For families and children
Worship. Wonder. Play. Find yourself in God’s story. Our church believes in the power that stories have to connect us with God, and no one is more in tune with stories than kids. From babies to young adults, our Kids Church program is centered on sharing stories from the Bible as we worship, wonder, and play together in community.
Online Resources for This Season
Just like our main Sunday Services, our Kids and Youth programs are also taking place online these days. We’re hosting online meetings for Preschool and Elementary kids on Sunday mornings and Youth Group on Sunday afternoons. We also post videos and other online resources here to help you and your family access our Kids and Youth Curriculum and stay spiritually connected in this time of physical distancing.
Preschool and Kindergarten
Our Families Pastor, Kim Messenger, brings a story from the Godly Play curriculum from her home to yours via Zoom on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM and via the video recordings listed here. Contact Kim at kim@reservoirchurch.org with questions, or to learn ways you can get connected to our community of families. She’d love to add you to her weekly family email.
Stories:
- Trading Burden for Blessing
- The Garden
- The Fall
- The Ark and the Flood
- The Great Family
- Advent Crafts
- Advent 1
Elementary School
Our Kids Pastor, Dan Archibald, holds short weekly Zoom gatherings for kids in 1st through 5th grade on Sundays at 9:30-10 AM. Dan also shares his weekly stories in text and video here. Email dan@reservoirchurch.org if you would like to take part.
Unit: The Big Story
- Singing to God (November 22, 2020) (Video version)
- Making the Sacrifice (November 15, 2020) (Video version)
- Waiting for Laughter (November 8, 2020) (Video version)
- God’s Call and God’s Promise (November 1, 2020) (Video version)
- In the Garden (October 18, 2020) (Video version)
- Creation (October 4, 2020) (Video version)
Unit: Reservoir Values
- What We Care About (July 12, 2020) (Video version)
- Connection (July 19, 2020) (Video version)
- Everyone (August 2, 2020) (Video version)
- Action (August 9, 2020) (Video version)
- Freedom & Humility (August 16, 2020) (Audio version)
Youth Group – Middle and High School
Youth Group is a safe place where youth learn how to integrate God’s story into their understanding of the world and their own lives. Each person is celebrated for who they are as an individual and as an integral part of our diverse community. Youth are equipped with a variety of exploratory and meditative tools to engage with Jesus and tell their own stories, as they work to make earth more like heaven. Youth Pastor Tory Tolles is connecting with Youth Group members one-on-one and organizing a variety of virtual gatherings. Email her at tory@reservoirchurch.org to connect with the community.
Our Jesus-Centered Faith and Anti-Racism
In this season we’re devoting ourselves to encouraging and doing work of antiracism and justice together. We want to help our preschoolers, elementary kids and youth confront racism from the perspective of a Jesus-centered faith, and to make church a safe place for them to talk about how they are affected by racism. One way we’re doing that is through our Guest Reader Program, which invites guest readers and storytellers who are people of color or parents raising children of color to share stories with the children during Kids Church on Sundays. If you’d like to be a Guest Reader some time, please contact Kim or Dan @reservoirchurch.org.
GUEST READER STORIES
- Dumpling Dreams, by Carrie Clickard and Illustrated by Katy Wu (July) read by Linda Kang
- Colors Come From God…Just Like Me! by Carolyn Forché and Illustrated by Charles Cox (August) read by Marilyn Paschal
- Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Sept/Oct) read by Michaiah Healy