Children’s Ministry Proposal for
League City United Methodist Church’s
New Church Campus
April 30, 2008
Introduction
This proposal is divided into two parts: Nursery/Weekday Ministries and Children K-5. This was a collaborative effort by Barbara Hammons, the Weekday Ministries Staff, Cathy Schmitz, Lisa Whittle, Jami Wells, Jennie Urban, Andrea Pritchard and Tina Harrell. Members of the committee visited several churches prior to our meetings which gave us ideas as to what we would want (and not want) in our Children’s Wing. The churches that we visited include: Frazier UMC, Friendswood UMC, St. Luke’s UMC, FUMC-Round Rock, Hope Lutheran, Gloria Dei Lutheran and Southeast Church of Christ.
Our belief is that a well-designed Children’s Ministry area is vital to the growth of League City United Methodist Church. Our thought for this area is a two-story wing in which the Nursery and Weekday Ministries areas would be downstairs and the elementary area would be upstairs. We want a secure entrance and exit for the area, and access to the upstairs would be just inside the doors of the Children’s area. Not knowing the overall design of the new church facility, we do not know if this will be possible. However, it is important for us to have the Nursery, Weekday Ministries and K-5 areas in close proximity to one another without being down one long hallway, which would cause a great deal of congestion prior to and following Sunday School. We are aware that we will not get everything we want and hope for, but please keep in mind that our Weekday Ministries program is subject to licensing regulations by the State of Texas. There are some things that are not negotiable if we are going to continue with this ministry.
We appreciate the dedication of the Long Range Planning Committee and realize the enormous task that is before you in designing our new facility. Please prayerfully consider our requests and know that you will be in our prayers as well as you continue the process of building our new church home.
Part I
Nursery/Weekday Ministries Requests
1. Children’s Wing with secure entrance/exit-Safety is a priority for us; at the very least, we would like this area to be behind doors that can be locked in an emergency
2. Welcome Center area upon entrance to the Children’s Wing with a desk of some sort and a magnetic dry-erase board to be used as a parent information board
3. Two offices located in the Welcome Center area to be used by the Weekday Ministries director and an additional office to plan for growth
4. Kitchenette within Children’s Wing consisting of: refrigerator, stove, oven, microwave, sink, and cabinets above and below countertops (*Justification: this would be an area that could be used by the church nursery and Weekday Ministries staff to heat bottles, prepare lunches, teach cooking lessons, etc.); We would also like to have a small washer/dryer in this area to be used for Nursery linens, children’s soiled clothing, Weekday Ministries needs, kitchen towels, etc.; this could be used by multiple groups;
5. 10-12 classrooms (2- Church Nursery only, 1-Infant, 1-Toddler-I, 1-Toddler-II, 2-2 year old, 1- 3 year old, 1-4 year old, 2-4 rooms for growth which could be used now for Chapel, Music or Spanish) each containing:
A. 2-part door that leads to the hallway that can hook to the wall with an observation window in the top half, or a one-way window next to the door to allow parents to see into the classroom (*Requirement for Weekday Ministries);
B. Shelf with hooks underneath for backpacks, coats, etc. (Placed at an appropriate height so that the children cannot run into the hooks)
C. Cubby space (4 rows of 4) to be used by children enrolled in Weekday Ministries or for storage space for teaching materials or toys
D. One wall (not necessarily the entire wall) of cabinets above and below countertops, allowing room for a diaper changing station at one end of the countertop as well as a sink area containing a faucet and a water fountain
E. A window to the outside (preferably one that opens) with blinds;
F. At least one wall made with material like the elementary schools use that allow for staples or a cubicle-type wall that would allow for staples, push pins or Velcro (*Justification: we want to be able to display Sunday School materials, children’s artwork and teaching materials used by Weekday Ministries; “approved wall adhesives” do not hold materials and when the humidity rises inside the classrooms, the displayed materials fall down; we want our new building to be nice, but also usable);
G. A large, magnetic dry erase board (No chalk!) mounted to the wall (no trays for holding markers as this is a hazard for children) that could be used for teaching;
H. Cushioned linoleum in the classroom-No carpet! (*Justification: Carpet is not good for the preschool area since many children are still potty training and urine is not easy to clean up nor is it sanitary; Cushioned linoleum is our preference since toddlers and preschoolers trip and fall frequently as they learn to become more coordinated);
