Nurseries
Our nurseries are viewed as more than a tool to keep the Sanctuary quiet. Staffed by rotating volunteers, our sleeper, crawler and toddler nurseries provide care in a loving and Christ-like manner during all regularly scheduled services.
Early Childhood
The Early Childhood Division is made up of Little Learners (two and three-year-olds) and a class for four and five-year-olds. Both groups have a single session Sunday morning and the main methods of communicating God's Truths are Bible stories, activity sheets, songs, playtime and games using guided conversation. Teaching teams for the Little Learners are responsible for the entire two-and-a-half hours and rotate on a monthly basis. The four and five-year-olds begin Worship with their parents in the Sanctuary and go to their classroom after the song and Scripture Reading time where they are taught by Teaching Teams until parents pick them up at noon.
Sunday Morning for Elementary Aged Children
Kid's Worship - Three worship groups provide age appropriate teaching for our learners. First and second graders focus on questions like - What is God Like? Who Is Jesus? What Is The Church? What is Prayer? Third and fourth graders spend one year surveying the Old Testament and the second year surveying the New Testament. Fifth and sixth graders enjoy a class where the multi-resourced curriculum is aimed at tying Christianity in with real-life situations. All groups spend the first portion of worship in the Sanctuary and move to their classrooms just before Pastor begins his message.
A snack is provided, in the shadow of our 140-foot-long Bible time line, between Worship and Sunday School providing learners a chance to stretch, have a drink and visit with their friends.
Sunday School - Children learn more, retain more and use their knowledge more effectively when they are actively involved in a learning process. That's why for our classes for 1st through 6th graders, we have chosen Hands-On Bible Curriculum TM. Active learning allows kids to enjoy spirited educational experiences that touch all five senses. Each activity is followed by a debriefing discussion that focuses Bible teaching on the kid's own real-life challenges. Also part of our Sunday School hour is a once-a-month mission's curriculum we have prepared that is aimed at meeting three objectives:
- To show that the Bible is the basis which gives us the message of salvation and also gives us the responsibility to communicate that message to others.
- To understand that missions are every Christian's responsibility.
- To see missions as a career option for real people doing God's work.
The Awana Program
Developing Godly habits is the goal of the Awana club.Awana is a weekly Bible-based program that spiritually challenges young people in a fun and interesting way! There are three different Awana groups at Faith Bible Church. The first one is called Cubbies which is for 3 & 4 year olds. K-2nd grade is called Sparks. The last group is 3rd-6th and is called Truth & Training (T&T). Each night that the clubs meet, they will be learning Bible verses in Handbook Time, playing games at Game Time and have Council Time where they will learn an age appropriate lesson. Each of the 3 sections will last approximately 30 minutes. Awana is an exciting club for kids of all ages to participate in.
The acronym, Awana, comes from the first letters of Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed, found in the scripture reference 2 Timothy 2:15.
2 Timothy 2:15 "Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth".
THE AWANA PLEDGE
I pledge allegiance to the Awana flag,
which stands for the Awana Clubs,
whose goal is to reach boys and girls with the gospel of Christ,
and train them to serve Him.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
3 Years old - 6th Grade
Wednesday Nights 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Summer Ministry
It is our tradition to conduct an annual one-week Adventure for boys and girls who have completed grades K-6. This week is built around a carefully selected Vacation Bible School curriculum that strives to use learning activities to teach Biblical truths and to present the Gospel. We also acknowledge that this week is a wonderful place for men and women of the Faith family to discover, develop and exercise their gifts. It is also a training ground where our leaders can discover new teachers to add to the ranks of existing programs.
Playground
The playground was begun in June of 1993 and continues to grow. What better match for our Hands-On Bible Curriculum TM and our other active learning classes, activities, and events for children and youth. This play and education space is close enough to the building for easy access, but far enough so that happy sounds will not bother those in the auditorium. The playground consists of a large grassy, open area, a kickball field, playground equipment divided into areas for preschoolers and elementary children, a volleyball court, frisbee golf course, and an outdoor classroom/picnic pavilion.
Media Resource Center
Our team of volunteer teachers and leaders are supported by a well-stocked resource center. The cabinets and closets of the MRC are stuffed with art supplies, curriculum materials, games, puzzles, audio-visual equipment and other tools to make the teaching/learning process more appealing to the five senses.
Youth Ministries
Junior High
Recognizing that Junior High is a time of great change and growth, the objective of the program is to provide each student with "A Faith That Grows With Me" based on Mark 12:30. The program is composed of four parts:
Sunday School - Our curriculum draws on a wide variety of resources to provide essential training to the student for future challenges to their faith.
