Welcome

What does the greatest kid's ministry look like?

Get a group of high energy volunteers, add a super fun playing space where imagination can run wild, then add the best curriculum you can find… then we partner with parents to empower them to be the greatest leaders and teachers of their children each and every day.

We want to teach your kids in an exciting way who God is. We want to have the safest environment to play in. And we want to work alongside parents as a team devoted to raising godly children!

What does this look like for your child on any given Sunday? Check out their specific class on the right!

Linda VanVoorst
Director of Children's Ministry

Philosophy of Kid's Ministry

Philosophy:: The church, the traditional teacher of truth, has an average of 40 hours a year to influence a child. Parents, the loving influence in a child's life, have an average of 3,000 hours in which they could influence their child.

Imagine the church to be yellow- the light and truth- and parents to be red- full of love and devotion.  Combine these two influences, and can you imagine the potential influence that could be created?

Combine Red and Yellow, and you make Orange.  A vibrant color that is hopeful and exciting.  We strive to be an Orange influence. Not only do we want to teach and influence your child in the things of God on Sunday mornings, but we strive to equip you, as parents, with tools to help you raise kids that know and serve God. Do you want to be Orange?
We use the My First Look and 252 Basics curriculum from The reThink Group (www.rethinkgroup.org).

Curriculum:: This curriculum takes a unique approach that supports our vision of partnering with parent(s) and engaging them in the spiritual lives of their children. It is built around Three Basic Truths every child should embrace according to what Jesus modeled in Luke 2:52.

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  Luke 2:52

I need to make the wise choice.
I can trust God no matter what.
I should treat others the way I want to be treated.

Each Basic Truth is amplified by a weekly key concept and is presented in a relevant and engaging way. The curriculum is based on a monthly virtue and memory verse as the framework and includes weekly Bible lessons, games and activities.

Welcome: Welcome to the land of newborns through 12 months! We love babies!  We love them when they're teeny tiny and asleep all the time. We love them when they start to smile. And we love them as they learn to play. 

Strategy: At such a young age, we aim to help you feel comfortable leaving your baby in our care.  Whatever we can do to aid in the transition is our privilege.  We hope to give you a much-needed break on Sunday morning so you can worship and continue learning about our God!

Sunday Morning: Because we love babies, we are passionate about providing a safe, clean and nurturing environment for them. Our facility provides activities and attention your baby will enjoy and a place to rest if naptime should arise.

We also offer a nursing mom's room for the convenience of the new mom!  Please enjoy the private room with rocking chairs, bottled water, an audio feed of the sermon, and a place to change your baby's diaper.  We hope you enjoy!

We look forward to meeting you and your little one!

Welcome: It is so much fun to watch a toddler bounce up and down to his or her favorite worship song or begin to understand the love of God through well-intentioned play. Children are never too young to begin learning about their amazing God.

Strategy: When children transition from the immobile stage of observing their environment to the mobile stage of exploring it, interacting with others and communicating, we welcome them to Pitter Patter. We recognize a toddler's ability to learn about our big and loving God as they interact with activities, crafts and worship.

Sunday Morning: On Sunday mornings, we separate the Pitter Patter children into two sections.  Pitter Patter 1 welcomes one year olds, and focuses on activities appropriate for the developmental stage of the child.  Pitter Patter 2 welcomes two year olds and provides a more active, hands on approach to teaching toddlers about God.

Welcome: Every preschooler is a unique and special gift from God full of energy and curiosity. Preschoolers are at a crucial age where they soak up everything like sponges. We see this as a great opportunity to teach your child three basic truths:

1. God made me
2. God loves me
3. Jesus wants to be my friend forever.

Strategy: We will provide a safe, fun, loving, and comfortable place for preschoolers to play and learn about God's love. We provide lots of hands-on activities for your child to participate in which reinforce the lesson that is taught.

Sunday Morning: Sunday mornings are a hands-on, high energy, full of fun experience for your child.  When you pick up your child, be sure to grab the Small Talk parent resource to help you continue teaching your child about God and the things that matter to Him as the week continues.

Welcome: We love the energy and enthusiasm that God gives elementary kids!  Kindergarten through third grade is such a pivotal time in a child's life, and we want to create and encourage a curiosity in your child about God and the things that please God.

Strategy: First, we focus on three basic truths.  Everything we teach your child relates to these three truths. 

• I need to make the wise choices: This includes trusting and following Jesus, spending time getting to know God, doing what God says, and discovering God's unique plan for their life. This focuses on wisdom.
• I can trust God no matter what: Why?  Because He is my Creator, Father, Guide and Savior. This focuses is on faith.
• I should treat others the way I want to be treated: So I will show God's love to those around me, care enough to put others before me, respect whoever God puts over me, and be the right friend to those beside me. This focuses on friendship.

Then we apply each truth to a virtue.  We focus on one virtue a month, and aim to give kids practical and immediate ways to live for God.

Sunday Morning: Sunday mornings are filled with handfuls of fun elements.  On an average morning, your child might experience a full worship band, playful storytellers, large group games and challenges, small group application activities, fun toys, and arts and craft projects, just to name a few. We love this age!

Welcome: 4th and 5th graders are in a pivotal stage of life.  It is at this age that a child starts to deeply own what they believe.  Their curiosity and ability to develop a foundational theology, as well as build meaningful and fun friendships is what we strive to influence. We love this challenge!

