ADVENTURE WEEK

June 9-13

6:00-8:15pm

Age 3-6th Grade

JOIN US AS A VOLUNTEER!

The mission of Adventure Week is to clearly share the gospel with the families of Grace and our community. Come serve with us to make the gospel come alive to hundreds of kids this summer! We need you!

All types of volunteers are needed! If you’re willing, we have a job for you!

Even if you’re unavailable during Adventure Week itself, we could use your help to get ready. You’ll find a list of jobs on the registration form, or you can read the detailed job descriptions here. Let us know how you’d like to serve. We appreciate you already! All of the fun is built around the truths of the Bible and our great God.

QUICK LINKS

All Volunteers must complete the registration form, a screening form, and our volunteer training. Register as an ADVENTURE WEEK VOLUNTEER or as a MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLUNTEER: Choose the appropriate button ABOVE.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Adventure Week is a fun, fast-paced, God-centered, crazy-fun week! Lots of volunteers work hard to get ready! We build and paint sets, write music, prep crafts, study for Bible lessons, rehearse skits, pray together, plan how to really serve families, and train an army of volunteers.

Each area of Adventure Week is overseen by a leader. We have leaders for Administration, Volunteers, Elementary Programming, Preschool & Nursery Programming, Skits and Décor, and Food/Parent Café. Your leader will help you know what to expect for your specific job assignment.

During the week of Adventure Week, each night, we’ll dive into our jobs–some as team leaders, some in craft/game/snack stations, some cuddle babies in the nursery, some patrol the parking lots, some mingle in the parent café to greet and pray with parents. We leave each night with full hearts, marveling at the truth of the Gospel and God’s work among the kids and families who attended.

Dinner will be served all five nights from 5-5:50pm on the patio. You can purchase your meal tickets ahead of time (by clicking the button above) or each night of Adventure Week.

MEALS

Meals are available every night of Adventure Week.

Monday: hot dogs, chips, and watermelon
Tuesday: tacos and salad
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner (pancakes and sausage)
Thursday: pizza and salad
Friday: hamburgers, chips, and fruit

TRAINING & COMMISSIONING

VOLUNTEER COMMISSIONING & TRAINING

Plan to attend our Volunteer Commissioning and Training on Thursday, May 22 from 7-9pm in the Sanctuary. We’ll prepare ourselves for the week, commit together to serve faithfully, and pray for God’s work among us and the kids who attend.

VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK

It is very important that you read our Volunteer Handbook thoroughly. What do you do if a child is injured?  What time to you need to show up? Where do you pick up your nametag? Great questions! Those answers and many more are found in our Volunteer Handbook. Handbooks will be given out at the Volunteer Commissioning on May 22 or can be downloaded here after that date.

IMPORTANT DATES

MAY 17 & 31

WORK DAYS
Come help us prep for Adventure Week. Paint, build, cut, create, etc. We need you! May 17 and May 31, and time TBD

JUNE 8

VOLUNTEER T-SHIRT PICK-UP
You can pick up your shirt between services or between 1:00-1:30pm on Sunday, June 8, on the church patio. Please contact [email protected] if you are unable to pick up your shirt on June 8.

JUNE 8

SET-UP DAY
We need a small army of people to set up for our week! Please join us after 2nd service on Sunday, June 8. We will start setting up at 1:00pm. We will have various set-up crews that you can join. We are usually setting up until 6:00pm so if you cannot come until later in the afternoon, we would still appreciate your help!

JUNE 9-13

ADVENTURE WEEK!
Check-in in the Volunteer Room each evening. Team Leaders meet teams at 5:40pm. Program is from 6-8pm (preschool), 8:15 (K-6th). Dinner will be available every night from 5:00-5:50 pm. Purchase meals ahead of time at the link above for a discount or at the door.

JUNE 9

TEAM LEADER MEETING
We will have a brief meeting with all Team Leaders on Monday night at 5:00pm in the West Sanctuary (K-6th) and the Owls Room (Preschool).

JUNE 11

TEAM LEADER MEETING
We will have a brief meeting with all Team Leaders on Wednesday night from 8:30-8:40 in the West Sanctuary (K-6th) and the Owls Room (Preschool).

JUNE 13

CLEAN-UP
On Friday night after the closing program, we will need everyone to help clean up and put our church campus back together. Please plan on staying a little longer on Friday night. After all the families have been checked-out and you have said goodbye to all your kids, please clean up your ministry area. A Clean-up Crew Leader will have an instruction sheet for your area to ensure that all materials are returned to the right place. Clean-up instructions will also be posted in the Volunteer Room on Friday. Please bring all Adventure Week supplies and decorations from your area to the Youth Room.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

You will help all the children get checked in each night by giving them their nametag, checking them in on their team clipboard and making sure their parent has a claim wristband with their family number.  Please be at church at 4:00 PM on Monday for training.  On the other nights please arrive no later than 4:50 PM as Registration opens at 5:00 PM.  We will also need your help on Sunday the 19th between services, as well as on Monday the 20th from 10:00-11:00 AM to distribute Registration Packets at the Drive-Thru Registration.

You will be preparing and delivering drinks and snacks to the children in the Preschool snack/music room.  You will be serving water to the teams at the 1st-6th grade game station. You will also be setting up the “snacks to go” for the 1st-6th grade children to pick up with their parents on their way to their car at 8:15pm.

