Children from 3-11 meet together on Sunday mornings for fun, friendship, and some serious
stuff as well!
We enjoy music and games, teaching and craft-type activities. On the 1st
and 3rd Sundays in the month we are in the service until 10.45am but the services are family
orientated in this half hour with family spots and upbeat songs. The main service finishes
around 12 noon. On the 2nd Sunday of the month we have Kids Cinema. The children leave the
service around 10.30 and watch a film which is either a U for younger children or PG/12A for
older children. These are great weeks for the children to invite friends along. Again, the
service finishes around 12 noon.
On the 4th Sunday of the month we have a joint worship
session with the Youth Group. Children come out with us from 10.15am until 11.45am and
have a full morning of worship and teaching that is relevant to them. Be prepared for some
very silly songs! On the occasional 5th Sunday of the month we will stay in the service
until around 11am and then meet together for around an hour.
For the last 2 or 3 years, our Kids Klub offering every week has gone to
help Metro Ministries in New York, ( www.metroministries.com ) who look
after a little girl who hasn't got very much and help her to hear about
Jesus. We get letters from New York and it’s good to know we are helping
the organisation that helps her and others.
Kids Klub has aims for each child:
- To have a personal relationship with Jesus.
- To know they can freely express themselves in worship.
- To think for themselves and feel free to ask questions.
- To freely participate in the church as a whole as members of the Body of the Christ.
- To enjoy attending Kids Klub and to feel they belong to the church.
Riverside tries to stick to what the Bible says, that God doesn’t want children to become like
little adults, but wants adults to take on some of the qualities of being a child. We encourage
parents to come and join us for a session to find out what goes on, and we are always on the
look-out for willing helpers.
Kids' Klub Leaders
We have twelve dedicated leaders at the moment, and a number of helpers. Most of our leaders
have been through Child Protection training and all have been Criminal Records Bureau checked.
We have our own set of ‘rules’ so that children know where the boundaries are and a number
of policies are in place to ensure the safety of everyone. Our leaders meet every month or
so to prepare and have fellowship together.
Children's Groupings
The children are grouped by age with dedicated leaders for each group. The groups are:
Mini-mites (3 to 5 years-Foundation stage) with more played centered activities.
Mega-mites (Years 1,2,3) with a mix of practical activities and discussions.
Dyna-mites(Years 4,5,6) with a focus on more personal thought and relationships.
The splits are normally made on school year groups with children moving between the groups
each September. However, the leaders may choose to vary this based on the needs and numbers
of all our children.