Walnut Hills where children are loved!

At Walnut Hills, children learn quickly that "church" is a place where you feel safe and loved and where you have lots of fun and friends.  Here, children have a variety of opportunities to develop many loving relationships.  Caring teachers and leaders prepare fun, interactive activities for Sunday school and the Wednesday Night C.A.P. Creative Arts Program,  that teach children about faith, love and Jesus.  Intergenerational celebrations, service opportunities and fun events provide more areas to engage with friends of all ages.  Through relationships with "sister" churches, our children learn more about the needs of children who live outside our immediate community and state.

Children are encouraged to share their faith and love in the life of the church and the community.  In our church, children help usher, greet and participate in worship.  Children even lead worship at Walnut Hills!  In our community and beyond, our children collect clothing, school supplies and other items for the needy, feed the homeless, and much more.

At Walnut Hills children are encouraged to become the best they can be!

 Celebrative Worship
September 2007-May 2008
Sunday Service 8:30 and 10:45 a.m.
Walnut Hills offers an upbeat Celebrative Worship service designed with the whole family in mind. Children are invited to the front of the Celebration Center during each service for a special story and prayer. Following Children’s Time, 3-year-olds through 1^st grade children may attend Children’s Church in Room 108.

Infant and Toddler Care (Infants through 3 years) 8:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Nursery Coordinator, Rachelle Sorensen, and her assistants, Ann Vuong and Beth Eighmy, are child care professionals. They provide a warm loving environment for infants and children through three years old. The childcare center is a safe place for infants and a happy play time experience for toddlers so parents can relax and enjoy Celebrative Worship and Adult Study. Parents who wish to keep their infants with them during the service are welcome to use the nursery for feeding or changing. Changing tables are also available in the men’s and women’s restrooms.

Child and Youth Safety
To promote the safety of children and youth at Walnut Hills, parents are encouraged to fill out a registration and health form and waiver each September for their children and return it to the office. These forms are available on the Ministry Table in the East Gathering Area beginning in August, or from this web site. You can get these forms by clicking the Survey/Forms link to the right.

Children Sunday School
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. 3 year olds – 6th graders
Sunday school classes are offered for children 3 year olds through 6th grade. Children must be 3 years old by September 15 to attend Sunday school. Pre-registration for Sunday school is not required. Parents may take children directly to their classrooms to meet the teacher and join the class any day Sunday school is in session. Please pick up registration forms from the Sunday school teachers before you leave your child with them. The following Sunday school classes are offered:

3 & 4 Year Olds – Room 108
5 Year Olds & Kindergarten – Room 110
1st Grade – Room 107
2nd Grade – Room 109
3rd Grade – Room 002
4th Grade – Room 004
5th & 6th Grade – Room 005

Children's Church
8:30 and 10:45 a.m. Celebrative Worship
Preschool age – 1st Grade
After Children’s Time in the worship service, children 3 years through 1st grade are invited to Children’s Church in room 108. In Children’s Church, children, along with at least 2 volunteer teachers, actively worship God through the use of activities, crafts, Bible stories and prayer. Children remain in the Children’s Church classrooms until a parent picks them up after worship.

Wednesday Night Alive Program
C.A.P. is our Wednesday Night programming for children grades K – 6th. This program combines elements of music, creative arts, movement and spiritual development into one intensive, fun-filled experience. It is an hour and a half of exploration, expression, devotion and group interaction that fosters positive relationships.  Using a variety of arts experiences, exploring spiritual disciplines and practices, and introducing children to the global community, we are opening children’s minds and hearts to the world that God has created. Developing our children’s self-expression, self-confidence and a sense of connection with the God’s world are our goals.

C.A.P. meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Schedule for Children’s Wednesday Evening Programming
· First Wednesday of the month is Pizza Night – served at 5:30 p.m. $3.50 per person or $10.00 per family – Children must be accompanied by an adult
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. C.A.P.

Health forms and Waivers of Liability are required to be on file for children to participate.
You can get these forms by clicking the Survey/Forms link to the right.

How we're working together
We strive to create an environment where children and adults mutually respect each other and their surroundings by encouraging the following behaviors:

¨ Taking turns to speak and giving attention to others when they speak
¨ Displaying positive attitude and involvement in the activities presented
¨ Showing care and consideration for self, teachers and leaders, other children, our church building and equipment

Our adult volunteers look at children’s actions as an opportunity to teach and reinforce positive behavior choices. Children presenting their best self will receive positive reinforcement and praise for their behavior. When a child’s actions distract from the child’s best self, adult volunteers will:

¨ Speak privately with the child
¨ Speak privately with a parent and child

We encourage parents of children with special needs to communicate the needs of their children with staff and teachers at the start of each year and continually throughout the year. Parents of special needs children may be requested to provide additional support (ideas, information, time in the classroom) to staff and teachers.

Our volunteers, teachers and leaders are eager to work with your children to help them grow in the faith of Jesus.

Have questions concerning the Children Ministry? 

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12321 Hickman Road Des Moines Iowa 50323
Phone: 515-270-9226 Fax: 515-270-0838 mandi@whumc.org