"Kids Come First Community Church"
Our Church!
Our church is very unique. We were established within a family and have reached many others on our path. We have stumbled and we have met strife, but we have conquered and we have grown. Up until July of 2009, we have been a mobile church; ministering in remote communities. We have visited many local churches to identify "gaps" that are in need of filling within communities. We have taught English to Hispanics locally; we have devoted much time to Fish & Loaves Ministries which has strengthened our walk with Christ by leaps and bounds. Fish & Loaves has offered us space at their center on Cavern Rd in Trussville to plant firmly the seeds of encouragement we have collected along our path.
Our focus is on building the kingdom of God by means of strengthening family ties. We believe that God would like for us to come to Him as little children. Our entire Sunday service is geared towards reaching children.
The founders of this church, Joe and Billie Glazier, spent years traveling through communities assisting small churches with "Children's Church" start-ups. At one church in particular, there were 2 children present when they first arrived. These kids were sitting behind the pews playing a board game while the adults were listening to the preacher. Billie noticed that there were no Sunday school classes or toys or any of the things that would draw children to church. She prayed to God about this, spoke to her husband, and God directed them to devised a plan to raise money for this little church to develop a "Children's Church". The funds were raised in a matter of one month. The fellowship hall was transformed, and Billie began teaching the Word of God in an environment that called out to the neighborhood kids. Within 3 months, Billie and Joe said goodbye as they turned their attendance records over to a worker from the neighborhood who started attending Morningside Church of God with a passion to teach children. The attendance had risen to more than 30 kids upon their departure. Other churches followed as the couple visited small communities. Finally God placed the desire for them to start a unique opportunity for families. And here we are...
"Kids Come First Community Church"
Located on Cavern Road in the Clay/Trussville area.
If you join us on Sunday expect the following,
A kid friendly message--
If a child cannot understand the message we are sending... then we are not sending a message to all. God was very specific when He described what the "first" church should be like. He wanted Red and Gold. God said, "Let the children come unto Me..." "Come to Me as a little child"
If we as parents and leaders intend to meet these requests of God... we need to find an environment that is colorful, allowing children to be children... and bring them closer to God. Let's think... who does this well... Ronald McDonald has pulled it off! He has the colors going on and ... parents let their children go there... and most people learn about him as a little child... If Ronald can do it... GOD CAN!
If a church is not dedicated to children... they are not going to be there very long. More than 80% of Christians are reached as children. Does that mean we cannot reach adults... well NO! It does not mean adults are a lost cause... but to an adult that has never been exposed to a Godly upbringing the messages directed to children are much needed messages. And as for those adults who did go to church as children and are not close to God... well it may very well be because... they saw this man standing before them... screaming and yelling about how terrible they are and how badly they need forgiveness... so (being a child) they may have felt a little scared or in trouble. And each time they re-adjusted their sleepy little bottoms in the seat; Aunt Nelly pinched their ear and pulled them up to a near standing position... What kid in their right mind would want to go through that every Sunday? One guess is ... they would rather be at McDonalds... hiding their burgers so they can play in the tunnels. If we are going to build the kingdom of God, we must demonstrate that it is desirable and a place of refuge. Expect kid friendly messages!
We do believe that tithing is a requirement for Christians though we have managed to come through many months at other churches and during missions within our ministries without a single dime collected. With that said, know that we do NOT pass a plate around to collect funds, we do NOT ask for funds from our church. We teach a lesson on tithing once or twice throughout the year, however, are not in the habbit of reminding people to give to this church. We pay for all we can from our pockets and from funds raised by means of labor. If any family has it in their heart to donate any funds to this church... rest assured it will be put to good use and God will reward you.
Service starts at 1pm and can last as long as 2 or 3 hours depending on the activities.
Parents can leave their children for the afternoon, or (better yet) stay and worship with us. We are late starters though. This gives parents the opportunity to relax and rest on Sunday morning. We encourage private bible study during the earlier hours as well. We believe that children will learn a great deal more about God if they observe their parents reading the bible, having prayer time at home, and reaching for a closer relationship with Him. Sunday morning is a wonderful time for families to share in keeping the day holy together. We start up our praise and worship at 1pm as means of allowing peace to be a part of a Holy Day. Another reason we have late start-up is ... the unchurched child is not going to make a quick habbit of getting up and out for church at the crack of dawn! We are in a better time frame for reaching the unreachable by giving a little wiggle-room for those that are not early birds.
