Distinctives
- Gospel-centered format
- 3-year cycle with review & repetition
- 6 themed sections covered each year:
- Bible
- God
- Sin
- Jesus
- Salvation
- Christian Life
- Each theme covered for 3 weeks & 1 week of review
- Groups study 1 Memory Verse & Bible Truth for each 4-week theme
- All ages learn same material each night, age-appropriately, for easy family review
- Webpage with resources to reinforce & follow up with lessons
- Parent involvement encouraged but not required for student success
- Advance preparation not required for participation
- Learning can be enhanced by parent reinforcement at home
- Weekly handouts with parent updates & info
- Content for each night shared in age-specific large groups
- Small groups help build discipling relationships with adult group leaders
- Opportunities to work together on learning & memorization in both small & large groups
- Interactive rather than academic format
- High-energy music, engaging skits, instructional videos, object lessons in opening session
- Interactive teaching methods in large groups
- Creative learning activities in small groups
- Review incorporated into games
- Crazy fun reward nights on “Wacky Wednesdays”
Frequently Asked Questions
GPS is a weekly curriculum for preschool & school-age children. GPS emphasizes an engaging, fun presentation of kid-friendly basic theology & connected Scripture memory. We intend for children to better understand biblical truth which will grow into the desire to have a saving, intimate relationship with God.
School-age GPS starts with a highly interactive opening in the gym involving children & leaders in music, skits, videos, object lessons, & other activities which introduce the subject of each night.
Children then transition to teaching time in age-appropriate groupings where they are taught the evening’s content using exciting, engaging methods.
Each child is part of a small group that includes the same teacher & children every week. In small groups, children develop a teaching & mentoring relationship with a Christian adult. Small group time includes activities that encourage children to review & work on the current memory verse & Bible truth.
Game time in the gym also incorporates review of lesson content & memory work.
Preschool children ages 2–5 yrs. follow a similar, age-appropriate schedule:
- story time,
- small groups,
- music, &
- games.
GPS rotates content over 3 years. Each year, children with their teachers & small group leaders walk through 6 topics:
- Bible,
- God,
- Sin,
- Jesus,
- Salvation, &
- Christian Life.
Each section is 4 weeks long, with the 4th week reviewing previous lessons. In each section, children learn a Bible truth & memory verse reinforcing the theological truth being taught. GPS could be easily described as a basic theology course for children!
All children at all ages learn the same material each night, making it easy for parents to review & reinforce the material at home. Children spend 4 weeks learning each section’s memory verse & Bible truth, committing them to long-term memory. They hear the phrase & passage each night in opening, group teaching, small group, & game time.
Also unique is our website that provides info for parents to easily keep updated with the GPS calendar, lesson summaries, & Scripture memorization & teaching tools. We are excited to offer this website as a resource to parents!
Yes! Each section features a Scripture memory verse that all children learn over the course of 4 weeks. Scripture memory verses reinforce the theological truths taught in each section of GPS.
GPS begins every fall & continues through the spring. GPS meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6:45 pm to 8:00 pm. Upon arrival, all children (2 years old through 5th grade) must be checked in by an adult in the gym foyer.
Preschoolers start the evening in their respective rooms in the Preschool Neighborhood. School-age children all start in the gym. At the close of the evening, preschoolers are picked up from their respective rooms. School-age children (K–5th grade) are picked up in the gym.
Pre-registration will open each August for the upcoming school year. Children are welcome to join us mid-year! Please just arrive a few minutes early to register your child(ren) on site.
GraceKids aims to partner with parents & aid them in their God-given role to raise up their children to know & love God. We encourage parents to work in the GPS program & take the journey through this basic theology study with their child(ren).
The GPS website provides parents easy access to the GPS calendar, lesson summaries, & downloadable Scripture memory tools to help reinforce GPS teaching at home.
Would you be willing to come alongside children ages 2–5 as they begin learning foundational truths that we pray they will embrace for life? Are you interested in mentoring a small group of school-age children? Do you want to help children better understand biblical truth? Would you rather work behind-the-scenes? Could you commit to faithfully praying for a group of children & their teachers? If you are interested in any of these opportunities, complete the form below to get involved!
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, contact our Children’s Ministries Team.