NURSERY:
Each Sunday we offer a nursery ministry for children under the age of 3 both during the Sunday School hour as well as the main worship service. Our nursery ministry is coordinated by Semantha Grogan.
SUNDAY SCHOOL:
Each Sunday we offer Sunday School classes for all ages. Children are taught content appropriate for their age, but all classes are based on teaching children what God’s Word says about them and the world in which they live.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH:
3-4 YEARS OLD
Each Sunday we offer a children’s church ministry for our 3-4 year olds. The children are with us in the service while we sing and then are dismissed to attend their Children’s Church during the teaching portion of the main service.
5-10 YEARS OLD
Here at Riverwood we do things a bit differently from most churches in terms of our Children’s Church ministry. Our 5-10s are with us for the entire service on the 1st and 2nd Sundays of each month, as well as on the odd 5th Sunday. They attend Kids on Mission, their own worship service, on the 3rd and 4th Sundays of each month.
We know this can present a challenge for parents!
We don’t have perfect kids and we’re assuming you don’t either. To help the children connect with the teaching we provide a kid’s version of the outline that goes along with the sermon, as well as an activity that they can work on. We also have a room available that looks down on the auditorium where you can sit with your children and still hear and see if the sermon if being in the main service is hard for your younger kids.
WHY WE LOVE HAVING OUR KIDS WITH US IN CHURCH:
We believe that the children God has given us are a blessing and a reward (Ps. 127:3). In the Old Testament God instructed His people to train up children in the way they should go (Prov. 22:6) and to teach them the things of God in their everyday lives (Deut. 6:7). We believe that having our kids with us in the church service allows us to do both of those things.
Parents get to model worship for their kids both in singing and in submitting to the teaching of God’s Word. The 1st Sunday of the month is our Fellowship Sunday and we believe that fellowship in the church should include all generations. The 2nd Sunday of the month is our Communion Sunday when we remember Jesus’ body broken and His blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe it is very important for our children to be present for this memorial meal.
WHY WE LOVE SENDING OUR KIDS TO KIDS ON MISSION:
One of the last things Jesus told His followers before He ascended was that they should go into all the world and make disciples (Matt. 28:19-29). Jesus’ life and ministry were the ultimate example of disciple-making. He taught people in ways they could understand using examples from their culture to communicate God’s truths to them.
We at Riverwood believe that one of the ways we can help grow our children into disciples of Jesus Christ is to instruct them in age appropriate ways. Kids on Mission is a children’s worship service that is all about Jesus. Our kids get to worship Him in song, study His life and ministry, and apply what they’ve learned as they seek to live a life of worship and to be “on mission” with Him.
Come and join with us as we worship Jesus along with our kids and grow together as His disciples!
Read about our commitment to Child Protection here.
