Grace Bible Chapel

Ministries

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  Christian Education -

  Christian Education is the umbrella under which Children’s Sunday School, Mid-week children’s programs, Vacation Bible School, the Children’s Christmas Program and Library operate. We are thankful for all those who serve the Lord in these important ministries.

  SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS! Sunday School is every Sunday from 9:45 to 10:45.  Classes are divided by grade, allowing for smaller class size where children have a Bible Lesson followed by a related activity.  Children learn how to use their Bibles and participate in Bible Memory.

  August 29^th is “Promotion Sunday” here at GBC!  Children will soon be moving up to a new grade in Sunday School.

  Children who are age 2 ½ will move from the nursery into the pre-school room (room 136)

  Children who are age 4 will move from the pre-school room to the pre-K room (room 137)

  Kindergarten children – room 129

  1^st grade – room 141

  2^nd grade – room 142

  3^rd & 4^th grades – room 140

  5^th grade – room 144

  JUNIOR CHURCH  is the ministry for children in Kindergarten thru 4^th grade that occurs during the 11:00am Worship Service. Children begin the hour in the sanctuary with their family for a time of worship, and are then dismissed to Jr Church where they hear a message presented in a kid friendly way.

  GIRLS 4 GOD & DUDE’S CLUB BEGIN WEDNESDAY EVENING SEPTEMBER 15^TH   – 7:00 pm til 8:15 pm

  GIRLS 4 GOD is our mid-week program for girls in 1^st thru 5^th grade. Singing, crafts, cooking, and studying God’s Word are some of the fun things that our young ladies enjoy each Wednesday night. GIRLS 4 GOD will meet in rooms 137 & 140, located in the Children’s Ministry Wing.

   DUDE’S CLUB is the mid-week program for boys in 1^st thru 5^th grade.  Get ready for some serious 4-square!  That gym is going to get a lot of use on Wednesday night!!! DUDE’S CLUB will meet in the back portion of the gym.

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  Youth Ministries -

  It was a very exciting year for youth ministry at Grace Bible Chapel. We added new leaders in both the Jr. & Sr. High ministries. These new leaders have injected the ministries with new ideas, energy and a desire to see the youth at GBC mature in their daily walk with Christ. They have been very faithful to the youth at GBC and have impacted the lives of the youth in positive ways.

  The Jr. High leadership team is led by Stephen & Amy McDowell, Kim Weidner, Craig Thomas, Anita Clausius, Mike Murray, John Fields, Pete Krummel, Stephanie Kirkley, and Kendall McDowell. It is a great mix of individuals that include those who have served for over ten years, those who have grown up in youth ministry at GBC, and those that are relatively new to GBC. It is both a pleasure and a blessing for me to serve along these outstanding leaders.

  The Sr. High leadership team consists of Cathy Rohrer, Jeremy & Mary Beth Weaber, Steve & Lauren Dollenger, Steve & Deanna Freese, Leah Blaise, and Sara Farnham. All of the leaders on both leadership teams spend time outside of Wednesday nights ministering to the youth.

  The Jr. High Leadership Team felt a strong burden to see the students grow in their familiarity with the Scriptures and in their ability to defend and communicate their faith. Therefore, the leaders taught a curriculum written by Lee Strobel. They worked through The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith series and found that the students really opened up and were willing to ask questions when they split them into smaller groups following each lesson. This fall the leaders have been teaching on a rotation basis using unusual stories from the Bible. The thought process is once again trying to expand the knowledge of the Bible by teaching stories that the students are not quite as familiar with.

  Once a month the Jr. Highers are split into small groups separated by sexes. The girls have been learning about beauty as seen through God’s eyes in contrast to the false standards of beauty set by our culture. Some of these topics are appropriate dress, making positive choices, roles of women, and being loved by God. The guys have been studying similar topics but from a guy’s perspective.

  Jr. High activities over the past year have included some staples of previous years such as: Lock-Ins, a 30 – Hour Famine to support World Vision, and our annual Jr. High Retreat at North Bay. We also had many different outings. Some of these are: miniature golf, bowling and movie outings, football games, a Super Bowl party, a beach trip, an Informal/Formal in the church basement, and a fall harvest party.

  The Jr. High leadership team is enjoying serving God in this ministry and is thankful for all of the support and encouragement given to them by the parents at GBC.

  The Sr. High ministry was very busy as well. The year began with the winter retreat at Lake Champion, the North Bay Service Project, and making homemade videos of Old Testament stories for the upcoming children’s summer Sunday School. The Sr. High youth once again spent the summer leading Sunday School for the 1st – 5th graders. This was a great opportunity for the Sr. Highers to serve at GBC. The Sr. Highers led the children in worship, OT lessons, crafts, and drama.

  This fall we have continued a small group ministry that began last year. The Sr. High leadership team felt that a small group ministry was the way God was leading His ministry as we prepare to make our move into a new facility with the potential increase in the number of students attending each week. We teach our lessons during our small group time. We as a leadership team have enjoyed the increased discussion and accountability among the students. We have been teaching video lessons designed specifically for Sr. Highers covering a variety of topics dealing with the Christian faith.

  We placed a strong emphasis of serving others during the past year as a way to allow the Sr. Highers to think of other before themselves. Some of these activities were: a canned food drive, a toiletry drive, delivering cards and flowers to Calvert Manor, writing cards to GBC missionaries, and the North Bay Service Project. The students decided to give a card and all of the money raised from North Bay to families of GBC who were unemployed.

  We also had several joint ventures between the two groups. The Mission Impossible outreach event, a Prayer & Praise Night led by our Sr. Highers, and a game night at the Mason Farm where the Jr. & Sr. Highers had a chance to spend time together. We are continuing to plan events for the upcoming year that allow for more mentoring/discipleship between the two age groups.