not in nursery, but still not quite ready for a full Worship Service, we provide a Children's Church that takes place approximately mid-way through the 10:30 Worship Service. During Children's Church, we have a brief lesson and lots of play!

Acolytes - elementary-aged children are invited to serve as Acolytes during our 10:30 Worship Service.

Nursery care is provided each Sunday from 8:30-11:30am.

For more information on Sunday Morning Worship opportunities, please contact our Christian Education Director, Lisa Richards.

Music Opportunities

Cherub Choir

Our preschoolers (age 3 - kindergarten) gather together for Cherub Choir on Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:00pm from September through April. Our Preschool Director, Pam Cook, leads our children in fun and active Bible story songs!  Our Cherubs perform during Worship throughout the year. For more information, please contact Pam Cook at 704-846-6177.

God's Notes Choir

All elementary-age children (grades 1-5) are encouraged to join the God's Notes Choir which meets on Wednesday nights from 6:15-7:00pm from September through April. This choir is encouraged each week by their director, Beth Smith, to sing unison, 2-part & 3-part anthems; learn different languages; play rhythm games; and most importantly have fun singing in praise of their God. The God's Notes choir provides musical selections for worship throughout the year.  For more information, please contact Beth Smith.

Special Events

There are always lots of activities on our Children’s Ministry calendars. Below are some highlights.  For more information on our special events, please contact our Christian Education Director, Lisa Richards.

Advent Workshop

Families come together on the first Sunday in Advent to prepare their hearts and minds for this important time of year. We gather to make Advent wreaths and other items to help teach our children the Christmas story.

Christmas Play

All children, ages preschool – 6th grade, are encouraged to participate in our annual Christmas Play! The Christmas Play is a great opportunity for our children to become part of the Christmas story and then to share it with others.

Palm Sunday Easter Egg Hunt

Our children are invited to participate in our annual Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday!  Preschoolers – 5th graders are invited to gather at 9:30am for a Palm Sunday lesson, enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt,  and then process into the Sanctuary waving palm branches at our 10:30 service!  Hosanna!  Children will be divided by age group for the egg hunt.  Please contact Lisa Richards for more information.

Easter Sunday Butterfly Release

This is a great Saint Francis tradition. A few weeks before Easter, children receive a caterpillar. Families enjoy watching the caterpillar grow and eventually go into chrysalis. Then, families wait with anticipation as new life emerges from the cocoon – a butterfly! We release the butterflies on Easter Sunday in celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.

Stop by the butterfly table in the narthex by Sunday, February 28 to order your 2010 caterpillar.  They will arrive towards the end of March.  Please contact Lisa Richards for more information.