Children's Ministries
Infants Through Grade Five
Kids give the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church campus a high five for friends and fun. Parents give our children's ministries high marks for year round classes and special events focused to sharpen kids' Christian worldview.
Our Center for Christian Education is the location for Bible-based Sunday School classes and Coronado Community Awana Club. Kirk Cottage is home to Noah's Nursery, where Christian caregivers cradle infants and tend toddlers while parents attend worship services and fellowship events. And for one week each summer, the church sanctuary undergoes a dramatic transformation as the stage for Vacation Bible School.
About Our Director of Children's Ministries
Rebecca Smith earned her BA in elementary education with an emphasis in cross-cultural communication from Crown College and a Master’s in theology with an emphasis in cultural anthropology from Bethel Theological Seminary. Her teaching experience includes both public and church institutions, grades preschool through college. She is equally well qualified as a wife and as a mother of three young sons. Rebecca accepted her position as director of children’s ministries in 2005. And in 2007, Rebecca introduced Awana to the children's ministries. Awana Club was an instant hit with parents and kids alike and consistently reaches maximum enrollment each fall.
Read Rebecca's Blog»
Noah's Nursery
Next to Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church stands Kirk Cottage, the adorable dollhouse-like bungalow for Noah's Nursery, a clean, safe, secure, and nurturing environment for children of both church members and guests. While parents attend worship services or fellowship opportunities on campus, toddlers and infants are in the loving care of well-qualified providers who play with children, direct interactions among the children, read to, pray for, and role model Christ-like patience and love. Noah's Nursery accepts children during both Sunday morning and late-afternoon worship services and as required for other special church events.
| Schedule | Su 9:00–11:30am |
|---|---|
| 9:00am | through age 2 |
| 10:30am | through preschool |
| Location | Kirk Cottage 969 C Avenue, Coronado Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to all children in the community |
| Food Service | parent-provided snacks only |
| Cost | no fee |
| Contact | Rebecca Smith, Director of Children's Ministries Email or (619) 435–6860 x 22 |
Sunday School
Parents often remark how wonderful it is to step into Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church Sunday School classes and see children participating in meaningful activities that help them to learn the day's Bible truth in vocabulary suited to their age.
Sunday School classes through grade 4 begin with twenty minutes of musical worship that varies between live guitar-accompanied traditional children's songs and DVD-accompanied contemporary children's songs. The remaining forty minutes include a Bible lesson, a game, and a craft. Occasional science demonstrations reinforce biblical points and spark further interest in God's awe-inspiring universe. Lesson activities encourage children to work together, respect one another, and appreciate their individuality.
Sunday School fifth grader boys meet as the Guys Only class to explore the Bible actively and discover what it means to be young men of integrity.
We have no fifth-grade girls in the fall 2010 semester, so this class will not meet. In the past, this group has studied Elizabeth George's A Young Woman After God's Own Heart, a story of faith, family, friends, and the future.
| Schedule | Su 9:00–10:00am year round |
|---|---|
| Location | Center for Christian Education 949 C Avenue, Coronado Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to all children in the community age 2 through grade 5 |
| Ages 2–3 | Tot Spot, room 3 |
| Ages 4–5 | Movers and Shakers, room 5 |
| Kindergarten | Kinder Kids, room 6 |
| Grades 1–2 | PrimeTime, room 206 |
| Grades 3–4 | iExplore, room 204 |
| Grade 5 | Girls of God, Kirk Cottage no fall 2010 class |
| Grade 5 | Guys Only, room 205 |
| Food Service | light snack, water |
| Cost | free-will offering only |
| Contact | Rebecca Smith, Director of Children's Ministries Email or (619) 435–6860 x 22 |
Coronado Community Awana Club
For more than 20 years, members of the Coronado community prayed for a local Awana Club. God answered those prayers in 2007, when our church established the Coronado Community Awana Club.
The letters in the name Awana stand for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, based upon 2 Timothy 2:15: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." Awana is a nondenominational Christian club whose goal is to spread the Gospel of Christ and to train children to serve him.
Using handbooks, listening to compact disc recordings, and playing games, kids become familiar with Old and New Testament Bible stories and memorize Scripture—as many as 310 verses—by the time they complete Truth & Training. Cartoon characters help guide readers through expertly designed lessons that boast a significant fun factor. And at the end of the semester, a congratulatory award ceremony awaits all Awana Club participants.
Our Awana Club runs on the high-octane fuel of deeply committed volunteer club leaders, who train for leadership and then listen to and encourage clubbers as they recite their weekly memorized verses. Our director of children's ministries manages nearly 40 volunteer leaders and 90 clubbers each school year!
In February 2011, our Sparks and Truth & Training teams competed in the annual San Diego Awana Games. Our Sparks team took first place for the second consecutive year, and our Truth & Training team took first place in their division. This was the first time our Truth & Training team competed.
| Schedule | W 6:00–7:30pm September 7, 2011 through May 23, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | Center for Christian Education 949 C Avenue, Coronado Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to all children in the community kindergarten through grade 6 |
| K–Grade 2 | Sparks Details» |
| Grades 3–6 | Truth & Training Details» |
| Food Service | none |
| Fees | $35 / child registration $25 / child covers handbook and uniform Actual total program cost is $100 / child. Graham Memorial replies upon free-will offerings from church members and friends in order to lessen the financial burden of enrollment upon families with multiple children. |
| Registration | W August 31, 2011 . 5:45–7:00pm Meet-and-Greet Registration Picnic, Campus Greenbelt |
| Leader Pre-Meeting | W August 24, 2011 . 6:00–7:00pm |
| First Awana Meeting | W September 7, 2010 . 6:00–7:30pm |
| Contact | Rebecca Smith, Director of Children's Ministries Email or (619) 435–6860 x 22 |
Vacation Bible School 2011—PandaMania»
More than just a couple children have described Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church Vacation Bible School—VBS—as being more fun than Disneyland. But like Disneyland, VBS is a very cleverly disguised educational experience, too.
Each summer, VBS takes on a new theme, expressed in all the printed materials, equipment, and stage props used to transform the church sanctuary into a very cool science lab, a wild, way-out West ranch, or a camp site for an African safari. Each day's lesson frames new perspective in a window of biblical worldview and helps prepare kids for lives as role models and disciples. The 2011 theme is PandaMania, Where God Is Wild About You. Learn More»
VBS always packs a full house, so parents have learned to register their children early to avoid the disappointment of impacted enrollment. A waiting list offers some potential late registrations if cancellations occur.
| 2011 Schedule | M–F July 11–15 |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:00am–12:00noon |
| Theme | PandaMania, Where God Is Wild About You |
| Location | Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church Campus Downloadable Campus Map PDF» |
| Invitation | open to all children in the community kindergarten through grade 5 |
| Purpose | Christian fellowship and Bible lessons, fun, safe group games and activities |
| Food Service | daily light snack |
| Cost | $50 |
| Church-Member Registration |
Su Mar 13, Mar 20 |
| Open Registration | W Mar 23 |
| Contact | Rebecca Smith, Director of Children's Ministries Email or (619) 435–6860 x 22 |