At First Lutheran we strive to make Sunday school a place where children experience the unconditional love of God and the joy that comes with it. Through teaching, music and service projects they learn what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Sunday school meets via Zoom - see each grade for times throughout the week.
We have a dedicated staff of teachers who make a year-long commitment, offering consistency for the students. Our teachers are carefully screened and background checked.

Since we are all grieving the loss of our in-person gatherings, we will be offering a monthly drive-by event where children and their families can receive blessings in the form of prayers and activity bags. These activity bags will connect with the upcoming month’s online Sunday school lessons as well as provide an at-home craft for faith formation at home.

Our theme this year is Love Your Neighbor. We couldn’t imagine a better theme for this time in the pandemic and a better calling for our Children’s Ministry. In line with this theme we will be selecting a donation recipient each month so that when you come by for your drive-by blessing you can also bless others with your spare change or donation items. See below for our donation schedule:

September 13th and 27th: School Supplies & Children’s Clothing (new)
October 25th: Sock-tober (socks, mittens, gloves, hats, scarves)(new or gently used)
November 29th: Canned and boxed food
December 20th: Toys and books (new and gently used)

**We will be at the entrance of the alley parking lot from 11-11:30am.**

Preschool

Preschool is meeting online through Zoom. Their teacher will share a story, a finger play or a possible snack that they can prepare at home to go with the lesson for the day. There will also be conversations with the preschoolers so they can share what is going on in their lives, and so they know that their teacher and the people at First Lutheran care about them very much.

Little Lambs (PreK): January 31st

Each year we welcome our newest pre-schoolers to join the little lambs class in January! The little lambs and their parents are welcomed in church by the congregation, the pastor and their teachers given a blessing and a little lamb and then head off to their first Sunday School class!

Kindergarten thru 5th grade                                 

Our kids are meeting online during this time. Each lesson will be led by our talented teachers and will include storytelling and conversation. Find links at the top of this page.

Minecraft Game Nights (3rd-5th grade): 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 6-7pm
We are hosting a zoom call alongside a private Minecraft server so that the kids can talk and interact while building and playing in the Minecraft World. For any questions or to sign your kid up, email Kristi, the Youth Intern.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83853580963
Meeting ID: 838 5358 0963

Game Nights (3rd – 5th grade): 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 6-7pm
Kristi will host monthly game nights over zoom. These will be a great way for kids to connect and have fun playing new games each month and of course the classics like Mafia.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86332745976
Meeting ID: 863 3274 5976

First Communion - (5th Grade): March 14th

First Communion instruction happens in the Spring of 5th grade for our youth. Part of the 5th grade curriculum includes instruction on Passover and the Last Supper which provides the background for further instruction with our faith formation leadership and parents. Some youth might feel moved to begin receiving communion prior to 5th grade and that should include a conversation with the pastor and parents.

6th and 7th grade

Youth join our weekly Wednesday Night LIGHT worship at 7pm, then meet for the remainder of the hour in their own small group time. This is considered our pre-confirmation class. Therefore, participation with the confirmation students on Wednesday night allows them to get a foretaste of the confirmation community and content, but in a way that is appropriate for their own spiritual development.
Should weather and the pandemic not allow for Wednesday night LIGHT to continue, the 6th-7th graders will still meet on Wednesdays via Zoom to watch videos and discuss our Biblical ancestors.

First Bibles - (6th grade): September 20th

At the beginning of each year, we recognize our 6th graders as they transition from elementary Sunday School into Middle School Youth Group. To help prepare them for the affirmation of faith we equip them with new study bibles which they receive on the first Sunday of the new school year during 9:15 worship.

Kids Kamp                                                              

We are intending to offer Summer Kids Kamps this summer! Come to learn and play through stories, games, crafts and snacks. Mark your calendars for June 10th, 17th, and 24th, 2021.                    

Vacation Bible School - VBS

July 19th-23rd, 2021  - Come back for details!

Additional Opportunities for Children                     

There are numerous additional opportunities for younger children to be involved in the First Lutheran community. Please visit our music page to learn about bell choir opportunities and our Gallery of Living Art page.

We work to develop our youth into mature leaders for the mission of Jesus. Through weekly meeting, Sunday school classes, retreats, and leadership training we create fully committed followers of Jesus. Our youth love one another and develop a community that is both closely knit and welcoming. Our director of youth and children’s ministry, Shelly Schmidt, is always available for conversation and mentoring.

Middle School

We have Sunday school for our 6th and 7th graders which meets alongside our 7 pm Wednesday Night LIGHT worship service. During COVID-19 they will be meeting online via Zoom during the same time. See link at the top of the page. This is our pre-confirmation class.

We have Confirmation class for 8th and 9th graders taught by Michaela Eskew, our Minister of Faith Formation. It meets on Wednesdays from 7-8pm, details below.

Our middle school youth also have the opportunity to be part of the KICK Team (Kids In Christ Helping Kids.) The KICK team helps in the ministry of Preschool and K-5 age group kids.

Minecraft Game Nights (6th-8th grade): 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 7-8 pm

Minecraft is a fun computer game and it is a great way for Kristi and the kids to be in community with each other while not being able to be in person. We will be hosting a zoom call during the game so that the kids can talk and interact while building and playing in the Minecraft World. For any questions or to sign your kid up, email Kristi, the Youth Intern, at youthintern@flccs.net In order to join this event, Kristi must add youth as a friend on Minecraft and accept them into the survey. This allows the Minecraft server to be a completely safe and controlled environment.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83853580963
Meeting ID: 838 5358 0963

Game Nights: 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 7-8 pm

Kristi will host monthly game nights over zoom. These will be a great way for kids to connect and have fun playing new games each month and of course the classics like Mafia.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86332745976
Meeting ID: 863 3274 5976

High School Youth Group

In this time of COVID-19 we are being careful to balance our time together with offerings that are safe for all those that can attend. We will be alternating our meetings between interactive zoom youth group lessons and community-building outings. Come back soon for a calendar of our fall events!

High School students also have the opportunity to be part of the KICK Team (Kids In Christ Helping Kids.) The KICK team helps in the ministry of Preschool and K-5 age group kids.

High School students can also serve as Sunday School Shepherds and assist in teaching the faith to our children during Sunday school.

High School Bell Choir is called the Celebration Ringers and they meet weekly for practice and then go on a week-long concert tour in the summer.

Each summer we offer two youth trips: one for our middle schoolers at First Lutheran and one for High Schoolers out of state. These trips help our youth to grow in faith, serve the community and deepen their friendships. The high school trip’s location is TBD.

The Youth Group Permission and Health Form can be found here. This is needed for all Middle School and High School Youth Group.