E4J Kids Church

OUR HEART

Our children deserve every opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God and to reach their full potential in Christ. This includes learning to participate spontaneously, how to worship enthusias-tically and to passionately love God. For this to happen they need a loving, caring, safe and fun environment, where they can be themselves.

 FAQ

1. If my child is younger than 3 years, may she come to e4J? Yes, if one of the parents will attend e4J with the child.
2. Am I allowed to come with my child if he is anxious to go to e4J alone? Yes
3. What is the code of conduct at e4J? Each child will made aware of the of the following: * Respect for teachers / volunteers. * Respect for church & school property. * The use of “time out” for misbehaviour. * Situations when parents may be notified.
4. How do I get involved? Speak to Johan or Liesl

 TEACHERS

Our teachers understand their God-given calling to help grow this generation to fulfill its prophetic destiny.

They do this by: Approaching everything they do with passion, commitment and whole-heartedness. Using resources that are relevant and creative. Getting to know each child individually. Enjoying the support and encouragement of leadership. Personally growing through ongoing training and feedback

RESOURCES
Jesus used many different ways to communicate the important truths He was teaching. Our curriculum will reflect this also.

THE CHILD

Children will be encouraged to attend regularly, to respect their teachers and to respect one another.

 Our younger generation deserves a curriculum that is relevant, practical and yet also loads of fun.

 We Value Our Children

We love each child for who he is, and we will make the effort to really get to know him and stand along side him.

Result: He will feel safe and have a real sense of belonging.

We understand that we have to earn the trust of kids as well as their parents so we hold their best interests at heart.

Result: Children and parents will feel that we want the best for them and really do care and that we communicate with honesty, openness and integrity.

We demonstrate the principle of giving freely of our time and abilities to meet the need of every child.

Result: He will enjoy finding ways to serve others.

We teach each kid to seek God’s presence and give the Holy Spirit room to direct the worship times.

Result: Kids that are passionately in love with Jesus and feel free to worship Him.

We engage children in activities which demonstrate that God cares for our city and communities.

Result: Children feel part of a group that takes a stand against injustice.

We help our children to find real answers for their day to day challenges.

Result: They find answers for things they are facing and their needs are being met.

 We value the growth and maturity of each child as an individual.

Result: He will be committed to grow in the fruit of the Spirit.

 How your child will get the best out of e4J

Four things will have the greatest influence over the growth of each child:

1. Parents
2. Teachers
3. Resources
4. The child

PARENTS
Of these the most important is the follow up interest, encouragement and support from the parents. A child will know his parents are interested in him when they support him as follows: Parents should help their child use the week’s lesson to review their child’s day. Parents should aim to get their child to e4J in time for TONS OF FUN. Parents should make every effort to attend parents evenings and coaching times. All parents will be expected to assist at e4J from time to time. Parents will be asked to support our code of conduct.

THE LOGO

 God has blessed children with so much energy. God wants to use this energy to glorify Him and worship Him. As God reveals Himself to them, and as they grow in the knowledge of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, they will fulfill their God given calling. This calling will powerfully and passionately influence the world they live in. The circles symbolize their influence in that world.
As Psalm 8:2 says that God has called on the children to shout His praises into the world, and it is these praises that will break strongholds and defeat the enemy.

Discoverers   Ages 3-6

Explorers      Grades 1&2

Adventurers Grade 3-5

Pioneers       Grade 6&7

THE CORE OBJECTIVES FOR THE CURRICULUM

1. UNDERSTANDABLE

 The curriculum should always be presented in such a way that every child will both understand what has been taught, remember it, and be able to apply it to his everyday life. It will be such fun that he will be eager to learn more every week. Children learn best when they are having fun, when the lesson is presented creatively (through music, role plays, surprises, games and visual interests) and is appropriate to their age level.

2. RELEVANT

The curriculum is relevant when a child clearly understands the truth of the story and knows how to apply it to his everyday life.
The way to measure relevancy is to ask 3 questions

•KNOW WHAT? What Biblical story that will be presented?
•SO WHAT? What is the Biblical truth that is taught in this Bible story?
•NOW WHAT? What can I do to personally apply the Biblical truth in a relevant way in my life today?

3.LIFE Applicable

  There are three lesson components, called ZONES.

• TONS OF FUN ZONE – Kids are familiar with fun and games and in this time the volunteers have time to build relationships and trust.

• SHOW & KNOW ZONE – BIG GROUP - Here we teach the Bible story through drama, videos and creative storytelling

4.SAFE

Children grow best in an environment that is spiritually, emotionally and physically safe. Children will feel spiritually safe if they know that they don't have to know the Bible to be able to come to e4J. Children will feel emotionally safe when they are surrounded by leaders and volunteers who are caring towards every child. Children will feel physically safe through adequate supervision.