Children's Ministries mission statement

Statement of Mission
The Mission of Markham Woods Children's Ministries is, through developmentally appropriate spiritual and service activities, to develop in the church's children a lasting respect and love for God, for family, for others, for the church and for nature.

Statement of Philosophy
Between birth and sixth grade, children are making the transition from total dependence on their parents to practicing daily decisions that will enable them to transition into the teenage years with confidence and self-esteem while maintaining a firm and consistent value system.  In this process, their world expands from a family-centered existence to include external influences of other adult role models in the elementary school and church as well as an increasingly important socialization of friendships and ultimately, peer pressure.  To assist them in searching for their own values and identities within their family unit  as well as their church family, Markham Woods Church offers age appropriate programs for Birth-23 Months, Ages 2-3, Ages 4-5, Kindergarten, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-6.  These programs include Sabbath School, Children's Church, Sabbath SACS, Vacation Bible School and service projects such as Kids Who Kare and the Birdfeeder Rotations.

Statement of General Goals

1. Introduce children to a personal knowledge of Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

2. Provide biblical concepts of Jesus's love and forgiveness to all age groups.

3. Encourage and facilitate interaction of preteens in discussions of moral values, sensitivity for the feelings of others as well as create an atmosphere of openness to question and think for themselves.

4. Foster a sense of belonging to the Markham Woods Children's Sabbath Schools, to the Markham Woods congregation and to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.

5. Provide specific age-appropriate activities during the church service to reinforce concepts taught from the pulpit as well as provide a special church targeted for children once a month.

6. Develop and conduct an outreach program (Vacation Bible School) once a year as a ministry to those children within our church congregation as well as children within our community.

7. Inspire a desire for the children of our church to be of service within our church with specific programs designed as a training ground for later church service as adults.

8. Create a positive bond of friendship and respect between children and adults such as special features for Adult Sabbath School and cross generational programs for thirteenth Sabbaths.

9. Develop in each child a sense of self-worth, self-reliance, personal responsibility and self-control.

10. Encourage children to transfer the skills and lessons learned in Markham Woods Church children's activities to their family, their school, their church and their community.