First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Moorestown will kick off a new initiative for students in kindergarten through fifth grade starting Sept. 11.
“The kids will get signed in, and then there’s going to be 20 minutes of kids’ church, which is going to be age-appropriate worship, including learning some prayers, hearing scripture, singing together and things like that,” said Associate Pastor and Rev. Jessica Campbell. Twenty minutes of snacks, games and crafts will follow.
“We are very excited about it,” Campbell said. “We have excellent teachers lined up and a really strong curriculum that we’re excited about. And we think it’s going to be a good option for our families.”
Campbell explained how the idea for a kids church started.
“We’ve been having our families together in worship for the first portion of the worship service, and they come up front for the children’s sermon and then are dismissed off to Sunday school,” she said.
“We’re just finding that that model is not working as well as we want for our families, and so we’re hoping this is going to be an option to help everybody learn more in ways that are appropriate for how they see the world and where their faith development is.”
She touched on aspects of the curriculum.
“We have a very open-minded theology and way of understanding our faith and world,” she said. “ … It definitely teaches values that we as a church lift up, and we think a lot of people really in the community and the world do as well.”
The reverend noted the importance of the church’s many programs, all of which can be found on meetwithgod.com.
“Personally, the congregation as a whole is very passionate about our young families and finding ways to connect with them,” she said.
Campbell came to FUMC last July and praised the town that’s been her family’s home for 13 months.
“We’ve been so impressed by the school system and we love downtown and Main Street and the small businesses,” she enthused. “It’s just been a phenomenal place to not only be in ministry, but also live and participate in.”
Campbell shared what she would like others to experience from FUMC’s programs.
“We certainly are hoping that people who have been looking for a church or who are curious about what churches have to offer, that they will find First United Methodist Church in Moorestown to be a safe place where they can explore their own beliefs and understandings.”
The church will host a dinner for Ukrainian relief at the end of September.
“I think a lot of people want to help with relief efforts and don’t really know how,” Campbell said, “and so we’re hoping that the dinner will not only be a way to financially offer support, but also just coming together as a community to have dinner together.”
