Children of Hope

our vision

Children of Hope is focused on growing young hearts and developing minds in the grace and knowledge of God.

We are a ministry to parents as much as to children! It is our prayer that every child in the city of Annapolis and beyond would be filled with the hope of Jesus, having a chance to receive and respond to the gospel of grace. Our Sunday program is focused on growing young hearts and developing minds in the grace and knowledge of God. We desire to be a catalyst for continued home discipleship throughout the week by equipping and supporting parents for the spiritual leadership of their families. We pray that Children of Hope is a place for kids that stirs a passion for knowing God, encourages a hunger for His Word, and ignites a love for His local church.

OUR Check-in PROCESS

Check-in begins 15 minutes prior to the start of each service. 

Our children’s check-in area is in the back hallway by the doors to the sanctuary. We use a secure system to check in each child to ensure their safety. The parent/guardian checking in children will receive one name tag for each child and one parent claim sticker. The parent sticker has a code that matches all children in the family. This is a unique sticker code each week — be sure to stick it to your purse or your shirt! Classroom volunteers must match the parent claim sticker to each of their children at pick-up time

OUR CURRICULUM

We use The Gospel Project for Kids curriculum for all of our Children of Hope classrooms.

Our teaching is centered on scripture and follows a chronological overview of the whole Bible in a 3 year cycle. This approach distributes equal time in the Old and New Testaments to show how every part of scripture is useful (2 Timothy 3:16) and fits together to make one big story of God’s faithfulness and his plan of redemption through Jesus. This means that our 5th graders who graduate into our Middle School Student Ministry will have traced the story of God across scripture and the unfolding of the gospel, three times over!

We believe that Bible truths become tangible and really “stick” when kids are given the opportunity to explore with their senses and experience a Bible lesson among peers. At Children of Hope, we think very highly of the power of play and hands-on experience for the process of learning. Every week, our leaders facilitate activities that reinforce Biblical truths and help children make connections with theological concepts.

OUR CLASSROOMs

SEEDS ( Birth - 2 Year Olds )
Coming to our nursery room may be your baby’s first time away from Mom or Dad. We want to make this experience as calm and loving as possible to support your child’s development in this skill. Our nursery volunteers are caring individuals who are ready to hold, play with, and pray over your child as you sit in the Gathering. We will come get you right away if your baby becomes unhappy or we can let them try adjusting on their own for the amount of time you determine. We want church to become a positive place for you and your baby where you feel comfortable to get a break for an hour and your little one enjoys seeing their teachers every week.

If your baby’s diaper needs to be changed during the service, we can come get you from the Gathering and offer a place for you to change it yourself in one of our restrooms. Or if you prefer, our female volunteers are willing to do this for you at our in-room changing table.

NURSING MOTHERS: You are welcome to keep and feed your baby with you in the Gathering, but we do have a Mother's Room with two rocking chairs if you prefer a quiet, private space.
SPROUTS ( 3 - 4 Year Olds )
Our preschool children are full of life, and this is possibly one of the most energizing classrooms we have. Seriously, it’s a blast! We curate an environment that allows preschoolers to practice social, fine motor, and gross motor skills through freeplay time and fun Bible lesson activities. Children will watch a short Gospel Project for Kids lesson video made for their age, have the opportunity to worship God through song and dance, and engage in a fun activity about the lesson to “make it stick.”
SAPLINGS ( 5 - 7 Year Olds )
Our younger elementary kids watch a Gospel Project for Kids lesson video, the same as our TREES classroom. They also have the opportunity to worship God through song and dance and participate in an activity or object lesson to make the Bible passage come to life. Our leaders in this age group will pray with children each class and help kids practice praying for each other as they explore their growing relationship with God.
TREES ( 8 - 11 Year Olds)
Our older elementary kids watch the same Gospel Project for Kids lesson video as our SAPLINGS classroom. Leaders take time to help children connect with each other as a community through discussions about the lesson and in prayer. Our leaders are prepared to help children really engage with the Biblical text by helping them form questions and look for answers in what they read.
4th + 5th Graders
Do you have a 4th or 5th grader who you are looking to get connected into the church? Here at Downtown Hope we have a 4th and 5th grade ministry! Please join the ministry group here to see upcoming events and to get connected.

CONNECT WITH children of hope

We are happy to answer any questions you might have about life at Downtown Hope! For more information about Children of Hope classes or getting your child registered, please reach out to our Children of Hope Director, Eileen Dowd.