PRETEENS
5TH - 6TH GRADE
Emily Townley
Childhood & Preteen Minister
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua 3:5
Waterloo Road Baptist Church believes the parents are the primary disciple makers of their children. Therefore, our goal is to partner with and equip parents in discipling their children.
Waterloo Road Baptist Church believes that a separate Preteen Ministry allows us the ability to focus on the specific needs of fifth and sixth graders. Preteens are at a key transitional point in their lives where they want to experience God, are interested in service and mission, and are looking for a way to express their spirituality.
Our goal is to help preteens seek God and serve Him as wholly devoted followers of Christ in an environment that will engage them where they are and prepare them for transition to the Student Ministry when they reach seventh grade.
Weekly Events
Connect Groups: Sundays @ 9:30a
Fifth and Sixth graders meet in the Preteen room (PC 103) where they utilize Forge curriculum by Lifeway to study age-appropriate Bible topics through games, music, Bible study, discussion groups, and much more. Preteens are released from their Connect Groups; they are not required to have a parent check them out.
Worship Service: Sundays @ 8a and 10:45a
Preteens are encouraged to sit with their families or friends and actively engage in the worship service. Preteens are encouraged to sit with their families or friends and actively engage in the worship service. This is an important time for preteens to become active members of worship instead of merely observers.
MIDWEEK Bible Studies: Wednesdays @ 6:30p during the School Year
Preteens meet in the Preteen room and are led in Bible study, discussion groups, games, and more. The programming of Wednesday evenings is intentionally designed to be more closely aligned to a youth Wednesday night service. There is a small snack shack set up for preteens to buy a variety of snacks. All proceeds go toward missions.
Special Events
GO! Weekend
GO! Weekend is held every February. 2024 Dates are February 23rd & 24th. This weekend is an incredible time of discipleship, fellowship, service, and just plain fun. This is an evening/daytime event, not overnight. Cost is $50 and includes a t-shirt and four meals. 2023 Online registration available here. 2023 Information packet available here.
CrossTimbers Summer Camp
Our Preteens (completed 5th & 6th grades) attend camp with our 3rd & 4th grade students. 2024 Camp Dates are June 21st-24th. CrossTimbers Camp is 4 days long and includes Bible study, ropes courses, target sports, water activities, swimming, worship, missions opportunities, and epic games. Click here for the registration packet. Check out the camp website https://www.oklahomabaptists.org/childhood/crosstimbers/ for more information. Contact Emily Townley for more information.
Vacation Bible School
VBS 2024 is June 2nd-6th from 6:30-8:45pm. VBS is for children who have completed Prekindergarten through 6th grade and is an incredible time of learning about God and our relationship with Him. The 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will be in their very own Preteen Week where they will transition from the Childhood Ministry to the Preteen Ministry and participate in lots of great activities. Click here to register.
Fall Frolic
Fall Frolic is a great event for families from birth through 101! In 2023, Fall Frolic is scheduled for October 29th from 5-7 p.m. Fall Frolic will be an outdoor walk-through Scavenger Hunt with multiple different stations to assist with social distancing while still providing a fun, family-friendly event. Families will receive candy or small prizes at each station as well as candy bags at the end. Non-scary, family-friendly costumes are encouraged. Masks are strongly recommended but not required.
BOOTCAMP
Every July, BOOTCAMP is a missions and fellowship day camp for kids who have completed 4th-8th grades. BOOTCAMP begins the transition for outgoing 4th graders to promote to the Preteen Ministry and for outgoing 6th graders to promote to the Student Ministry.
