Kids Matter at Horizon
Kids are a significant part of our Horizon community – they are the ones who will grow into the next generation of leaders, evangelists and influencers! At Horizon we invest in the lives of our kids – making sure they know that church is a welcoming, fun and safe space where they learn all about their Creator!
Horizon Kids Program - Sundays
Our Horizon Kids program runs every week as part of our Sunday 10am services for ages 3 up to Year 6. Kids head out together after the worship for a time of fun and learning about Jesus in a safe environment. See below for more information on what kinds of things your kids will do.
Babies & Toddlers
Do your little ones make noise? You don’t need to worry – at Horizon we love kids and the noise and energy they bring! If at any point your kids (or you) need a break or you need a quiet place to feed (though feel free to feed in the service), there are chairs set up in the foyer with a play mat and a live video feed of the service.
All the details...
- Our Horizon Kids program starts after our time of worship each service. Kids stay in the main service for worship because we believe it’s important for kids to feel a part of the whole church as well as seeing their parents worshipping as a model to learn from.
- We start with a game (outside if the weather is nice) to help kids feel welcome, get involved and use some energy!
- Our program starts with a professionally produced video about a Bible story, what it means for them and how it relates to Jesus.
- After the video, we split into two groups – a younger group (age 3 up to Kindy) and an older group (Year 1 to Year 6) to discuss the story, learn the memory verse and do a fun activity.
- Kids who come regularly will put the activity into their journal, which they will bring home at the end of the year. If you are visiting for the first time, your kids will bring their activity sheet home with them.
- We finish with a worship song that the kids can sing and dance to and a closing prayer.
- Parents are asked to come and collect their kids from the kids rooms once the service is finished.
Yes, you are welcome to come in with your kids for any of the following reasons:
- They are new/unsure and need help settling in
- They have additional needs and you would like to support
- You want to see how they are going or what happens in Horizon Kids
If you come in, please follow the instructions of the leaders at all times.
All our leaders and helpers are passionate about making sure your kids are safe at Horizon Kids. In particular we have:
- Formal child and vulnerable people policy and procedures in place which are regularly reviewed
- All our leaders and helpers are required to have current Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) checks
- All our leaders have completed a formal child safety course relevant to church settings with regular refresher training
- We do referee checks on our kids volunteers to make sure they are suitable to be working with kids
- We have minimum numbers of leaders or helpers required at all times for safety and so that no one is alone with the kids
- Our safer churches representative is Pastor Greg (a retired school principal and one of our pastors). Any concerns or questions can be raised with him and will be kept in a strictest confidence
You do not need to register ahead of attending a service.
On your first visit we ask that you let one of the team know if there is anything that we need to know (such as allergies, behavioural needs, toileting issues etc.).
If you decide to make Horizon your church home, we do ask that you complete one of our registration forms. This means we have your details including your number if we need to contact you quickly in an emergency, as well as any allergies/support needs for your child that we need to be aware.
You can provide your details on Sunday, or fill out the Connect Card online.
If something goes wrong, someone will come and get you or give you a call/text on your phone!
For toileting, if your child can toilet independently they will be able to do so – our toilets are located next to our kids space so that we can make sure kids get to and from the bathrooms safely. If your child can’t toilet independently we will contact you to come and help them.
We learn a new memory verse every month (or so) at Horizon Kids – find out what it is in the weekly Church email and say it along with your kids during Church announcements.