Christian Education

Sunday Morning Opportunities:

Fellowship Time: All are welcome to gather in Fellowship Hall from 8:30 to 9:00 AM for coffee, juice and refreshments. Sunday morning Christian education opportunities (listed below) run from 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM.

KidsZone (3 year olds through 6th grade): Kids hear the scripture readings for the week in an interactive format. Volunteers engage the kids in a series of songs, skits, coloring pages, or other activities that keep kids active and moving. Rooms 006-016

Youth Fellowship (7th grade through 12th grade): Youth meet weekly with young adult sponsors to discuss their week and current issues.

Adult Opportunities: Adults meet as a large group in Fellowship Hall for 10 minutes to hear a presentation on the Gospel of Matthew (the focus of this year’s ministry) and then disperse into small groups for further discussion.

- BACK TO TOP

Early Childhood Opportunities:

First Lutheran Church is proud to announce the opening of a new early childhood education center opening September 2011! It will boast 3 sessions of preschool, 2 sessions of Children's Day Out, and an after school program for elementary students. Registration for church members begins on Sunday, April 3 and is open to the general public on Wednesday, April 6. Spots will fill fast, so please register early. Contact Kyle Olson, Director of Christian Education at 785-537-8532 for more information.

Preschool Ministry - This ministry will be the benchmark program of our early childhood ministry. We are striving to make this program the best in town with state of the art technology, cutting edge curriculum, and the best staff we can find. Our preschool will boast a computer center, art center, and learning lab complete with everything our students will need to learn and grow in preparation for elementary school. Do not be surprised to walk by the preschool room and see students building “magical tornado machines” or studying the parts of the body on a live dog or acting out the story of Adam and Eve during a chapel service. We are currently recruiting a lead teacher and will select a candidate based on teaching experience, love of God, love of children and creativity.You will notice on the tuition page that we are offering 3 sessions of preschool; all iith different tuition rates. Let me assure you, all three sessions are identical in content. The only difference is a busing service that we are offering for two of the sessions. MWF morning, students will be bussed back to their homes or childcare facilities after the event, and MWF afternoons they will be bussed both ways. The maximum class size is 12 and all programs are first come; first serve, so register early!

Children’s Day Out - CDO is a ministry to children ages 6 months to 5 years. It is designed to promote socialization among young children. During a typical day, students will hear, watch, or act out a Bible story, play with friends and have a snack. Parents can sign their students up for Tuesday morning, Thursday morning or both. Preschool students who attend the Tuesday/Thursday session and CDO can stay at church over the lunch hour and eat a pre-packaged sack lunch from home with their teachers for no additional charge.

After School Care - Starting next school year, First Lutheran is starting the only faith-based after school care program in Manhattan. This program is open to all children attending one of the eight Manhattan elementary schools. We will pick students up from school in the church bus, serve them a snack, provide a Bible lesson, and offer time for students to do their homework or play. Please note, the regular time for this program is 3:45 to 5:30 PM, however, we will pick kids up on early release days as a ministry of the church at no additional charge! We will not provide any care on full days off.

Early Childhood Care and After School Tuition Information
Early Childhood Education Registration Form

- BACK TO TOP

F.I.R.S.T. Student Ministry:

Students, age 3 through high school seniors, have a broad range of opportunities on Wednesday afternoons and evenings. Parents can sign their children and youth up for any of the opportunities below. Contact Kyle Olson, Director of Christian Education, for additional information on F.I.R.S.T.

Wednesdays September 8 through December 15

Children's Ministry (age 3 through 6th grade)

Parents are encouraged to bring their children at the beginning of an activity and pick them up at the end of an activity and to register them in the children’s wing when they arrive.

4:10 to 4:15	Registration (Children’s Wing)
4:15 to 4:55	Recreation (Fellowship Hall or Outside)
5:00 to 5:40	Arts and Crafts (Room 040)
5:45 to 6:10	Dinner (Fellowship Hall) – Free Will Donation
6:15 to 6:55	Elementary Christian Education
7:00 to 7:45	Homework/Media Time

Youth Ministry (7th grade through 12th grade)

Youth are encouraged to come at the beginning of an activity and leave at the end of an activity and to register when they arrive and when they leave the youth room (222).

