Welcome to Children's Ministries!
It is our prayer that children will:
Know Jesus
Grow in Jesus
Go and Serve Jesus
At Grace we believe that children are a gift from God and that we have been given the privilege of raising our children to not only know about Jesus but to KNOW him personally. Along with that privilege comes a great responsibility, which Grace takes very seriously. Therefore, we offer a wide variety of ministry opportunities and programs that we pray will help our children Know Jesus, Grow in Jesus and Go and Serve Jesus.
curriculum for children from age 2 to the 4th grade and Group Publishing's Grapple for children in 5th and 6th Grades. All of our teachers and assistants have a passion for seeing our children grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Nursery care is available during the Sunday school for children 1 mo - 2 yrs so parents can attend an adult Sunday 
Acolytes Children serving as acolytes light the candles by the altar at the beginning of the service. This represents the "light" of the world being brought to us. At the end the children take the "light" out with them, representing how we can take the "light" of God's word with us when we leave the church. Children arrive 15 minutes before the service at which they are serving on Sunday morning. Depending on the service they wear a robe and sash which are provided and stored in a designated closet. Children ages 7-12 who are interested may contact the church office at 724-463-8535 or Cynthia Spielman at 724-349-9779.
Vacation Bible School comes around once a year. This year Vacation Bible School was held on August 2-6, 2010 from 9am-12pm. 158 children ages 3 to those entering 6th grade joined us as we took a trip to Egypt where we met Joseph and saw what life was like in Pharaoh's Egypt! During VBS the children raised $2760.00 which was donated to Samaritan's Purse to provide needy families with farm animals and fruit trees and most important of all hear about Jesus! Look for more info about our 2011 VBS program in the near future.
JOYful Noise and JOY Choirs are for children ages 5 through 2nd grade (JOYful Noise) and 3rd through 6th grades (JOY). The children learn songs that praise our awesome God and sing about once a month at the 9:00 Worship Service. All children are welcome. For more information click here.
Hosanna Ringers These children learn to ring melody chimes. We play about once a month (or when ready) and are open to students in grades 4-6. Since we have a limited number of chimes, it is necessary for children to register for this ensemble.
Camping Activities Children enjoy the outdoors at one of our 3 United Methodist camping facilities. Summer programming is encouraged and often scholarships are available. Some of the camping programs that are available are Nature's Mysteries, Dance, Horse Camp, Adventure Camp, Swim Camp and many more. To visit our camps click here. http://www.wpaumc.org/camping/. Camp brochures are available at the church office and various bulletin boards in the church. We will provide 1/2 of the cost of a campership for our Grace children and youth.
We also have many other opportunities for you to grow closer in your relationship with the Lord and with other believers. It might be Movie Night with popcorn and a favorite blanket or an Advent Activity made by loving hands and cheerful hearts. Perhaps it is the Pastor handing an envelope with Kingdom Assignment money in it or something as seemingly simple as receiving a Bible to begin your child's journey into the rest of their life.
If your children are older than 6th grade we invite them to become a part of our Youth Group which is directed by our full time interim Youth Director, Corey Vasbinder. For more information about Youth Group activities click here.
When your children are beyond 12th grade we still provide meaningful activities as our College Ministry prepares them to ask the hard questions. Our full time College Ministry Director, Karen Salser is active not only with our in-house college students but also the programming in conjunction with the IUP Campus. For more information about our College Ministry click here.
Thank you for your interest in the Children's Ministry programs at Grace. If we can assist or if you have questions about our children's programs and activities please contact Jim Angerole, Director of Children's Ministries, at the church office at 724-463-8535, ext. 14.