At First Methodist, we LOVE kids! Our staff and volunteers believe that kids are uniquely called and equipped to grow in their faith and serve the Lord. We'd love to have your family be part of our church and part of our high energy, Jesus-focused children's ministry.

We offer ministry to children as young as six weeks old in our nursery, all the way up to fifth grade in our preteen class. We believe that it is never too early to start forming a child's faith, and we do so by following the three principles below.

We’d love to meet you and your children. Feel free to contact director Sarah Johnson at [email protected] or by calling the church at 918.592.3862 before your visit to ask any specific questions. Otherwise, we’re happy to see you when you arrive! You’ll be asked to fill out a short form that gives us the vital information about your child, as well as any medical or behavioral concerns. Once we’ve got that, we’ll print a nametag and pick-up sticker for your child, and then we’ll help you get each of your children to the correct place and show you were to pick them up.  

We’ll be able to help you get where you’re headed no matter what, but we do recommend that families arrive 10 minutes before the service you’re attending so we have plenty of time to get you checked in. Most of our families park in the parking lot south of 12th Street between Boulder and Main, right outside our kids ministry entrance.   

A Note on Safety: Safety is always our first priority. All children will receive a nametag upon check-in with a unique 3-digit pick-up code. The parent receives a matching tag with that same code, and only recognized adults carrying their child’s matching pick-up tag will be allowed to remove a child from the First Kids ministry area. In addition, all of our staff and volunteers have cleared background checks, and our ministry area has a designated security guard. We’ve never had a safety issue, and we don’t plan to!

Our youngest children, from ages 8 weeks to Pre-K, receive their first look at Jesus and the biblical story through stories, crafts, and plenty of play. From the babies in our nursery classroom to our toddler class and all the way up to our big preschoolers, everyone will enjoy their Sunday in a safe and loving environment! The early childhood ministry of First Kids is staffed by a combination of volunteer leaders, parents, and part-time staff members, and is currently overseen by First Kids Director, Sarah Johnson 

Our Elementary kids experience both large worship and their very own small group on Sunday mornings. They gather with all elementary kids for large group in the First Kids Auditorium where they'll hear a kid-focused sermon from one of the First Kids staff with the monthly life app, memory verse, and that day's teaching. It's high energy, kid friendly, and kid focused. After that they'll break into small groups with their age and gender to dive deeper into the lesson and to grow closer with their friends and volunteer leaders. The elementary ministry is overseen by the Assistant Director of First Kids, Kyler Duvall.   

Children ages 6 weeks-PreK will participate in safe, fun, and age-appropriate care on Wednesday evenings from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Please note that childcare is only available by registration; we are unable to accommodate walk-ins at this time. Please pre-register your child using your class registration form.

Children ages K-5th grade are invited to become Blasters and join us at Bible Blast! Bible Blast is a longstanding tradition here at First Methodist, where kids are invited to engage with the entire Bible in a year, learn scripture, worship, and earn awesome prizes. Bible Blast is a family-discipleship program, but our Blast families and leadership are excited to welcome elementary kids whose parents are attending a class on Wednesday evenings.

Please note that while all elementary Blasters are welcome to engage with the weekly curriculum and participate in quizzing while at Blast, our First Kids staff will provide an alternate option for kids who prefer not to quiz or to do the weekly homework. All are welcome at Blast! Please pre-register your child using your class registration form.

Bible Blast is a fun and exciting Bible memory program that teaches God’s Word to children ages four through fifth grade. There are two components to Bible Blast: Bible Reading and Bible memory work. This is a family program and parents participate with their kids.

First Kids is a team effort comprised of full and part-time staff, student leaders, parent and adult volunteers, and college interns. Our kids benefit greatly from a team of diverse ages and personalities and we would love for you to join the fun!   

For inquiries regarding available staff positions in our ministry, please visit the employment page of our website, or email [email protected].

If you're interested in volunteering with First Kids, click on the appropriate form link below to get started!