Mission Statement
We will work to build the Kingdom of God, seek to understand His word, apply His word to our lives, and trust that He will lead us to make the best decisions as His children, parents of His children, brothers to His children, and sisters to His children. We will always see this world as a work in progress until such time He returns. We will always seek ways to help parents succeed, marriages last, and communities unite. We will minister to ourselves and to others at the core; seeking strength in natural families, empowering and enabling their success. May God bless each family we encounter.
Statement of Faith
We at Kids Come First Community Church and Bethany Family Ministries are excited to share Jesus Christ with everyone. We believe that God is present in three forms, The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We know that He always was and always will be omnipresent in all three forms. We believe that the Old Testament of the Bible was written to prepare the world for the first coming of Christ. We testify that Christ was born to a virgin. He was fully God and fully Man. The Son was born unto the world to bring salvation to mankind. Any man or woman who believes by faith in the Son of God, accepts Him as their Lord, and understands that He was sacrificed for their salvation then defeated death by rising on the third day shall have everlasting life in heaven.
Ministries within this church:
Helping parents succeed thus helping youth achieve. We believe that academics are key in building the confidence needed to stand up for Christ. We are the gap fillers wherever there is an opportunity to lead a person to higher education.
Homeschool support network and church school.
Bethany Bridge To Leadership
Tutoring teens who struggle in public school placing them at risk for dropping-out.
assisting adults with preparation for GED testing.
To Parents:
Though we are excited to see adults accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, we are led to minister to parents and their children throughout the community. We strongly believe that children have a natural God given gift to understand the word of God and apply it to their lives. We urge parents to recognize that children are the strongest warriors for the Kingdom of God. The likelihood that a person accepts Christ as their savior is greater when that person is trained as a child to depend on God and trust in Him. We teach parents how to be witnesses of Christ to their children and teach children how to be warriors for the Kingdom.
Our ByLaws
To be a member of our church one must make a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
To teach or lead a youth or children's group, class, field-trip or any type of gathering involving children, one must have been a member for at least 6 months.
To serve on the Board of Directors one must be invited to join, and have a majority vote from all other board members and have a criminal history report ran voluntarily. No person with a criminal history of family violence or offenses to children will serve on our board. Criminal history will be viewed on a case by case basis, but history involving cruelty or illegal acts with children will not be considered.
To be removed from the Board of Directors, one must leave willingly, be voted off by at least 2/3 votes, or be proven guilty of crime in a court of law while serving on the board.
All board members, teachers, leaders, or any person connected with Kids Come First Community Church or the ministries herein shall always uphold the mission statement of the Church and that of each ministry developed by the church.
All workers, paid or volunteer, must have been a member for at least 6 months prior to employment.
It is the responsibility of all members to receive visitors with open arms and understanding. Every parent or child entering our doors will be greeted with kindness.
No one shall display any type of addictive substances on their clothing or any other offensive advertisements.
To gain the position of Preacher, one must be voted on by 2/3 votes of members and 2/3 votes of board members. All efforts of this church including those of the preacher shall be directed towards bringing children and youth closer to God and empowering parents to be leaders.
Current Board Members of this church are:
Joel Glazier
Larry Anthony
Melissa Wheeler
Pending Board Member-
Pamela Fowler
Current Ministers are:
Joel Glazier
Billie Glazier
Current Leaders in Bethany Learning Academy:
Billie Glazier- Administrator
Khristy Bush- Field Trip Coordinator
Community outreach focus is now dedicated to Fish & Loaves Minisitries.
Needs:
Playground equipment, picnic tables, cribs, cleaning supplies, sound equipment
Any person wishing to apply for the role of Music Director must attend our church regularly for 6 months. We can go ahead and process criminal history checks, and drug testing, however, no one may take a position until such time 6 months have been served as a member.
Church Service will be deferred until the last Sunday in August 2009 as we are working on the building. Any persons wishing to help in the facility efforts are welcome to join us for this mission. We will have prayer before starting on each Sunday.