We are so excited about this time to gather both with our individual teams, and to come together as a Family Ministry to dream and look forward to 2011 for Kids at Westside. You will not want to miss out on this special celebration! Lunch and childcare available by registration only. Sign up here.

Want to get involved? There are many opportunities to serve at both services. Contact us and let us know if you are interested in a particular service or age group or that you would just like to get plugged in!

If you have any questions, please contact us.

There will be a special S.W.A.T. Team orientation celebration on August 10th from 1:00p-3:00p at the Lenexa Campus in the Student Center. Please RSVP to Erin English.

Questions?? Contact Us!

If you’d like to know more about a particular position, ASK! Family Ministry Volunteers all wear a name tag specific to their ministry area. (Reef, Rock, Extreme). Ask them where they serve, what their responsiblities are, and WHY they volunteer.

For more information or to get involved contact us and let us know the age group or area you’d like more information about!

When I started on staff 2 1/2 years ago, several KIDS ministry leaders had just come back from their first Orange Conference. They were off the charts excited. Their excitement, although I couldn’t define it, was contangious and I quickly bought an ORANGE shirt to wear with them on Sunday. ORANGE seemed like a big deal, but I had no idea what it was. I wore the shirt a couple times before I finally asked, “What in the world is ORANGE?” Here’s the way it was quickly explained to me…

“Red represents the heart of the home, the love of a Family. Yellow represents the Church, which the Bible says is the light of the world. If you combine Red and Yellow, you get ORANGE! The idea is that the combined influence of the church AND the family will have a much bigger impact in the heart of a child than either of those influence could have on their own.”

So that’s ORANGE in a nutshell. (Click anywhere ORANGE is ORANGE for a more detailed, and inspiring definition!) It’s all that, BUT SO MUCH MORE! Seriously… check out the orange link…

Did you know… on average a child will spend about 40 hours a year at church for Sunday School teachers to pour into them lessons of God’s love and His plan for them.  That child’s family, on the other hand, has on average 3000+ hours a year together. Think of the impact that can be made when the two influences work together in the life and heart of a child when the church partners with, encourages, and equips parents for life Monday through Saturday, AND parents partner with the church by pouring back into the ministry!

Barna Group statistics show that people’s lives are shaped primarily when they are very young. Statistically, the chance a person has to become a Christ Follower between ages 5 and 12 is 32%. Between the ages of 13-18 it drops significatnly to 4%, and only raises slightly to 6% in adulthood. YIKES! I don’t know about you, but I’m not super excited about the 32%. LORD, help us do better!

I think we as the Church combined with me as a parent can not only beat these odds, WE CAN CHANGE THE STATISTICS for generations to come! God has good things planned for His Church, His children and he wants to use ME and YOU in our church and in our homes to “train up a child in the way he should go, so when he is grown he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

To read more about ORANGE, simply click on ORANGE! Be sure to check out a special “Orangy” blog written just for parents at www.orangeparents.org and check back often!

Oh! And an “orangy” event coming up THIS Saturday… Christmas in July! I’ll see you there!

FIRST - Once your child promotes into the Student Ministry you will graduate from the KIDS blog to the Students Ministries Blog. You can find it easily by just typing in students.westsidefamilychurch.com into the address bar of your browser. Go ahead and jump on over there and check it out!

Okay - let’s get down to business…

5th Grade Parent Meeting:

This an important meeting for all parents of current 5th / incoming 6th graders. We will use this time to introduce the Middle School Ministry team and give you an idea of what it will look like for your student to be involved with the exciting things happening in Student Ministries at Westside! Got questions? Bring ‘em! 

X-5:

This one’s for them! This time your student will join us in the Student Center and will be their opportunity to get to know us and some of the awesome Student Ministry volunteers. We will get to share with them what CRAVE is all about, and answer any qustions they might have. Along with middle school staff and volunteers we will invite some of our current CRAVE students to participate in this day as well. Mark those calendars now! Your middles schooler will not want to miss this special day!

Worlds of Fun:

Last, but certainly not least… WORLDS OF FUN! This will be a fun-filled day for the incoming 6th graders to get to know the Middle School staff and volunteers whil having a great time at Worlds of Fun. Bus transportation will be provided to and from the theme park for both participating students, staff, and volunteers. Encourage your child to invite a friend and sign up today! Registration deadline is August 8th. To register email or call Lisa Stack at LStack@westsidefamilychurch.com, 913.890.4239.

As a parent of 5th grader / incoming 6th grader, I can’t tell you how excited I am about the Student Ministry at Westside, and all they have to offer for my child AND yours as they start this new season of their lives. We will miss them in the KIDS ministry, but I am so stoked for what their future holds as they pursue, and are pursued by the One who loves them most. JESUS!