Family Ministry
Both of our kids' and teens' programs fall under the umbrella of ECC’s Family Ministry. Our vision is the same as ECC: We want to be an embassy of the Lord Jesus Christ in Abu Dhabi, growing disciples from the nations to be gospel ambassadors to the nations.
Philosophy of Ministry
Our Family Ministry implements 5 key principles, which make up our Philosophy of Ministry:
1. The Stewardship and Responsibility of Parents: God has called parents to be the primary disciple-makers of the children that he has entrusted to them.
2. The Centrality of the Local Church: The local church is central to God’s redemptive purposes.
3. Corporate Worship as God’s Primary Means of Grace: Children are spiritually formed and blessed through participation in corporate worship, particularly through witnessing their parents glorify and enjoy God together with God’s people.
4. Conversion as the Work of the Holy Spirit: We rely on the sovereign grace of God to accomplish salvation through his means.
5. The Sufficiency of the Bible and the Gospel: The Bible is God’s authoritative and sufficient Word to us and the gospel is God’s power unto salvation.
Kids at ECC
We love children because Jesus loves children. We don't see kids' ministry as babysitting, rather, we see it as a wonderful opportunity to help lay a strong foundation and share the good news of Jesus Christ with kids who are able to understand and receive this gift of salvation. As you drop your son/daughter off in our Kids' Ministry, we hope you know that we have established rigourous screenings from all of our volunteers in order to ensure the safety of your child. All of our volunteers are faithful members of ECC, they've gone through training, received clearance certificates required by the government, and completed a child safety course in order to protect children from abuse. Having trained volunteers allows us to focus on teaching God's Word in an age appropriate manner. We are certain that your son/daughter will enjoy their time in our Kids Programs.
Nursery
Nursery is designed for babies and preschoolers. This is a time where they are cared for by our volunteers. During our nursery program, we teach at a basic level and share God’s love with them. Your baby will sing songs, follow instructions, memorize gospel truths, and participate in crafts. Upon arrival, you’ll register your child and drop them off in our kids area. They will enjoy this time and grow in their understanding of Jesus, even at their young age.
During the equipping hour at 9 am
- If you are planning to attend the Adult classes, you can drop off your kids in Nursery 3 where they will be cared for by volunteers.
During the worship gathering
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Nursery 1 (beside Main Hall 1) is open for parents who would like to stay with their children.
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Nursery 2 (beside Main Hall 2) is dedicated for nursing mothers and women who would like to stay with their children.
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Nursery 3 (first floor) is where we provide child care for you to drop off your kids. There are two separate rooms for our babies and pre-schoolers.
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Active Child Room in F13 (first floor) is open for parents who would like to stay with their children outside of the other Nursery rooms in the ground floor. The audio from the Main Hall will be piped in so that parents can still listen to the worship gathering.
Catechism for Kids (Ages 5–11)
Sundays, 9 am, Upper Chapel 2 (first floor)
Catechism is a summary of the principles of the Christian religion in the form of questions and answers. This is a high-energy and engaging time of discipleship where we point kids to the truth of the gospel by taking them through The New City Catechism curriculum. Each child receives a resource book containing 52 questions and answers in order to help parents engage with their son or daughter. We welcome kids to join us for Catechism on Sunday mornings.
Deep Down Detectives (Ages 5–8)
Sundays, during the sermon hour, Upper Chapel 2 (first floor)
This time of discipleship is held during the preaching portion of the main service. We intentionally do this in order to train the little ones on the importance of the local church. Children participate in the main gathering and are released right before the sermon. During this kids' discipleship time, they’ll enjoy singing, prayer, crafts, and listening to a Christ-centered message.
Note on Age Requirements: Our aim is to begin to train children to love the local church. We believe that by age 9, they are able to sit and understand the sermon. We have provided sermon notebooks for kids.
Teens at ECC
The preteen/teenage years are challenging and confusing. In this stage of life, they typically have a lot of questions about life, about their future, and about God. At ECC, we think this is an exciting and crucial time in their lives. They are on the verge of making big decisions. We aim to create an environment where students can ask questions and find answers in God's Word. Like any other program, when working with teenagers, we hope you know that we have established rigourous screenings from all of our volunteers in order to ensure the safety of your child. All of our volunteers are faithful members of ECC, they've gone through training, received clearance certificates required by the government, and completed a child safety course in order to protect children from abuse. Having trained volunteers allows us to focus on teaching God's Word in an age appropriate manner. We are certain that your son/daughter will enjoy their time in our Teens Program.
Note on Age Requirements: Kids are allowed to enter our teen ministry once they turn 11 years old.
Equip Teens (Ages 11–17)
Sundays, 9 am, F10
This is a great opportunity for your preteen/teenager to engage in conversation and grow deeper in understanding God's Word. During this time, we rotate between foundations of theology and current day issues from a Christ-centered approach.
New Event for Kids & Teens
Aftershocks (Ages 7–17) 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month, 12:15 pm to 2:15 pm We are excited to announce that this is the first year that we will be implementing our Aftershocks program. We will host this event twice a month in order to help kids make connections and build genuine relationships with other kids. These Aftershock events are high energy, team building, and loads of fun for kids to run around while engaging in organized games. Kids will arrive and enjoy lunch for a small fee, review the scripture of the week, hear a short summary of the sermon, and enjoy getting to know other kids and volunteers. |
For more information, contact kids@eccad.org or teens@eccad.org.