Children's Ministry
Nancy Lutke
Children's Ministry Director
"People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'"
Children's Worship
Children’s Worship is a sacred time of singing and learning for children ages
2 ½ through 3rd grade. All students are asked to check in before the worship
service via KidCheck. Parents are encouraged to create a free KidCheck
account by going to go.kidcheck.com or downloading the KidCheck Mobile
App from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Once your children are checked in, they receive a name tag and an
age-group sticker. They will stay with you for the intergenerational
praise and sacrament portions of our service.
Before adult prayer and teaching begin, the children are invited to meet
their teacher by their classroom banner in the narthex for age-
appropriate singing, prayer, and teaching.
The children’s offering will support World Renew Animal Raising, His
Harvest Stand, and our Wooden Shoe Ministry.
After singing, the children will be led to their age-specific classrooms:
-
Purple - Classroom 1: 2 ½ - Threeschool (potty trained)
Classroom located in the South-East corner of church -
Yellow - Classroom 2: Preschool-Kindergarten
Classroom located in the South-West corner of church -
Green - Compass Room: 1st - 3rd graders
Classroom located north of narthex
Please pick up your child from their classroom immediately following the service.
Once you have picked up your child, we encourage you and your family to enjoy a
short time of fellowship in The Harbor together.
Haven Church utilizes the strategies of First Look and 252 Kids
Curriculum from Orange to engage our children as they develop their faith.
You can read more about their resources and our teaching materials
at: www.thinkorange.com.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS FROM 6:30-8:00 PM
GEMS & Cadets
GEMS:
Welcome to the GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) girls’ club at Haven.
We are so excited to spend time with the girls again and pray that we will be able to have a full year together! The mission of GEMS nationwide is to bring girls everywhere into a living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ!
This year the GEMS theme is Walk on Water:
Stepping out to trust our faithful God. Our theme verse is Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know, therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
As a team, we are so excited for this year in GEMS and the opportunity we have to bless and learn from these girls!
This year, GEMS girls’ club is offered at Haven for girls entering 1st – 5th grade. We welcome anyone in the community to join our club! If you know of girls that do not currently attend Haven but are interested in joining, please contact us.
Take a look at the calendar for specific dates.
We can’t wait to partner with you all this year. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, ideas, or concerns!
Erin Walcott
GEMS Coordinator
Cadets:
What is Cadets?
Haven Cadets is an opportunity to share the love of Christ with the boys in our church and community. Cadets challenges boys, grades 1-5 to become more Christlike in all areas of their lives.
It is a weeknight program that meets bi-weekly during the church’s academic calendar year. Each meeting includes assembling with the entire club for their landmarks, breaking out into small groups for Bible study and activities that either correlate with their Bible Study, or enables them to create using their hands. At Haven, our Cadet program strives for serving with an open heart and working towards serving Christ as boys and future men.
What Do We Believe?
The roots of the Calvinist Cadet Corps is the Bible according to the concepts expressed in the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, the Belgic Confession, and the Westminster Catechism.
Highlights
Some of the many highlights of Cadets include our lessons and activities, fire building,
Christmas dodgeball, Pinewood Derby, launching rockets, and serving members of thechurch/community with our annual Service Project Night.
Levi Nelesen
Head Cadet Counselor
Haven Kids
Haven Kids is our Wednesday night program (alternating weeks with
GEMS/Cadets) for boys and girls in 1st – 5th grades. We meet together from September 17 through March 25.
The students are divided into age groups for small group teaching and response activities.
● 1st-3rd graders meet in the Compass Room for small group sessions
with Nancy Lutke and Janelle Holstege using the 252 Kids Curriculum.
● 4th and 5th-grade students participate in small group instruction of the
Catechism. The classes are divided into: “What do we believe?” And
“What do I believe?”
○ 4th Graders study the foundational beliefs of the Christian
Reformed Church by asking the question, “What does the Church
believe?” Their teachers are Randy Elenbaas and John Holwerda.
○ 5th graders explore how the beliefs of the church become their
own by asking and exploring answers to the question: “What do I
believe?” Their teacher is Bill VanDyk.
Both classes are using The New City Catechism Curriculum.
All students participate in praise and worship with our Children’s Choir
program directed by: Deb VanHeck.
● September through December, we prepare for our Christmas Musical
on December 14.
● January - April we prepare for our Children’s Praise and Worship
Service.
● Our work from January through April is for our Children’s Praise and
Worship Service led by all the children involved in Children’s Ministry at
Haven on April 26.
From September through November, parents of Haven Kids are welcome to
participate in Wednesday Night Live. Enjoy a free family meal,
intergenerational game, worship, and a story of God at work in the life of
ordinary people.
If you plan to have your children participate in any of Haven’s Children’s Ministries, please make sure you have completed a “Child Information Form”, located at the top of this page.