At Christian Life Centre we run four children’s groups by age band, 0-2's, 3-5's, 6-9's and 9-14's. We also have a glazed soundproof room situated at the back of the main meeting room for parents and small babies, with facilities to listen to the service. The children join the congregation for about the first twenty minutes of worship during the Sunday service.
All our children's groups meet upstairs and drinks and snacks are provided in all groups, please advise a team member of any dietary requirements or allergies. All our team leaders are police checked in line with CCPAS guidelines. We also have our own child protection policy which each team member has read and agreed to abide by.
Our youngest age group meet in a bright and cosy room with regular teachers and parent helpers. We find most children settle quickly and enjoy playing with lots of new, exciting toys and love to take part in a short story time and singing session. Our mission for this group is for parents to feel confident leaving the youngest members of our church family and being able to fully participate in the service, knowing that their children are having fun and learning the love of Jesus, along with the life skills of playing and sharing with their friends!
The 3-5's room is always busy! The children are eager to learn, to sing, to make, to play and to have lots of fun! We have regular teachers who provide a familiar face and we find the children respond to this with confidence and enthusiasm. Our mission for this age group is for the children to begin to respond to the call of Jesus to follow him and to live their lives in a way that pleases him. We try to achieve this through enjoying bible stories as well as times of worship and prayer, but through it all the emphasis is on learning through play and creativity.
If you come into our 6-9's room, you'll usually find this group being active! We play lots of games and enjoy being creative together. Our 6-9's participate in lively worship times as well as thinking more deeply about bible truths and enjoying God's presence. Our mission for this age group is for them to more and more live the life that God has called them to, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We use the Urban Saints material as a framework to teach.
In the 9-14's group we use the Urban Saints material which combines deeper bible study with drama and games to teach the young people how to read the bible and pray for themselves as well as learning more about who Jesus is and how to live for Him. We try to provide an opportunity for the group to discuss their questions and share their own experiences in a relaxed youth friendly environment.
Our mission for this age group is for them to take accountability for their own faith and their personal relationship with Jesus, living their lives in a way that reflects and honours Him.
Outside of the Sunday service we also run two groups during the week, a social group for ages 9 -13s and a home group for ages 14+.
The Crew meet every third Wednesday evening for a social time, to build relationships with each other and leaders. This is an opportunity for the young people to invite friends into a church environment. We take part in a variety of activities, the louder and messier the better! In the past we have enjoyed laser quest, swimming, dvd nights, as well as making our own pizzas and enjoying a chocolate fountain! Our mission for this group is to deepen relationships with our young people and build relationships with those in the community, showing them the acceptance and love that Jesus offers us.
The UF meet every Sunday evening to take part in their own home group. We discuss different subjects, sometimes following themes that the church are studying and sometimes just taking time to pray and minister to each other. Sunday evenings is a chance to be honest about real questions, real issues and to worship our real God. Our mission for this group is to grow deep roots of faith and to learn to live out our faith every day at school, college and with our friends and families. We also do a lot of social activities including Go Karting, ice Skating, beach trips, BBQ's as a whole group and also enjoy girls nights out doing things like having dessert together or going pottery painting whilst the boys enjoy pizza nights and sports.
Jo leads the children's and youth ministries. She heads up and co-ordinates all the children's and youth groups, activities, trips and outings.
Jo is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her & husband Dave's third child. During this time Jo's role will be in the capable hands of Liesl who can be contacted by email here: liesl@christianlifecentre.org.
