Children

Welcome to South Tampa Fellowship’s Children’s Ministry! We are excited to watch our children discover who God is and grow in their personal relationship with Christ. We are determined to synchronize the church and parents in order to make a greater impact on children for Christ.

Our elementary-age Sunday school classes build upon the truths sown in preschool with the 252 Basics curriculum. The name is derived from Luke 2:52, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” We want every child to know and understand 3 truths before leaving 5th grade.

The content is organized into a different Biblical virtue each month. Over a 3 year cycle, the children will study 150 Bible stories. The annual overview and scope and sequence are available in a pdf download.

This strategy also focuses on building 5 faith skills children need in order to own their faith and make it personal:

As we intentionally combine the influences of church and parents, communication is vital! Each week, children go home from class with 2 tools. The first, is a “God Time” card to guide children in having a daily time with God. The second component is the Parent Cue, which gives an overview of what the children learned as well as questions to facilitate conversation in the family about the month’s virtue.

The Tide Pool is nurturing and caring environment for our infants and preschoolers to receive a first look at their heavenly Father. Our program uses a curriculum to teach our little ones God made me, God loves me and Jesus wants to be my friend forever. The older two-year-old through PK4 classes come together each Sunday for a large group time to hear a Bible story and worship Jesus through music. This time helps the children to learn a new, simple biblical truth each month. Our preschool leaders use engaging activities to captivate a child’s wonder about God. A monthly publication is given to parents with easy ideas to reinforce at home what his or her child is learning at church.

2011-2012 Awana starts August 17th

The Children’s Ministry team at South Tampa Fellowship searches for programs that provide the solid foundation children need to grow up to become adults who know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why we’re excited to have AWANA as part of our Wednesday night ministry lineup.

STF is officially registered with Awana Clubs International, a non-denominational organization whose purpose is to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him. We are excited about reaching STF members as well as families in the Ballast Point community who don’t have a church home, or who attend other churches that do not provide Wednesday night children’s ministries. Parental participation is appreciated and encouraged as our faithful volunteers partner with families to see children grow in Christ and in their knowledge of God’s Word. Just a few minutes of club concepts every day at home will make an eternal difference!

STF’s AWANA club will run through March 28 and meet weekly on Wednesday evenings from 6:05-7:45.  All children ages 2 through 6^th grade are welcome to attend.

From April 7- May 30, CM will offer JUMP! Putting Faith in Motion. The night will include worship, large group and small group activities. Children from PK3 through 5th grade are invited to attend.

Celebration Station

Celebration Station is a 52 week program for children ages 5 – 13. This exciting program mirrors Celebrate Recovery’s one-year large group teaching schedule and curriculum. This means, when adults are talking about a topic such as action, children are learning about the same topic at an age-appropriate level. Families benefit because they can talk about a topic when they go home. A typical evening includes a worship time, large group teaching time, and small group centers including activities such as: role playing, crafts, journaling, games, and playing outside. We also have “cocoa house”, a time for fellowship and yummy treats! It is open to children whose parents are attending Celebrate Recovery. For children 4 years old and younger childcare is provided.

DC4K

DC4K is a special group to help children, 5-12 years old, heal from the pain caused by a separation or divorce. DC4K provides children with a safe and neutral place to recognize and learn to share their feelings. For 13 weeks your children become involved in a fun, caring group. The weekly sessions help your children learn that God’s love strengthens them and helps them turn their sadness to hope and their anger to joy.

Each session is filled with motivating and exciting activities. Games, crafts, role playing, discussion times, journaling and activity books help your children process the divorce and move forward in their lives. The music CDs, snacks, read aloud stories, exercises and Bible verses teach your children to relax and rest secure in God’s love. The Kids Like Me and Stories from the Bible video dramas present stories of children just like your children, who are experiencing divorce-related problems and have found help and encouragement. This class is open to children whose parents are attending Divorce Care. For children 4 years old and younger, childcare is provided.