Junior Highers program for 7th and 8th graders is called "Junior Highers" and meets each Wednesday evening during the school year.
Special Events - Each month a special event is held. It is attended by both church and non-church kids. Many of the events are traditions, including a September Welcome Picnic and Hayride, a Lock-In, service projects, etc.
Washington D.C. Trip - Every two years a three-day trip to Washington, D.C. for the Junior High Sunday School class provides a "bonding" as they prepare to move into the High School program in September.
High School
Our main goal is to have each young person know the joy and strength of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Supplemental to our main goal is to have our youth relate to one another and their leaders. We also like them to learn that Christians can have fun, too! Our intent is to create an atmosphere where high schoolers within the church feel comfortable bringing friends into the program. We are also working to build more effective relationships between the teens and the church.
Sunday Morning - Freshmen through seniors make up our High School class. This is a diverse group of teens coming from many of the high schools in the area. For some it is a fellowship time. However, the desire of the leadership is to build relationships, teach the Word and keep these young people interested in our church and the things of the Lord Jesus. The class is taught by any one of the six leaders of this program.
Wednesday nights - Faith's youth group is active. Wednesday night meetings usually have between 15 and 20 teens. These evenings consist of devotions, food, fun and some activities (scavenger hunts, volleyball matches, bowling, hayrides and the like). For many of the Wednesday night participants, this is their only contact with the church while some of the kids are very committed to Christ. Ministering to them with their different needs can provide some special challenges.
Special Events - Special events are scheduled regularly and have included activities of interest to students such as service projects, winter retreats, beach trips, parties, caroling, overnights, bike rides, backpacking and other social and special times.
Other Ministries & Fellowship Opportunities
Sunday Morning Coffee Time
At the end of our morning worship service and prior to the start of our A.C.E. (Adult Continuing Education) classes, there is a 15-minute transition period during which coffee and snacks are available. This transition period provides an opportunity for fellowship on a weekly basis.
L.I.F.T. (Ladies In Fellowship Together)
L.I.F.T. was established in 1990 with a purpose of building a spirit of unity among the women of our church by encouraging them to get to know each other. This fellowship encourages ladies to reach out to others in love with the ultimate goal of becoming more Christ-like. This ministry strives for outreach & fellowship opportunities.
Men's Fellowship
The Men's Fellowship began in the Fall of 1992. The purpose of the Men's Fellowship is to bring men together who have a common bond in Christ, that friendships may develop and that each would be encouraged in his walk with Christ. Currently the men meet for breakfast on the Saturday closest to the 15th of the month at 8:00 AM at a local restaurant. After breakfast, a short Bible Study is given, that the men might be fed spiritually. Other events are planned throughout the year.
Jail Ministry
Faith Baptiist Church has a weekly jail ministry at the Broome County Correctional Facility on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. We began this ministry fourteen years ago with the calling from our fellowship, David Snitchler, who has enjoyed the opportunity to share the gospel with those who are incarcerated there in the Broome County Correctional Facility.
Music Ministry
Faith has an adult choir of 20-25 members which sings during most Sunday morning services, September - June. Additional vocal and instrumental specials are provided for the morning and evening services by soloists, duets and ensembles.
Social Events
On every 5th Sunday evening, the fellowship of Faith gets together for a special event centered around building our relationships with one another. Social events such as an ice cream smorgasbord, pot luck dinners after a morning service, or a Harvest or Christmas Dinner are held. These events are opportunities for the folks at Faith to meet and fellowship together.
Athletics
Faith has teams, that from time to time, participate in various church leagues, or play recreationally, throughout the year. Men's softball provides a time of fellowship with other members of the Faith family. Basketball is another team sport that provides an opportunity for fellowship among the men.
Benevolence
Faith's Benevolence Fund contains the monies given for and used to help people with physical needs. Most of the money is shared with people inside the fellowship, but monies are also used to help people of our community.
Missions
Included in the purpose of Faith Bible Church, as stated in our Constitution, is that of "the fostering and support of missionary agencies who are in agreement with our purposes." At present, we disburse regular monthly financial gifts to those listed below:
Each week, a "missionary of the week" is listed on our church announcement sheet, along with his agency and address. We encourage the church family to pray for them regularly. Prayer requests and informational updates are gleaned from the missionary letters and posted on a special bulletin board and included in our weekly Prayer Sheet.
Our current missions policy was adopted on Sept 15, 1998 and is called The Missions Policy of Faith Bible Church. | 