Strategy: First, we focus on three basic truths.  Everything we teach your 4th or 5th grader relates to these three truths:

1. I need to make the wise choices: This would include trusting and following Jesus, spending time getting to know God, doing what God says, and discovering God's unique plan for their life. This focuses on wisdom.
2. I can trust God no matter what: Why?  Because He is my Creator, Father, Guide and Savior. This focuses on faith.
3. I should treat others the way I want to be treated: So I will show God's love to those around me, care enough to put others before me, respect whoever God puts over me, and be the right friend to those beside me. This focuses on friendship.

We also aim to develop certain faith skills, such as an ability to navigate the Bible, an understanding of worship, and developing a heart of service.

Sunday Morning: Your student will be challenged with relevant, exciting teaching from the Bible, presented in a way that your child will remember and be able to apply that very day.  Every lesson that is taught and activity that is experienced revolves around a virtue. We focus on one virtue a month, and aim to give your child practical and immediate age-appropriate ways to live for God.

Mission Kids

Do you want your kids to be compassionate, kind and display an active love for those around them?

Do you want to be diligent in teaching these values to your kids, but get overwhelmed with just getting through the peanut butter and soccer practice filled day?

Check out the Missions Kid's blog to access the hundreds of creative tools we have made available to help you raise compassionate and mission minded kids!

Children's Safety Policy

The safety of the children at Antioch is our utmost priority. To ensure this, we promise that every adult who volunteers in your child's class has been background checked and individually trained in our safety policies and procedures.

We ask you, the parent, to help further ensure the safety of your child in three ways.

1. Drop-Off and Pick-Up policy: Upon checking in a child, you will be presented with a numbered carabineer that identifies you as the adult who checked the child into their class. This number is recorded, and upon checkout helps us ensure the child is released to the correct adult. Please have the numbered carabineer ready to return to the volunteer upon picking up your child.

If you have lost the numbered carabineer during the service, the volunteer will consult the sign in sheet. On this sheet, the volunteer will find a list of adults whom the parent has deemed acceptable to pick up the child. If your name is on the list, the child will be released in your care.

If you come to pick up a child and your name is not on the list, the child will not be released. The Children¹s Director will be consulted and the situation will be handled appropriately.

To further ensure the safety of your child, if the volunteer does not know the name of the adult wishing to pick up the child and the numbered carabineer has been lost we encourage the volunteer to ask for photo ID.

2. Parent Paging System: In the event that a child needs the attention of a parent during the service, we want to be able to contact the appropriate adult. Our paging system is done via text messaging. Upon checking in a child to his or her class, you will be asked to list your cell phone number(s) on the sign in sheet.

Once you enter the Antioch service, we ask you to wear your cell phone snuggly against your body, and to keep your phone on vibrate. In the case that you do not have a cell phone, and for the youngest Antioch Kid¹s, we also have pagers available if the parent prefers.

3. Emergency Parent Pick-Up: In the case of an emergency, the default evacuation location is the tennis courts at the north end of the Bend Senior High parking lot. You will be able to check your child out of his or her class at this location, unless otherwise determined by the Security Team. The numbered carabineer you were given upon checking your child in to his or her class must be presented before your child is released back into your care.

If you have lost the numbered carabineer, the same procedure will be enforced which you will find in the above Drop-Off and Pick-Up policy.

These children¹s safety policies are written to further ensure your child¹s safety while in the care of Antioch Church. Please help us ensure the safety of your child by following these policies.

Thank you!

Worker Application

At Antioch, we value our Children's Ministry and are constantly looking for more volunteers to add to the volunteer rotation.  We have two goals:

1. To give every parent the opportunity to teach and influence their child and his/her friends in the love and knowledge of God. 
And
2. To have enough volunteers in the rotation that every volunteer serves once a month and attends the service 3 times a month.

We are not simply looking for people to babysit in Antioch Kid's Ministry, but people who will make the most of the opportunity in a child's life to teach and influence them in the ways of God.

If you are interested in joining the team, we are thrilled to welcome you!  The first step in getting you plugged in is for you to fill out the volunteer application below.  Please make sure to include all the information requested as it allows us to run a background check before we begin the training process.

When that is done, it is time to get on with the fun! We will train you on the Antioch Kid's Policies and Procedures, then shadow along side of you in the class of your choice on your first Sunday.  We have found that this sets you up for success as an Antioch Kid's Volunteer, and are excited to welcome you to the team!

To get the process started, simply fill out the form below and email it to Linda@antiochchurch.org

Thanks, and I look forward to meeting you!
Linda Van Voorst

Worker Application (downloadable pdf)

Worker Training (downloadable pdf)

Security Team Application

At Antioch, we are more confident of the children's safety thanks to the Security Team. To ensure the safety of the children, we have a team present at every event. This team concentrates simply on the safety of the children, families, and attendee's of Antioch. The Security Team focuses specifically on roles designated to the Security Team.

If this type of ministry is something you would like to get involved in, please fill out the form below and email it to Linda at linda@anitochchurch.org. Please make sure to include all information requested as it allows us to run a background check before we begin the training process.

Thank you!

Security Team Application (downloadable pdf)