Philosophy of Children’s Ministry
We seek to function as a part of the church’s larger mission: to glorify God as a disciple-making outpost of kingdom life. In the Children’s Ministry we seek to help families teach their children to know Christ and know how to articulate their faith.
What does that sound like in the Children’s Ministry?
Glorify God: Our goal is to glorify Christ in all of what we do. We are out to point people of all ages to our Lord and Savior. We want to show love and light as we invite children from the community into our doors. We want to teach children authentic worship and help them participate in corporate worship.
Disciple-making: We want to assist parents and families in insuring that children know Christ and know how to articulate their faith. In order to do this, we need to connect by bringing children and families onto our campus. We do this in our Day Camp, events, and by connecting with Venice Elementary School. As we build relationships with children, we can begin to help them grow by cultivating God-honoring, mentoring relationships. These children will go into the world and be an agent of change in the culture as they seek to emanate Christ instead of following their peers.
Outpost: We want families to feel welcome at Venice Presbyterian Church. As we develop relationships, VPC will feel less like an event destination and more like a second home. We want to be a part of family’s lives and connect with them on a deeper level. We want to refresh and equip children to deal with pressures at school and in other aspects of their lives.
Kingdom Life: We want experiences at VPC to connect children and families with the joy of knowing true kingdom-life. We want to be a place of healing and hope to children and parents who may have been wounded by life, or even religion.
We offer Buddy Break on Campus
Talk to Buddy Break Leaders and take a tour of our facilities. Call 941-488-2258 to schedule a time to see Buddy Break in action.
What is Buddy Break?
Buddy Break is a free kids/respite program where kids with special needs (VIP kids) make new friends, play fun games, enjoy crafts, therapy dogs, stories, music, activities and more! Siblings have fun too! Meanwhile, their caregivers get a break from their ongoing care-giving responsibilities for three hours one Friday night or one Saturday morning a month.
Who are VIP kids?
VIPs are kids with special needs, which include any physical, cognitive, medical or hidden disability, chronic or life-threatening illness, or those who are medically fragile.
Who are Buddies?
Buddies are friends of VIPs. Buddies are volunteers with little or no previous experience who have loving hearts, open arms and want to spend time sharing these gifts with VIP kids.
Is there a need for Buddy Break?
The weight and stress of finding proper doctors, teachers, and financial resources for a VIP child’s care can be overwhelming. Those responsibilities, along with the never-ending demands of daily care-giving and life in general, leave little opportunity for caregivers to take time for themselves, run errands, or spend time with a spouse or other children—things desperately needed to survive. Buddy Break provides a safe place for VIPs and their siblings to have fun and establish meaningful friendships with other kids and adults while their caregivers get a break.
Who is eligible to be a VIP?
This program is for VIP children birth ages: 2–16 years old, and their siblings: 4 years old–5th grade. Some Buddy Break locations expand their program based on their ability to serve a wider age range.
Where is Buddy Break?
Buddy Break takes place at Venice Presbyterian Church (VPC), 825 The Rialto, Venice, Florida 34285. The entire church campus is open to VIP kids and their buddies.
Buddy Break is a growing ministry to the VPC community done in partnership with Nathaniel’s Hope and local churches across the nation. Once a VIP attends orientation or a volunteer becomes an official Buddy, he or she may participate in any Buddy Break program anywhere by calling the location to make a reservation.
