Hello! It is with great excitement that we officially introduce ourselves as the new ministry interns for the Preschool and Children’s Ministries for the 2016-2017 year here at First Baptist Church of Sylva.
My name is Hannah Harris, and I am a recent alumnus of Western Carolina University. I have a degree in Communication Science & Disorders with a minor in Special Education. However, I have recently decided to pursue an Associate’s degree in Respiratory Therapy at Southwestern Community College beginning this fall. Born and raised as a city girl, I quickly fell in love with Western North Carolina and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and decided to become more involved in the local community. As a frequent visitor to the church, I was given an opportunity to work in the nursery where I enjoyed working with, and meeting new friends, within the church. I was pleased to extend my time and my efforts to the After School and Summer Camp ministries following that, where I eventually took on more responsibilities. I am currently serving alongside Kelly Brown as the Assistant Director. I am looking forward to devoting even more of myself to the church as the new Preschool Ministry intern.
My name is Megan Harris, and I am also a recent alumnus of Western Carolina University with a degree in Communication Science & Disorders. I first started my experience with First Baptist through the church nursery and immediately found that the church felt like a family and a second home. I was happy to work with Summer Explorers Camp and the After School Ministry last year, and I currently still work with both ministries. After living in Sylva, and having being a part of First Baptist, I have recently decided to pursue further education at a later time so that I can perform to the best of my ability as the Children’s Ministry Intern.
We know that you will want to join us in thanking our predecessor--Sarah Ogletree--for her time and her work with us this past year. We are sad to see her leave us, but we are excited for her next step in attending the Divinity School at Wake Forest University. Her last Sunday with us will be July 31st.
Beginning Sunday, August 6th, we are excited to start the new year with a Sunday School experience that emphasizes learning about the Bible. Our children will be using a new Sunday School curriculum called Heartshaper, which will provide us the opportunity to learn basic Bible knowledge, highlighting all of the major Bible stories beginning in Genesis and proceeding all the way to Revelation. By the end of your child's time in our children's ministry, we will have gone through the Bible five times!
So please join us on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:30 AM! Encourage your children to bring their Bible so that they can learn how to use it to find God's truth. Additionally, feel free to check out the link for the Heartshaper curriculum (http://heartshaper.com) as it provides a multitude of resources for parents and family to share devotions, memorize scripture and put faith into action.
Last, but not least, Graduation Sunday is around the corner – August 21st. The Sunday School classes will break down as follows: babies (ages birth through 12 months), toddlers (ages 1 to 2), preschool (ages 3-Kindergarten), and school-aged children (grades 1 to 5). All of our rising 1st graders who attend on Sunday, August 21st in worship will receive a Bible. This rite of passage signifies a shift in these rising 1st grader's lives at church. These 1st graders are old enough to be able to participate with our church family throughout worship. Our preschoolers will continue to attend the first half of worship before leaving for Wee Praise following the children’s message. Additionally, we will be developing new activity sheets and exercises for our children to participate in during worship.
Thank you for entrusting us with the Biblical education, activities, and overall care of your children! We look forward to further developing our relationship with your families. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email or text message.
Best Regards,
Hannah Harris & Megan Harris