Terra Nova Kids

VISION

We Consider our children to be a gift from God. Our mission is to provide a Scripturally based, age-appropriate program that point to Jesus as the living Savior who gives the power of forgiveness and new life. The goal is to lead children to know, love and follow Jesus daily by living their faith.

Terra Nova Kids strives to accomplish these goals by:

We believe that parents, before any other institution including the church, are responsible for the spiritual nurturing of their children. As parents shepherd their children through Scripture, our ministry serves as reinforcement to their teaching.

We are committed to seeing families know and love God passionately. Therefore we desire to equip and partner with parents as the primary spiritual leaders to minister to their children effectively. 

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long” – Psalm 25:5

CLASSES

Our kids classes meet Sunday mornings during both services, at 409 River Street in Troy, just three doors down from Revolution Hall during our Worship Gatherings. The Nursery, Toddlers and PreK/ K classes meet every week. However, Quest 1-2 and Quest 3-5 do not meet on the 1st Sunday of each month, but instead, the children are encouraged to join their families in Revolution Hall to worship together.

Nursery [meets each week]

The Nursery, staffed by dedicated workers, is for non-walkers beginning at age 5 months. Little ones just learning to walk, who are not yet steady on their feet are also in this group. Once they are steady on their feet, they will be re-assigned to the Toddler 1 Class.

Toddler 1 [meets each week]

One year olds who are steady on their feet will enjoy a time of play supervised by loving, caring class leaders.

Toddler 2 [meets each week]

Two year olds will have a time of play as well as hear a Bible story geared for their age level. Our gentle, devoted class leaders strive to keep each child interested, happy and content while their parents are attending the worship service.

Toddler 3 [meets each week]

Three year olds will have a time of play, singing, hear a Bible story especially planned for them, join together and work on a coloring project or craft and have snack time.

Prek/k [meets each week]

The 4 and 5 year olds have play time as well as a Bible story, craft, snack and singing led by energetic class leaders. The PreK/Kindergarten class is geared for the children who are 4 yrs old (and will enter kindergarten next year) and 5 years old who are currently in Kindergarten. They will spend their time learning about Jesus and His love for them as they participate in Bible stories, games, singing and crafts that are designed just for them.

“Quest” grades 1 – 6 [meets all but the first Sunday of the month]

The goal of the program is high impact discipleship. High impact discipleship leads children to know, love and follow Jesus daily by living their faith. It emphasizes children learning personally how to share their faith and how to fully engage in the activities of a disciple.

How does this program lead to high impact discipleship?
 This program strives to accomplish the following five goals:

Centering on Jesus

This program points to Jesus in every lesson as the living Savior who gives the power of forgiveness and new life. Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is the One who transforms our lives into his likeness.

Incarnating Christ

This program gives our children a solid foundation in the Bible. Children are not only receivers of ministry, but they should be equipped to do ministry. They should not merely be treated as passive receptors of information, but rather disciples equipped to take their faith into their weekly activities. Kids are ministers, too. They have spiritual gifts and talents to use in ministering to others. They have gifts to invest in the kingdom. They need to see themselves as followers of Jesus who penetrate their world as “salt and light.” God will use them to make a difference in the world!

Learning with fun

Kids learn best when having fun in a creative environment. Fun learning for them is active participation not passive observation. This program makes learning an active process engaging multiple senses and learning styles. Using items from potatoes to squirt guns, from warm-up games to drama, kids encounter Gods’ word in a fun and creative manner. Variety and surprises capture the children’s imagination and keep them coming back for more.

Building on relationships

Jesus had close friends. He knew his disciples well, and he really cared for them. His message of the Gospel was life changing as he mentored and spent time with them. Discipleship growth best happens in close relationships, one with another.

Children are divided into age groups. At present, we will have two groups, Quest 12 (Grades 1 – 2) and Quest 35 (Grades 3 – 5). Both age groups will come together for a large group presentation that creatively presents the Bible event and then they return to their own small groups for application and activities.

Today’s kids’ groups involve much more than transmitting information. It is communicating love. Children today need significant relationships with adults who care for them. Because this program uses small group settings with activities that build relationships, Class Leaders can really connect with the kids in their groups. Kids can bond with each other as well.

Connecting with parents

Kids also bring home sheets called “God Talk at Home.” These can be used for family devotions or even one-on-one time with your child to talk about last week’s lesson.