I. Approximate size: 31’ x 19’ (*Justification: This is the size of the current 2 year old Sunday School classroom.
There is plenty of space in the room to set up centers, have a teaching area and a work area. Children need plenty of room to work and play, and we also want to have room for all the new children who will call LCUMC their church home.);
J. Phone System in every classroom that would include an outside line along with some way to reach the Weekday Ministries Director’s office, Children’s Ministries Director’s office, and the main church office;
K. Separated light switches with dimmers so that 1 light switch does not control all of the lights in the classroom; We’d also like ceiling fans in the classrooms;
L. Several outlets (at least 3) on each wall;
M. In the 2 Nursery only rooms, we would like them to be connected with a 2-part door that can hook to the wall, as well as connected with a bathroom (see below); We also would like to have a small dry-erase board by the classroom doors so that we can share important notes and reminders with our parents (*Justification: We need to have 2 Nursery only rooms so that we can offer child care for weekday Bible studies-we currently do not have that capability because all of our rooms are used by Weekday Ministries M-Th. We also need them to connect with a 2-part door so that if we are short nursery staff, we can still comply with our Safe Sanctuary policy if children need to be separated because of their ages.);
N. We would also like ceiling mounted TVs with DVD capabilities in the 2 Nursery only rooms so that the children and nursery workers can participate in the worship service too;
Between every 2 rooms should be a bathroom:
6. 2-3 large storage rooms for classroom materials and supplies to be used by Nursery, Weekday Ministries and Children’s Ministries
7. 2 small rooms to be used as Nursing Rooms (no observation window!) *If it’s not possible to have separate rooms, then we’d like them to be included in the Nursery only rooms as long as it does not compromise the play area within the classroom;
8. A small office for the Nursery Staff which would include the time clock, storage area, filing cabinet, small desk unit, and a place to store personal belongings while working;
9. Adult men’s and women’s restrooms located within the Children’s Wing;
10. Kid-sized water fountains in the hallway;
11. A large playground area that can be divided into two areas-one for smaller children and one for preschool/elementary aged children; The Consumer Product Safety Commission just recently updated their Handbook for Public Playground Safety (CPSC-325), and this can be found on their website: www.cpsc.gov;
12. A covered drop-off/pick-up area close to the Children’s Wing;
13. Gym area with large storage closet for riding toys and gym toys;
14. Storage room (interior or exterior as long as it is a permanent fixture) close to the Children’s Wing for the large buggies used by Weekday Ministries for outdoor rides;
15. Workroom (approximate size: 25’ x 25’) close to the Children’s Wing to be used by Sunday School teachers, Nursery Staff, Children’s Church leaders, Weekday Ministries Staff, and Youth; This workroom should be a large, usable space that would contain:
A. Large hanging filing cabinets for resource material for Biblical thematic units
B. Built-in bookshelves along one wall to be used for construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, colored paper, teaching materials, etc.
C. Copier for use by the groups listed above;
D. Utility sink;
E. 2 large islands (4’x 8’x 34”) with storage underneath and workspace above
F. Built-in cabinets with counter space along one wall
G. Area within workroom to place the carts containing the bulletin board paper;
H. One storage room (from item 6 above) to be attached to workroom for the Weekday Ministries’ thematic units;
16. Classroom supplies that will be needed for the new facility:
A. 2 tables with built-in seats for the infant and toddler rooms
B. Child-sized tables and chairs;
C. Kidney-shaped tables for teaching in the 3 and 4 year old rooms (in addition to regular tables and chairs);
D. We will need 2 tables per room as well as 16 chairs per room (not needed in Nursery I room or Weekday Ministry Infant room);
17. We would also like thematic murals painted in the hallways of the Children’s Wing that would tie in the classrooms, but we do not want murals in the classrooms;
Part II
Children K-5 Ministry
1. Our vision is a 2-story building, with the children in grades K-5 being upstairs from the Nursery and Preschool area; 2 sets of stairs; elevator to meet ADA guidelines;
2. Welcome Center (smaller version of the downstairs area) upon entrance to the 2nd floor of the Children’s Wing; we would like some type of desk area and a magnetic dry-erase board to be used as a parent information board
3. Office space for Children’s Director (The extra office space downstairs could initially be used for the Children’s Director, but as our Weekday Ministry program and staff grow, we will need an office upstairs so the Children’s Director will have office space in the future.)
4. Central gathering area (an open, multipurpose space) close to the stairs and Welcome Center; This area would be used for Children’s Church, Children’s Music, Sunday School Assembly, Weekday Ministries Chapel and programs, etc. We would like a retractable screen mounted from the ceiling along with a projection system. The approximate size would be similar to the size of our current FLC-not necessarily as tall as the FLC; this facility would also need tables and chairs;
5. Classrooms around the perimeter of the gathering area
A. 6 large classrooms (approx. 30’ x 30’) with dividing walls (floor-to-ceiling magnetic dry-erase walls) so that each large room could be divided into 12 smaller rooms as our children’s program grows;
B. Each large room would need 2 doors with observation windows, so that there would be doors in each of the smaller rooms;
C. We would like 2 windows (with blinds) to the outside in each of the large rooms;
D. We would like the walls within the classrooms to be made with the same cubicle-type material that is used downstairs so that bulletin board material and children’s artwork can be displayed (same justification as 5F of Part I);
E. Each large room would need cabinets similar to those downstairs (without tall locker section) on both ends of the large room so that when divided, all rooms would have some type of storage space; these cabinets don’t necessarily have to contain a sink area
F. 2 phones in each of the large classrooms (one on each end);
6. Small, central work area (could be in a nook; doesn’t have to be a separate room) containing:
A. Large utility sink (for rinsing out paint brushes, etc.);
B. Cabinets for storage-Kleenex, paper towels, extra consumable items to grab in a pinch, etc.
7. Girls and boys bathrooms (2 each) containing at least 3-4 toilets/urinals and sinks;
8. Kid-sized water fountains in hallways;
9. Separate room for Children’s Library with one wall of built-in bookshelves; windows to outside and inside; small table and chairs, rug, bean bags or big, comfy chairs for kids; this room could be used by children on Sunday mornings, as well as the Weekday Ministries children for library classes or story time
10. One large closet for storage;
11. One A/V closet for TV/DVD players and any other A/V equipment;
Conclusion
We believe that a well-designed Children’s Area is vital to the growth of League City United Methodist Church. With the many programs we have and the ones we will develop and expand in the future, our church can minister to not only the children and families who are currently members of LCUMC, but also to those who may not know Christ or have a church home. If this area is not designed with growth in mind, we will grow out of this area soon after it is built. This Children’s Area has the capability of being used for so much more than just Sunday School and Weekday Ministry class space. It can be used for Children’s Church, the Children’s Music Ministry, Vacation Bible School activities, as well as Girl Scout and Boy Scout activities. God has a plan for League City United Methodist Church, and through prayer and faith that God will guide us along this journey of building a new to church in which we can continue to praise and glorify Him, we can carry out our mission within League City and the surrounding communities: To serve, share, worship and win Disciples for Christ. Again, we appreciate your prayerful consideration of our requests for the Nursery, Weekday Ministries and Children’s area of our new church campus.