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A new offering of a balanced blend of community outreach and children’s ministry that’s nourishing for both the body and soul will be introduced to the Hope community beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, at First Baptist Church of Hope, located at 455 Jackson St. in Hope.

“One of the things I’m most excited about is we aren’t just going to do the children’s ministry,” says event coordinator Heather Galloway, who serves as Sunday school and junior church teacher with First Baptist Church of Hope. “We are going to use this as a community outreach, as well.”

Geared toward kiddos in kindergarten through fifth grade, Forged in Hope is a weekly gathering on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“We will have it set up to where if older kids want to come, they can and help with the younger kids,” Galloway says. 

The kids will share a dinner time from 5:30 to 6 p.m. and then the evening’s program will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Each week will cover a different area of discussion designed for children who have never attended church or been exposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ, known as the gospel, Galloway says.

Intentionally structured to have a vacation Bible school vibe, each meeting will begin with dinner followed by a video presentation that gives way to games or activities themed to the evening’s discussion. There will also be some worship time blended with children’s worship songs, Galloway adds.

Those children who want to attend but may have transportation issues can still attend as transportation will be available upon request, Galloway says.

“We understand there is a real need in our community when it comes to food,” Galloway says. “I know the area churches serve a lot of people, and I thought this would be a way we could provide for the spiritual needs of these children, but the physical needs, as well.”

Galloway credits friend and colleague Jessica Seelye with being the spark of inspiration and one who presented Galloway with the opportunity to lead this outreach effort that has come together over the course of several months.

She adds that those kiddos who may miss a meeting won’t fall behind. Although each week builds upon the previous week’s discussion, each week there is a recap to refresh.  

The Forged in Hope children’s ministry will be offered for 10 weeks with each week focusing on a different part of the gospel, as follows:

Week 1 Who God is/Welcome Party
Week 2 How do we know God is real?
Week 3 Exploring Truth – The Bible
Week 4 God as Creator
Week 5 God is Love
Week 6 God is Good
Week 7 God is Savior (Jesus)
Week 8 God Speaks/Directs/Guides (Holy Spirit)
Week 9 God Knows All/God is Big and Powerful
Week 10 God is Community (Trinity)

“It’s just a foundational teaching that progresses through the weeks,” Galloway says. “We are starting with 10 weeks, see how things go and re-evaluate to see if any changes need to be made. By then, it will be close enough to the holidays that we will take a break and plan to start up again with the new year.”