Welcome,
Welcome to Calvary Chapel Merritt Island. We count it a real privilege to be able to minister to you and your family. It is our aim to provide the best setting for both you and your children to worship and learn about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. With this in mind, our Children’s Ministry has developed excellent classes for your kids. This page is meant to provide you with answers to some of the basic questions you may have about our Children’s Ministry.
God bless,
Pastor Malcolm
The Ministry
Calvary Kids is the Children's Ministry at CCMI to children from infant to 6th grade.
THE MISSION: With God's Word as our highest priority, our mission is to make disciples by creating a fun, loving, and interactive environment where kids are encouraged to grow in Christ. We provide volunteers who emphasize love, classrooms that are clean and orderly, procedures that are safe, and an age-appropriate, Bible-based curriculum.We pray that your child's church experience will help build a foundation for a lifetime of living for Christ!
Calvary Kid's Director: Tina Schantzen, Email: tina@calvarychapelmi.org
Interested in serving in the children's ministry?
Join the dedicated team of volunteers serving the families of Calvary Chapel. Opportunities include: Bible teachers, helpers, greeters, bakers and more.
Leader: Tina Schantzen
Calvary Kids Classroom Assignments
5yr olds & Kinder. - Room #110
1st & 2nd Grade - Room #204
3rd & 4th Grade - Room #203
5th & 6th Grade - Room #202
Room Assignments
GROUND FLOOR:
Room 104 – Infants up to 1 year olds
Room 105 – Walkers & 2 year olds
Room 108 – 3 & 4 year olds
Room 110 – 5 year olds & Kindergarten
UPSTAIRS:
Room 204 – 1st & 2nd Grade
Room 203 – 3rd & 4th Grade
Room 202 – 5th & 6th Grade
+ When do I take my child to class?
Our children’s classes are open 15 minutes before each service. Please do not take your children to their classroom before this time. Our teachers need time to prepare and pray before class begins. Your cooperation and understanding are appreciated.
+ Can I bring my child into the Sanctuary?
If you would prefer to sit with your child during one of our services, please feel free to do so in our family seating area located in the fellowship hall on the first floor behind the glass.
+ Explain Check-in and Check-out.
In order to provide a high level of safety we ask all parents to check in their children going into a classroom before bringing them to class. Teachers will not allow children to come into a classroom without a name badge. We have attendants at the front check-in kiosks to help you setup a new account and assist you in checking in your children. You will be given a name badge for your child and a guardian receipt to use to pick them up. Please present the guardian receipt to the teacher in order to pick up your child. Please note that a person has to be 18 or older to check-in a child, and a sibling has to be 16 or older to pick up a child from class. Note: East entrance gets locked at 10mins after the start of each service. If you arrive after this time, please use front entrance to check-in your child. You can however exit from both the East Entrance and School Entrance doors when service is over.
+ What if my child needs me during the service? (Paging a parent)
If you are needed during service we can contact you in two ways. We will text you (If you have selected that option when you set up your check-in account) and we will put your 4 digit number up on the overhead screens during service. You can find your 4 digit number on the top right corner of your Guardian Receipt. If your number is displayed and/or you get a text from us, please come to the fellowship hall downstairs and someone will meet you to direct you to your child’s class. The purpose of the paging system is to help you relax and enjoy the service with the knowledge that we can find you if your child needs you. We page parents for three basic reasons:
1. The child is sick (illness) – parents can give care to the child.
2. The child is continuously upset, sad or afraid (inconsolable) – parents can comfort child.
3. The child is disruptive and uncontrollable (disobedient) – parents can correct the child
+ When should I move my child up to the next age/grade level?
Children that are infant to 4 years old should move up to the next class on the week after their birthday. Children entering K through 6th grades in the fall should move to the next grade level when we do our promotion in early June.
+ Can my children be together in the same class even though they are different ages?
We seek to minister to children on their own level of understanding and our curriculum reflects this, therefore, it is not ideal for us to combine older and younger children. We do understand that there are rare situations in which it may be comforting for siblings to be together. In such situations, the older child may temporarily stay in the younger child’s class.
+ What if my child is potty training?
If your child is no longer wearing a diaper and is potty training, we ask that you inform the teacher of your child’s progress. Please take them to the restroom before class and bring an extra change of clothes. The toddlers are taken to the restroom during class.
+ Can I sit with my child in their classroom?
We prefer that parents do not sit with their children in the classrooms. All of our workers have been background checked and it is a safety concern to have any adult staying in our children’s ministry room that we do not know and have not checked. We will allow a mother to stay in the classroom with the child to observe if they want to for the first week….but we ask that it does not become a reoccurring thing.
+ What if I am a nursing mother?
We have a nursing mother’s room between rooms 104 and 105 downstairs. There is also a television in the room to watch the service.
+ What are your guidelines for colds and other illnesses?
Our goal is to provide a safe and healthy environment for every child and volunteer in our classrooms. In order to protect the children from illness and disease, please do not bring your children to class if they have had, for any reason, any of the following symptoms within the last 24 hours: Unusual fatigue or irritability, cough or inflamed mouth or throat, fever, vomiting or diarrhea, green or yellowish nasal/eye discharge, a rash of any unknown or contagious origin. Please note that even if your child does not show any of these symptoms when it is time to go to church, if they have had them within the last 24 hours they may still be contagious. If your child is already in class and we notice any of the above mentioned symptoms, you will be paged from the service and asked to take your child out of the class.
+ Who cares for the children in the classrooms?
Calvary Kids Merritt Island has dedicated servants who are faithful in showing the love of Christ and are committed to teaching God’s truth. These servants are screened, required to undergo a criminal background check, and are trained before being allowed to serve in this ministry.
+ Do you have an evacuation plan in case of an emergency?
Yes. All teachers are trained on the evacuation plan and a copy is attached to their clipboards. If there is an evacuation, all children will be taken to a Marshaling Area that is approximately 100 feet from the rear of the building towards the large playground area. This is where you will pick up and check-out your child.
+ What if my child wants to get baptized?
When a child is old enough to make a decision to accept Christ as his or her personal Savior, then he or she can make a choice to be baptized. Baptism is the public profession of faith.
We hold baptisms twice a year at our family picnic in the back of the church. Please call the church office to let us know when your child wants to get baptized and we will let you know the time of our next baptism class.
+ When can kids take communion?
We leave this up to the parents to decide. We have communion at the end of the Sunday night service on the first Sunday of the month. Children will be released to the parents towards the end of the service and can take communion with their parents at that time.
+ What if I want to have my child dedicated?
In Scripture there is an example of dedicating children to the Lord. In 1 Samuel, Hannah vowed to dedicate her child to the Lord if He would grant her one. The Lord honored her request and she kept her vow, dedicating Samuel to the Lord. “ . . . then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life.”1 Samuel 1:11 As a Christian parent, by dedicating your child to the Lord, you are acknowledging your need for God in your family. You are inviting God to be active in your family life, submitting your own desires for your child to God’s desires, and making a commitment to raise your child in God’s way. Dedication is not the day of salvation for your child. Salvation is the free gift of God, received when someone grasps his or her need for Christ and makes the conscious decision to enter into a relationship with God.
We dedicate children at both Sunday AM services. Please call the church to set up a date.
Calvary Chapel uses Kid-Check to securely check your children into their class rooms and generate name badges for them.