“But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’”
At Citizens, we love children because Jesus loves children. He invited children to come close and he invites us to be like children.
CitiKids and CitiYouth exist so that children might hear the good news about God in Christ from a young age. We desire for them to find their unique story in the universal story of God and his unstoppable love for the world. We want them to live with humble confidence that they are loved and God is with them, so that no matter where life takes them, they would always find their home in Jesus.
At Citizens, we prioritize our kids in three ways:
1) On Sundays, children learn and have fun at Citi-Kids & CITI-YOUTH.
CitiKids includes children from birth to 5th grade. We have two classrooms divided into Preschool-aged children (babies-age 5) and Elementary-aged children (grades K-5). Our teachers strive every Sunday to teach engaging lessons from the Bible that lead our kids to Jesus. We do this through creating a safe and fun environment for kids to enjoy lessons, games, and activities that invite them to know and understand the good news of the gospel.
CitiYouth serves students in middle and high school, and is aimed at preparing them to follow Christ into adulthood. On Sundays, teachers work alongside youth through the same Bible passage the adults are discussing in the sermon, but with more room for questions, wrestling, wondering. Also, food and jokes.
We have a lot of fun on Sundays, and we hope your child will join us. Please read our "What Your Child Can Expect" questions so you can prepare your son or daughter to enjoy CitiKids or CitiYouth. We hope to accommodate all children, including those with unique needs. Please feel free to send us a message to reach out to our children’s director, Maggie, to share important information about your child and to let us know how we can help your child feel loved, safe, and seen.
2) In CITIZENS COMMUNITIES, children are INVITED AND ENGAGED.
At Citizens, our kids are treated like members of our small groups. While children benefit from age-appropriate instruction on Sundays, they also need to experience life and relationship with the wider church family. Kids profit from seeing adults pray, laugh and cry together. At Citizens, kids eat, play and serve alongside adults as much as possible. Including children can be challenging and messy (literally!), but we believe church shouldn't just be something "my parents do while I play."
3) In the home, parents are equipped to "be disciples who make disciples" (of their children).
The most formative influence on a child's potential faith will be the faith of her parents. We can't give our children what we don't have ourselves. They will not believe in grace if we do not parent with grace. At Citizens, we encourage every parent to be an active part of Citizens Communities. In these relationships, parents confess their failures, remember the gospel, and are challenged to hold fast to Christ through the impossible task of parenting. As Mom and Dad grow in Christ, the gospel will be shared and experienced more at home.
Citizens Communities are also the place where parents swap stories and strategies (and parenting fails). We share how we are teaching our children the grammar of faith through the Bible, the New City Catechism, the Lords Prayer, etc. As mentioned above, our Sunday curriculum follows the at-home resource that helps kids begin to develop a Bible reading habit. This can be a great aid to busy families, and helps kids better remember and understand the stories from Sunday.