I wanted to involve our children in the 11 a.m. worship in more meaningful ways. I had the idea of weekly centres but wasn't sure how to put it all together. And then the Power & Light for Kids curriculum came in the mail. This resource was the thread that tied things together.

We now have a Praise Circle beginning, which is a focus on the weekly theme. This intergenerational activity (yes, adults are there, too!) involves songs as well as either a scripture or "Getting Connected" activity.

Then with the whole group of children, (adults and teens have gone on to their classes) we further explore the theme in a group lesson (about 5 minutes). The children then choose from three centres. Some of the centres continue with theme activities, others involve the children in everything from doing bulletin board displays, to training to be ushers, to learning how to run the technical equipment for the service. Whenever possible, theme activities are incorporated into the 11 a.m. worship (scripture reading, story telling, drama, creative writing, music, etc.).

The use of the children's resources is coordinated ahead of time with the worship commission. For example, the math problem in the Sept. 12, 1999 lesson was used as an illustration of the scripture on forgiveness. During Power Hour (10 a.m.) the children learned about the lesson, prepared it for presentation, and then shared it at the 11 a.m. worship!