The LightHouse is a kid’s place and we have a place for every kid! Nursery, pre-school and elementary children meet on the second floor. On Sunday mornings our Fun Zone opens at 9:15 am. Sunday School begins at 9:30 am. We have a wonderful group of volunteers and staff ready and excited about sharing the Word of God with your child(ten)

Wave Runners is a special monthly program for fourth and fifth grade students. This program was created to promote friendships and fellowship of our children before they are promoted into our Youth Ministry when they enter middle school. We come together once a month during the school year and take field trips to great venues throughout Central Florida. Below you’ll find some general information. Any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact Children’s Ministriesfor further information.

Upcoming Events

No Wave Runner event is scheduled in December.

Jan. 29 – Roller Blading at Universal Skating Center – $ 15*

Feb. 24 – Ferris & Fosters with Mexican dinner – $ 20*

Mar. 18 – Putt-Putt Golf & Ice Cream at Pirates Cove -$ 20*

Apr. 29 – End of the Year Mystery Party! – Price to be determined

*Lunch included in price.

** The cost of the event may change, based on prices set by the event location.

• Because we leave the campus, each Wave Runner must have an up-to-date Consent/Medical Release Form notarized in order to participate. Additionally, some venues require their own consent form, which will be available via a link on our website when necessary. There are two Notary Publics on staff to help you complete the form.
• Each month a reminder card and email will be sent to the parent/guardian of each fourth and fifth grade student with the location, cost and time of the activity. Please keep your contact information updated to ensure you receive timely information from us.
• Most events take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Occassionally the venues are unable to receive us on a Sunday so we choose other days/times.
• Participation fees are usually $20 – $25 per child/per event and include a meal. The Children’s Ministries budget does supplement some of the expense of each of these events. Scholarships are available for anyone with a need for financial assistance upon request. To receive a scholarship please send a confidential email to Holly Eby.
• A minimum of two adult chaperones are needed for each event. Email us if you would like to join the fun! Please note: if the necessary number of adult chaperones fail to step forward, the event will be cancelled. It is possible that a cancellation could happen on the day of an event. We must maintain safe adult/child ratios and safety is always our number one priority.

We hope that your fourth or fifth grader will take advantage of this fellowship opportunity. Friendships formed in this group make for an easier transition into our Youth Ministries. Friends are always welcome to join us!

First Church is in partnership with Nathaniel’s Hope Buddy Break, offering free respite care for parents of kids and adults with special needs (VIP Kids), a break from on-going care-giving responsibilities for three hours on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month. Buddies are friends to VIPs. Each VIP kid is paired one-on-one with a background screened volunteer Buddy, who completed a two-hour mandatory Buddy Training 101 program.

• Our “buddies” are ready and we are recruiting VIPs and their families! If you know a family that would like to participate please have them email Vandie Loper for details on how to get signed up and be matched with a buddy volunteer. Our next Buddy Break will be held on Friday, January 20th, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• We will have all kinds of fun activities, face painting, music, therapy dogs and over 20+ volunteers.
• There are many fun opportunities to serve our special needs families.
• Special Needs council, 1 time per quarter
• Buddy Volunteer, 1 time per quarter
• VIP Sunday school teacher/assistant, 1 time per month
• Buddy 101 trainer, 1 time per month
• Assistant Buddy Break coordinator, 1 time per month, must attend Basic Leadership Training @ Nathaniel’s Hope
• To get a head start in getting enrolled you need to go to the Nathaniel’s Hope website and fill out their paperwork the application by clicking the links below. Don’t forget to state First United Methodist Church of Orlando as your Buddy Break location so it will come up in our database.

VIP Family Information and Enrollment Form Sibling Information Enrollment Form Authorization/Release Form Declaration of Consent Form “I Want to Be a Buddy” Form

Camp Lighthouse is fun Christian summer day camp open to the community for children between the ages of 5 – 12 years old; attendees must have completed kindergarten. The camp is based here at First Church Orlando.

Look for registration and field trip schedule publication in the first quarter of 2012.

Held the first Sunday in December, A Walk Through Bethlehem is a unique live performance that retells the classic Christmas story as it is told in the Gospel of Luke.

Schedule:

• Dress Rehearsal: Saturday, December 3
• Performance: Sunday, December 4.

Sign up to participate in our silver anniversary production! Download this form, print it and return it to our Children’s Ministries staff.

Download (WTB-Sign-up-2011.pdf, PDF)