Messiah United Methodist Church, Springfield

Messiah is.. ...a United Methodist Congregation and part of the Virginia Conference. We want all people to experience God’s grace and love and grow in relationship with Christ and one another! Our mission is to share the contagious joy of following Jesus Christ. Our vision is to be a community of contagious joy. Our motto is Serving God by Serving Others. Whether you are a first time visitor or a long time member, we believe there are ways that everyone can serve and be served at Messiah. We believe God calls each of us to use our gifts. The theologian Frederick Buechner said, ‘There are many voices calling you to many places in the world, the place where God calls you is where your deep passion and the world’s deep hunger meet.” We pray that in the bustle of all the business of the world, we all will hear God’s call and connect to our purpose. We care and serve one another in many ways, especially in our Outreach and Missions and our Congregational Care Ministries. We love children at Messiah! We have a vital Children’s Ministry offering Sunday School for ages 2 and up during both our 9:30 and 11 am hours of worship. We offer an excellent preschool for ages 17 months to 4 years at our Child Enrichment Program (CEP). We offer wonderful events such as Noah’s Ark Camp and Vacation Bible School every summer. We have Children’s choirs and a Children’s Musical each year. We offer professional childcare at any Messiah worship services, events, or meetings. At Messiah, our youth are not only the future, but the present! Our Student Ministry meets each Sunday evening from 5 - 7 pm for United Methodist Youth Fellowship UMYF and offers three active small groups during the week. Each Sunday, over 40 youth gather to worship, do mission, and have fun! We believe community is essential to life! John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, noted “the Bible knows nothing of solitary religion” and “there is no holiness but social holiness.” We gather as we nurture and care for one another, to fellowship in small groups and during our Wednesday night dinners, and plan for mission and discipleship, and most importantly to worship and praise God! Whether you are single, married, single again, with or without children, we want you to know that God loves you and so do we. We hope you will come and be part of this community of contagious joy! Our nursery is located on the lower level in the CEP wing. Members of our Welcoming Team will be at the front entrance to direct you and your family to the Nursery and Children's Sunday School classrooms. Nursery care is available all morning. We have vibrating pagers that we'll give you in case of an emergency. Children experience God’s love for them through a variety of ministry programs offered throughout the year. In a loving, fun environment, children have the opportunity to learn about God, the Bible, and what it means to be part of a Christian community. Read on to learn about special events for children. Sunday School Every Sunday at 9:30 am, from September through June, we have individual classes for children age 2 through sixth grade. Our curriculum is designed to introduce children to the Bible and a loving, caring God. Each hour is filled with hands-on activities and learning. We offer a class at 11 am for 5-year olds through 5th grade in Room 209 as well as a 2, 3, and 4 year old class in Room 165. Agape At 9:30 am, a Sunday School class for children with special needs is provided and “special buddies" are also available for children with special needs who can use assistance in the regular Sunday School classrooms. For Parents At 9:30 am, while your child is in Sunday School, come gather with other moms and dads for support and encouragement and discuss the joys and challenges of parenting. We have two groups that meet during the school year - Families of Faith meets in Room 268 and Parents of Tweens and Teens meets in Room 266. Child care is provided during each of these meetings. Worship We encourage families to worship together. During the 11 am worship service we offer Kingdom Kids, a time of specialized teaching from the Pastor. Children are invited to sit in the front of the Sanctuary for a fun sermon and prayer. We have children’s worship bulletins and special worship bags with things for children to do that will enhance their worship experience. Nursery Nursery care for children up to 2 years of age is available every Sunday from 8:15 am to 12:15 pm. The nursery is in Room 163 on the lower level. When you drop off your child, you will receive a vibrating pager in case we need to contact you while you are in the building. Nursery care is also available for special meetings and functions. Child Enrichment Program (CEP) CEP is our preschool programthat runs weekdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Please call the CEP Director at [redacted] to find out more about this wonderful program, or click on the blue link above. Music Music is an integral part of praising God. On Sundays during the school year, we provide children with an array of music activities. Groups start as early as 3 years of age and continue to youth. Click on the blue link above to see descriptions of all our music programs. Summer Noah’s Ark Camp Our annual “mini-Vacation Bible School” for 3 to 6 year olds is two days of water activities, games, music, crafts, and fun. In 2015 it is July 9 - 10 from 9 am to noon. Vacation Bible School This is a week in late July filled with exciting and fun Bible adventures for children age 4 through rising 6th grade. Rising 7th graders and above are needed as helpers. Children spend the week together learning God’s love, meeting new friends, learning new songs, making fun crafts and playing great games. In 2015, VBS is July 27 - 31 from 9 am - noon. Fall/Winter Trunk or Treat Trunk or Treat is the Saturday before Halloween. This year it is October 24 from 5:30 - 7 pm. The children come in costume and trick or treat among the decorated cars in the parking lot. Then we watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" together. Advent Workshops Our Advent Workshops are part of our Christmas at Home ministry. Different crafts are available (e.g., advent wreaths, pillows, gingerbread houses) and then we have a potluck crock pot supper. Christmas at Home this year is November 28 from 3 - 7 pm. Breakfast at the Manger Come have breakfast with the animals! You can dress up as a shepherd or an angel and act out the Christmas story with live animals. This year it will be December 12 from 10 - 11:30 am.