3:15 to 3:30	Registration (Youth Center, Room 222)
3:30 to 5:40	FreeStyle (instead of the more structured recreation and study hall sessions, all youth will be up in the youth room and will still have the opportunity to go to the library and do homework, play games or watch movies in the youth room, or go outside on days with nicer weather)
5:45 to 6:10	Dinner (Fellowship Hall) – Free Will Donation
6:15 to 6:55	Meet your Bible* in the Small Group Room or FreeStyle in the Youth Room
7:00 to 7:45	Confirmation* in the Small Group Room or Worship Team* in the Chapel *Youth must do at least one spiritual development session. The three sessions that will be offered this semester are Meet Your Bible, Confirmation, or Worship Team. Please let me know if you have any questions.

- BACK TO TOP

F.I.R.S.T. Session Descriptions

Children’s Ministry (age 3 through 6th grade)

Recreation	Adult sponsors lead youth in various games such as soccer, basketball, four square, kickball, etc. On days with poor weather, children do activities in Fellowship Hall.
Arts and Crafts	Sponsors plan crafts that have to do with the scripture text for the week.
Dinner	Adults and youth prepare a meal for the children. Please bring a free will donation. Our suggestion is about $4.
Homework/Media Time	Some weeks children worship with the youth under the direction of the youth worship team and youth band. Other weeks, children worship by themselves by singing songs, acting out stories, or watching movies such as Veggie Tales.
Elementary Christian Education	This is the traditional “Sunday School” hour. Children are divided by age into three classrooms. 3 and 4 year olds will meet with Kindergarteners in room 006. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders will meet in room 008. 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will meet in room 016.

*Parents, remember to both check-in and check-out your children!!!*

Youth Ministry (7th grade through 12th grade)

The following five opportunities are "Spiritual Development Opportunities." Youth must choose at least one Spiritual Development Opportunity every night they participate in F.I.R.S.T whether they are here for one session or for the whole night.

9th Grade Confirmation	This session is restricted to those youth who have already taken confirmation classes and are preparing to be confirmed in October. Pr. Keith assists them in preparing their statements of faith during this session.
Praise Band and Worship Team	Adults and youth plan the youth worship service and then lead youth in worship.
Confirmation	This year the confirmation class is learning about the New Testament of the Bible. This course is open to anyone, but is highly recommended for 7th and 8th graders who wish to be confirmed when they are in the 9th grade. No matter when a youth decides to start confirmation classes, it is a full two years before they can be confirmed.
Meet Your Bible	Youth are lead through a semester long survey of benchmark biblical text and discuss their relevance today.
FreeStyle	instead of the more structured recreation and study hall sessions, all youth will be up in the youth room and will still have the opportunity to go to the library and do homework, play games or watch movies in the youth room, or go outside on days with nicer weather

The following three opportunities are electives. Youth can choose to participate in electives as long as they have done or are planning on doing one Spiritual Development Opportunity.

Recreation	Adult leaders interact with youth either playing basketball, a game in the Green Space, or (on bad weather days) in the youth room.
Study Room	Youth can do their homework in a quiet environment.
Free Time	This is unstructured “hang-out” time in the youth room.

- BACK TO TOP

Adult Education on Wednesdays:

Adults meet from 6:30 to 7:45 PM on Wednesday nights to discuss the week's Scripture reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Movie clips are used as conversation starters. For more information on this ministry, contact the church office at 785-537-8532.

- BACK TO TOP

Camp Tomah Shinga:

It is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Manhattan (just south of Junction City) to Camp Tomah Shinga, an exciting outdoor ministry of the ELCA. Youth from 1st through 9th grade can attend during the summer sessions.

When registering for camp, please inform the church office of the dates of the camp. Also, youth needing assistance with the costs of the camp may inquire about camp scholarships through the church office.

- BACK TO TOP