We love kids at Seven Mile Road! We believe that every child is highly valued in the eyes of God, and so they are incredibly valued members of our community. We long to see kids come to know and grow in the likeness of Jesus! We seek to accomplish this by partnering with parents as they disciple their little ones.
Kids Ministry at Seven Mile Road operates in alignment with the mission and values of the church at large, and we have four values that are specific to this ministry.
Safety - This is first on the list for a reason! We are committed to caring for and protecting each child in our care as if they were our own. We want every parent and child to trust our team to keep them safe so that they can connect with God in a worry-free way.
Professionalism - We aim to be excellent in all aspects of ministry. This means we will be prepared and thoughtful in the way we structure Sundays and in our engagement with kids and parents.
Christ-Centered - Sunday mornings are not merely childcare, but a discipleship space! We will aim to lift Jesus high in all that we do, week in and week out. We will be prayerful and passionate about our time and will embody the message we share as we engage with the children. This is all about Jesus!
FUN! - Our God is a God of JOY! We aim to show the joy of our salvation each week with fun, engaging, and creative activities in each of our classrooms.
If you have any questions about Kids at 7MR, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Neleigh Johnson, our Director of KIDS, Rachel Bullington, our KIDS Coordinator, or Michael Atmar, our Pastor of Congregational Care.
What age groups are included?
Our ministry currently serves children from 6 months-old through the 5th grade. For nursing mothers, we have a private room available for you in our KIDS area.
What can my kids expect?
We aim to offer a combination of worship and discipleship for our kids in hands-on, fun, and intentional ways so that they can experience God and grow spiritually while they are with us. We prayerfully plan each Sunday so that your child can engage with the Bible in a way that is tangible and fruitful.
How do I register my kids?
You can check in your kids at the start of each service at the entrance of 7MR Kids Ministry.
Do I need to prepare anything?
If you have a child between the ages of 6 months to 2 years-old, we ask that you prepare extra diapers, snacks, and beverages to leave with our volunteers. You may leave a few necessities in the classroom if needed. We ask that you bring your bag with you to service. For all other age groups, materials will be provided.
WHo are our volunteers?
We look for those who are passionate about the discipleship of children! All volunteers have been screened by a background security check, interview with 7MR Kids Ministry staff, MinistrySafe training, as well as 7MR specific training. They are required to be a Gospel Partner.
Curriculum
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Starting in the 18-24 months class, our toddlers engage in age-appropriate, exploratory, hands-on activities that relate to a story from the Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible. We sing songs, make art, and use our imaginations to help toddlers begin to develop foundational truths - that the God who created everything loves them!
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Our Threes, Fours, and early Elementary classes use The Biggest Story Curriculum from Crossway, based on The Biggest Story Bible by Kevin DeYoung. This curriculum journeys through 104 important stories, all pointing to God’s redemptive story that culminates in Jesus. Kids will engage in age-appropriate games, activities, and crafts to build on the foundational truth. Each month we explore a new question and learn a memory verse!
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Our upper Elementary classes use the New City Catechism. As we partner with parents to prepare our kids for middle and high school years, we seek engage kids in learning robust theology that they can apply to their everyday lives through fun activities and intentional Bible conversations.
Family Discipleship Resources
At Seven Mile Road, we believe that parents are the primary disciple-makers in their homes. In the 7MR Kids Ministry, we seek to partner with parents to disciple their kids to know and love Jesus. Below are two resources that we love and would commend to any family seeking to do this work well!
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This is a helpful guide for “reimagining household habits as gospel liturgies.” We have used it for book clubs in the past and have found that it applies even to very young kids!
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The framework offered in this book of considering family discipleship in terms of “modeling, time, moments, and milestones” is very clarifying and empowering.