Our mid-week program which runs during the school year provides a variety of opportunities for children to experience Christian fellowship and develop a closer relationship to Christ. This is our children’s ministry equivalent of “youth group”. Our Kindergarten-5th graders will meet in the Fellowship Hall and the nursery will be open for birth-prekindergarten. Dinner will begin at 6pm. Parents of preschoolers are encouraged to check their children in at the nursery before coming downstairs to prepare their dinner plates. 

We will have child-friendly worship from 6:30-7pm. We will then close with small groups from 7-7:30pm where we enjoy discussion, games, and crafts. Pick up for elementary children is in the classrooms on the Education Wing. Contact Natalie Adkinson with questions.  

Cost: $3/child. Registration is required. 

Wesley Ringers Children’s hand chimes meets from 5:30-6pm on Wednesday evenings. Rehearsals will be in the bell choir room next to the fellowship hall. We encourage all children in grades 3-5 to participate in this musical experience. Contact Andre Duvall with questions about bell choir. 

Registration is required. 

Our choir rehearsals will begin September 8th.  Choirs meet in the Children’s Education Wing on the second floor.  

Cherub - directed by Mary Groh - 3 years old (must be 3 years old by August 15th) through transition and junior kindergarten.  Meets from 5:00-5:45pm.

Alleluia - directed by Peggy Warner - Kindergarten through 2nd graders - Meets from 5:00-6:00 - Sing twice a semester in Worship, sing in the Christmas program, and perform in a musical at the end of the year.

Hosanna - directed by Libby Schielke - 3rd through 5th graders - Meets from 5:00-6:00 - Sings frequently in Worship and in the Christmas program. Performs in a musical at the end of the year. Learning to participate fully in worship will be a goal of this choir. 

During  worship services in late September,  we will present our 3rd graders with their very own Bible. The Friday night before the presentation, we host a 3rd Grade Bible Retreat from 6:00-9:00 PM where our 3rd graders will enjoy dinner, a special worship service, and Bible-centric games and fun. Third graders will also participate in Learning to Use My Bible class during small group time at WOW for the 6 weeks following Bible presentation. 

Please contact Natalie Adkinson if you have a 3rd grader who will be receiving a Bible this fall.

This church-wide celebration takes place on Saturday, October 26th from 4:00-6:00pm at Owings Life Enrichment Center (OLEC). Kids may wear non-scary costumes and enjoy fun activities such as inflatables, face painting, pumpkin painting, putt-putt, and other games led by our adult Sunday school classes. We invite all church members and guests to come enjoy some fall fun and fellowship. No registration is required for this FREE event.

In preparation for the Advent season, families are invited to attend this special mid-November event on Wednesday, November 20th. This event is geared towards families with children of all ages. Families can create their own Advent wreath, decorate ornaments, and have fun with other Advent crafts. There are light refreshments. This event is free to all and no registration is required.

Families with young children (and older people who are children at heart) are invited to attend this special GUMC tradition.  Children will walk the path of Jesus’ birth. They will begin with the angels, move to Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth, visit the shepherds, and finish with the wise men. After learning the reason we share gifts at Christmas, children will have a chance to share their wish list with the Jolly Ol’ Guy himself. This event is free to all. Registration is required. Please see details on the Event Registrations page of our church website. 

At our Children's Christmas market, preschool and elementary-aged children will have an opportunity to shop for gifts for family and friends. Each gift is $5, of beautiful quality, wrapped, and tagged. Children will also learn about free-trade and mission-oriented gifts and will learn about being a purposeful giver. Preschool children may shop between worship hours or after church ends.  No registration necessary; bring $5 for each gift you intend to purchase. 

4th & 5th graders travel to a local retreat facility (St. Columba Retreat Center) for a one-night retreat with a focus on worship, fellowship, and team building. This weekend is a lot of fun, action packed, and full of growth as we learn to worship in a more meaningful way. This year's retreat will be January 25-26, 2025. Registration REQUIRED. 

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt is held the Saturday, April 19, 2025 at our beautiful McVay Gardens. This fun and festive event provides photo opportunities galore! In addition to the traditional Egg Hunt, children can enjoy fun crafts, a petting zoo, train rides, and much more! The Easter Bunny makes an appearance as well! 

Each family will have 1 hour to hunt eggs and participate in the other provided activities. There are two hunt times: 9:30am OR 10:30am. This event ends promptly at 11:30am, as our staff will need to prepare the gardens for Easter Sunrise Service the following day. 

Registration is required for this FREE family event.

Daytime VBS: June 2-6, 2025

Children who are four years old by August 15, 2024 through children entering 6th grade are eligible to participate in VBS. If your child is younger than that age, we have a special Volunteer VBS just for them which is available (free of charge) to the children of volunteers.

ADULT AND YOUTH VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! VBS is a great production which requires many hands. We need help with decorations, curriculum preparation, and administrative tasks. Of course, we need many Adult and Youth volunteers during the week to lead stations and small groups. You do not have to have school age children participating in VBS to volunteer. We have a place for you if you are interested in volunteering. Please contact Natalie Adkinson to find where you are best suited to serve.

Is your child a budding actor/actress? Does he/she love performing in front of others? We will host Music & Arts Camp for children who have completed 1st-5th grades. Limited to the first 25 children registered. Cost includes: snack, t-shirt, costumes, props, music, scripts, and fun! Registration is required. Cost: $125/child

This week of discovery leads children who are entering grades 5 and 6 through a variety of mission opportunities. Children will work in inner-church missions, urban missions, and rural missions. This is a transforming week for children as they taste the types of mission opportunities available and begin deciding where they feel most lead to serve. Registration is required!  Price includes: t-shirt, snack, transportation, lunch, materials, and fun. Contact Natalie Adkinson with any questions.

Cost is: $125/child

“Away Camp” is a life-changing experience for children. We are taking a crew from GUMC to Lakeshore for a week of fun and fellowship. If you are interested in attending this week, please register through Lakeshore’s Website (https://lakeshorecamp.org) and then drop an email to Natalie Adkinson so we can coordinate this trip together. 

Lakeshore has an abundance of opportunities for all campers; there are a variety of camps offered all summer long! There are camps for people with special needs, as well as camps for people who have suffered traumatic experiences. There is a camp for people who love to fish, a camp for people who love aquatics, a camp for the arts, and a camp for those who love living in the wilderness. There is even a camp for people who love board games! There is a camp for everyone, so go to their website and take a peek.

If you ARE interested in participating, we encourage you to register as soon as possible. This week of camp fills up quickly.