Kids | Searcy First Methodist Church | Searcy First Methodist Church

Welcome to Searcy First Methodist Children's Ministries!

Our programs strive to make each child feel welcomed, nurtured, and loved. At Searcy First we believe God has called us to “GLORIFY God, GROW in full devotion to Jesus Christ, and CONNECT the unconnected” and we have a place for you and your family here. We have several opportunities for your children!

SUNDAY MORNINGS

Children's Church:

- A nurturing, engaging, and faith-filled environment where children Pre-K – 6th grade can learn about God’s love and grow in their faith.
- What to Expect: A Bible story or lesson led by Melissa Perry, Christine Sims, and their helpers, along with fun worship songs and light snacks.
- When & Where: Offered during both worship services (9:00 & 11:00 am). After the Children’s Time message, children will be led by Mrs. Kiki to the Pyeatt Welcome Center. If your child plans to stay for Sunday School (10:00 am), our leaders will guide them to their class afterward.

Please Note:

- The nursery is available for newborns through children not yet in Pre-K

- 6th graders and older are invited to serve as Children’s Church helpers.

- On Communion Sundays (the first Sunday of each month), Children’s Church begins after the singing in first service and after the Gloria Patri in second service.

- Children are always welcome to stay in worship with their families. Worship Wiggle Bags are available to help keep little hands busy!

Sunday School:

- Pre-K – 6th grade classes meet upstairs in the Children and Youth Building from 10:00 – 10:50 am, using the Simply Loved curriculum by Group.
- Children not picked up by 10:55 am will be walked to the nursery, so no worries if your adult Sunday School class runs a little long.
- Nursery care is available for newborns through age 2 (or not yet enrolled in preschool) in the education wing of the main church building.
- For the ’25–’26 season, Confirmation Class for 6th graders will begin in January. For more information, please contact Kiki Capps.

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS: 1st KIDS CONNECT

We invite children in Pre-K through 6th grade to join us each Wednesday from 3:30-5:00 pm for a joy-filled afternoon designed just for kids!
Together, we’ll:
- - Learn a memory verse from Scripture
- - Sing and worship together
- - Create a hands-on craft
- - Hear a Bible story — all tied to a fun, new theme each month!
- Kids can also earn Bible Bucks for participation, kindness, verse memorization, and bringing friends — then spend them at our Bible Bucks Store for prizes!
- Transportation: If your child attends a Searcy area school and needs a ride from school to church, please let us know — we can pick them up in the church van.
- Fellowship Meals: Currently paused due to construction.
- Evening Childcare: Available from 6:00 – 8:00 pm for children of adults attending Bro. Jeff’s Bible Study, choir, or volunteering with Youth.

6TH GRADE CONFIRMATION*

Our 6th grade classes are very important to us! Confirmation preparation (Confirmation) is a formal process with a class or group leading to the ritual of confirmation for those who wish to receive it and are deemed ready by the pastors. The middle school years are a time when young people begin to move from concrete thinking to abstract thinking and many begin to make lifelong faith decisions. During these middle school years youth are seeking a sense of belonging. Belonging to the community of faith is an appropriate response to that developmental task. We believe that around the 6th grade is an appropriate time to consider this task. Confirmation preparation takes place during the school year with our pastors joining in at different times by delivering lessons, meeting with the confirmands individually, and attending confirmation retreat. It is a great time of learning and relationship building culminating with Confirmation Sunday!

*Older students who may not have attended Confirmation classes in 6th grade are welcome to join.

ACOLYTE PROGRAM

We invite all 2nd-6th graders to serve as acolytes. This tradition is over 1,700 years old! It is a wonderful reminder to carry the light of Christ out to the world, and it is a beautiful way to serve the Lord and our church.

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY EVENTS

10/29 - Trunk or Treat

11/19 - Last night of 1st Kids Connect (we will resume 1/28/25)

11/23 - Hanging of the Greens - Come help us make the children's area look festive!

11/30 - 1st Sunday of Advent

12/3 - Kid's Christmas Program practice 3:30-5:00pm

12/7 - Kid's Christmas Program 4:30pm

12/24 - Christmas Eve Service 1pm & 7pm

1/4 - Christmas Clean up

1/28 - 1st Kids Connect Resumes for 2nd Semester (3:30-5:00pm)

3/25 - Spring Break - No Kids Connect

4/4 - Searcy First Community Egg Hunt 2pm

4/5 - EASTER, Join us for worship @ 9am or 11am

4/9 - VBS Hype Night for Volunteers

4/12 - Confirmation Sunday

4/22 - Last night for 1st Kids Connect

5/26 - 5/29 - VBS Decorating in children/youth building

5/31 - Serve Searcy Sunday - service projects!

6/1 - 6/5 - VBS Decorating Sanctuary (possibly new worship building)

6/7 - VBS Sunday

6/8 - 6/11 - VBS Rainforest Falls - Exploring the Nature of God (9am-12pm)

7/8 - July Summer Fun Day #1 (10am-1pm)

7/15 - July Summer Fun Day #2 (10am-1pm)

7/22 - July Summer Fun Day #3 (10am-1pm)

7/29 - July Summer Fun Day #4 (10am-1pm)

*Every volunteer and staff member will be screened through a company called Ministry Safe*
www.ministrysafe.com

For more information about any of our Children’s Ministry programs, please contact our Children's Director, Kiki Capps | 501-268-5896 | kiki@searcyfirst.org

Whether you choose for your children to stay with you in worship or to spend that time in childcare with other children, we are ready to welcome them.

If your kids worship with you, we have worship bags with kid-friendly materials ready for them at the door. We understand that sometimes our hearts can listen better when our hands are busy. The worship bags change often, but some items they may find include crayons, coloring sheets, worship "I Spy" game, pipe cleaners with shape suggestions, and plastic eggs with craft pom poms.

If your kids go to the nursery, our experienced teachers and caregivers will be ready to welcome them. Your child will enjoy a kid-friendly enviornment were they can play, have snacks, and hear Bible lessons. Our nursery is equiped with everything your child may need to help them feel at home. We suggest infants and toddlers bring a bag of essentials with them.