Children's Ministry

A message from our Children’s Ministry Director

Welcome!

My name is Annamarie Dixon. My husband Timothy and I have been married for 7 years and we have 3 children(Evelyn, Tilmon and Clayton). We have been attending Encounter Church for 3 years. While we are originally from Baltimore County, MD we now reside in New Providence, PA. I graduated from Lancaster Bible College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Bible and in TESOL. I have a passion for helping children to learn who they are in Jesus. My prayer is that children will find their identity in Jesus and not in the things of this world. My desire is that when your child attends Kid’s Church they encounter Jesus each week. I believe that regardless of age, children can have a real meaningful relationship with Jesus. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me at any time!

Annamarie Dixon – Children’s Ministry Director
Email- childrensministry@encounterchurchpa.org
Phone- 443-797-7700

Children’s Ministry Program

Our Children’s Ministry is held downstairs during our Sunday morning service.

Reminder: Please pick up your children as soon as the service is over. Thank you!

Nursery

These women have a love for babies and enjoy being able to give parents a break each Sunday so that they can enjoy the service. Feel free to drop your baby off at any time during the service. Just look for an usher in the back of the sanctuary to let you downstairs if the service has already started.

A nursery with caregivers is available for babies up to age 2 during the entire Sunday morning service.

An infant nursery for mothers and babies is also available.

18 month – 2 year old Classroom

Our toddler teachers have a passion for playing with toddlers each week. They do a small bible lesson and coloring page each week with the children. The teachers also play games, read books and sing songs to Jesus with the children.

3 – 5 year old Classroom

Here are the faces that you will see if your child belongs in the 3-5 year old class. Each week these teachers prepare a lesson that normally goes with a craft. They also watch a bible video that goes with the lesson. These teachers have a desire to teach children about prayer, Jesus and the Bible.

Kindergarten – 5th grade Classroom

Here is the teachers for the Elementary School side of Encounter Kid’s. Every week the teachers start with prayer and worship. Then they go into a bible lesson that has a video. After the large group discussion they break out into small groups to do a lesson that goes deeper into God’s word that is more specific for their age.

Young Warriors: 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade

Young Warriors is for 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students and meets every week during the sermon.
Children stay in the sanctuary for worship.

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Mission and Values

Encounter Kid’s strives to see kids transformed by the presence of the living God by earning trust through authentic relationships with all children that attend so that lives can be changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We want the children to experience biblical community and discipleship through Christ centered lessons, prayer, videos, games and music/worship each week.

Our vision begins with prayer and seeking God in everything we do. Our ministry believes that each Sunday we are given the opportunity to love and share more about Jesus with every child that is put into our care.

God Encounter

At Encounter Church we believe that God can encounter everyone from the youngest to the oldest. We believe that each child can encounter God and watch him “show up” in their own lives.

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible holds absolute truth. Everything we teach at Encounters Kid’s Church is to be bible based and what directs our lives and teaching each week.

Holy Spirit

We acknowledge the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at Encounter Kids Church. We believe that God is still moving and speaking in our day. We believe that God speaks to children and imparts them with gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Family

We believe that the foundation of Jesus is started within the home. We want to be used by God as a vessel to build upon the foundation that is being laid at home. At Encounter Kids Church we are a larger part of that family. We value family and want the children to feel as if they can come as they are and be part of God’s larger family.

Transformation

As God works through Encounter Kid’s Church we believe that children’s lives should be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our desire is to see a ripple effect of transformed lives where it goes back to the home, community, and the nations.

Fun

Fun is the “language” of children, and we will strive to “speak” that language! We will be creative, fun, engaging and imaginative in all we do and teach.

Safety

We strive to create environments that are safe, sanitary and soothing for children of all ages. We strive to thoroughly screen, train and equip all adults ministering to children. We will strive to protect children from harm or abduction by following strict check-in and check-out procedures

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Curriculum

The Gospel Project take kids on a Christ-centered, chronological journey through Scripture. Kids will discover how the gospel unfolds from Genesis through Revelation. When kids truly experience the gospel, their hearts are transformed. It is the gospel, not good behavior that changes everything.

The Gospel Project for Kids will help kids to:

See the Big Story: Kids will understand that the Bible is not a collection of stories, but God’s unified story of redemption.
Read Scripture as Christ-centered: The Activity Pages provide a deep, Christ-centered Bible study experience for all ages.

Grasp Essential Christian Doctrines: The Big Picture Questions and Answers are designed to help kids understand essential theological doctrines of the Christian faith.

Study the Old and New Testaments: Kids spend equal time in the Old and New Testaments, learning the key distinctions of each and how they fit together.