We take our youth at GR as one of our greatest privileges and responsibilities. Our goal is to help kids establish their relationship with God, prepare in them the foundations of our Christian faith, and help them get ready to become fuller participants in the worshipping community.

Averaging 62 kids a week on Sunday mornings, Roots and Shoots is one of our most vibrant places of ministry. After worshipping with their parents for three songs and participating in the offering, kids head back to their children’s worship time. Parents bring babies and preschoolers back to the nursery and preschool room, while K-6 meet their teachers in our lounge and process orderly to their rooms (JK-SK), (1-2), (3-4), and (5-6).

More than a Sunday School, Roots and Shoots is designed as a space where kids encounter Jesus and learn about God’s great story, without pressure. After hearing a story from scripture told with figures on an underlay, leaders guide kids through a group sharing time with guided questions. Then kids have a creative response time where they choose their own quiet and reflective activity to respond to God’s truth for that day. And they finish with a snack (feast).

Volunteer Term leaders teach the kids for three months at a time and then are replaced by a new teacher for the next three months. There are four teachers per class per year. This is to give kids both familiarity with their teachers as well as a diverse set of role models. The volunteer term leaders have 1-2 volunteer assistants per week; the assistants rotate each week from our pool of parents and other P2P-trained volunteers.

Given the amount of kids we shepherd, we take our training of volunteers and background checks very seriously. If you’d like more information on our Plan to Protect Protocol, you can email our Roots and Shoots Director at amy.b@grassroots.church.