Join the Prayer Team to pray strategically during Adventure Week from 7-7:45pm each evening. You will receive specific prayer requests from volunteers, the Elementary Gospel Station, and the Parent Café throughout the week.

You will be helping set up and serve coffee and dessert to the parents at the Parent Café. We try to make a comfortable and peaceful place for parents to visit and get to know one another.  In addition to serving, hostesses should make sure that any new families have someone to talk to and welcome them.  This is a key place of ministry to new/visiting families and we pray that intentional, gospel-centered conversation happens at the Parent Café each night.

You will be standing at each of our driveways from 5:00-6:00pm each night.  As our parking lot fills, please direct people to park at Far East Broadcasting and NOT at the restaurant parking lots. From 6:00-8:30pm, your job is to walk around our campus and keep watch for wandering children, or any facility, safety, or medical needs.  In addition to wearing your Adventure Week shirt, you will also be given an orange vest and radio to make you official.  Please return your radio and vest to the Info/First Aid Tent every night.

We want ALL children to have a great experience at Adventure Week. You will be assigned one or two kids who have a physical or behavioral challenge and who require a little extra attention. Please try to meet the child’s parent on Monday night and ask how you can be most helpful to their child. To the child, you will look like another one of their group leaders, so feel free to get to know the other kids in the group and join in the fun. If your buddy needs a little break from the crowd, you can take them outside until they are ready to rejoin the group.

You will lead a group of 15-20 kids for the week and serve in a camp counselor-type role. You will be the most consistent person in their lives this week so please make the most of every opportunity and seek to show them Jesus in all your words and actions. your group finishes their dinner, they will come line up by your flag. Please have one leader from your team be at your flag by 5:40pm.

You are welcome to come up with team cheers or decorate your AW shirt to show your team spirit. The more team spirit you have, the faster your group will bond. Be on the lookout for new kids who may need help getting to know the other kids in your group. If you have a child on your team who you think may need some extra help, we have One2One Buddies available. While at the various stations, your main job will be to help with “crowd control” by making sure that everyone is listening, not distracting others, not being disruptive, and is playing kindly. You will need to safely guide your group to each station in your rotation at the appropriate time and get them seated at the next station.

Your team will first be teaching the kids their memory verse in a fun a creative way each night. The memory verses can also be found on page 10.  Your team will want to have the verses written out in large letters on poster board for your room. You will also be helping the children do a very simple craft each night that displays the memory verse. Please work with your station leader to make a system for cleaning up and being ready for the next group of kids. You will have a color-coded laundry basket for each team to store their completed crafts. Please bring the laundry baskets to the West Sanctuary before check-out and place them by their team flags. If crafts are wet, they can be brought home the following night. Please label all crafts with the child’s name and team color.

You will have 20 minutes with each group to teach them a portion of the Gospel and then meet in small groups. Your site leader will contact you with how the lessons will be divided up for the week. Our gospel lessons come from a Gospel tract for children by Matthias Ministries called “Who Will Be King?” The theme of each night’s lesson can be found on the Elementary Overview on page 10 of this Volunteer Guide. The last 7-8 minutes of your time will be spent meeting in small groups. Gospel Station Leaders will have the same group of kids from each rotation every night.  We want you to have the opportunity to have consistent interaction with groups of kids. During this time, you will be asking them application questions that go along with the gospel message shared that night. You will be praying with the small group for the missions focus for the night. There will be a clipboard in your room for you to write down any significant interaction with certain kids. Please try to use this clipboard so that the Prayer Team can pray specifically for them.  Remember, it is not your goal to pray a prayer of salvation with the children.  We believe this is the role of the parent or other significant adult in that child’s life.  However, it is your goal to see that all the children leave at the end of the week with a greater understanding of what Jesus did for them on the cross and a hunger and thirst to know him more. If you have a child who seems really ready to ask Jesus to be their Savior, we encourage you to talk with their team leader and one of you can talk with the child’s parent. If you are unsure if the child’s parent is a believer, please find one of us on the AW Leadership Team or Children’s Ministry staff and we will gladly help you best minister to the child and their parent.

You will be leading the groups in a game each night on the grass by the lower parking lot.  Please help the children and group leaders have a fun and high-energy time without getting too competitive.  We want the goal of this time to be for the kids to have fun, get some energy out, and get to know each other, not to prove who has the “best” team.  If you can make the night’s memory verse be part of the game, that would be great! The game time will last about 12 minutes and then the kids will be served water. The water break time is a great time to get to know the kids and ask them to say their memory verse. Please be on the lookout for kids who seem to be having a hard time getting involved with their team or making friends. Sometimes these kids need a little help joining in.

You will be doing a monologue or skit to teach the night’s Bible story to the kids. You will be given a script and costume. The memory verse may be mentioned at your station to connect it to the story, but it will be taught to the kids at a different station. Also, the Gospel station is set up to share a portion of the Gospel with the kids each night.  Please remember that it is not your goal to pray a prayer of salvation with the children.  We believe this is the role of the parent or other significant adult in that child’s life.  It is your goal to see that all the children leave at the end of the week with a greater understanding of who God is, what Jesus did for them on the cross, and a hunger and thirst to know him more.

You will be teaching the night’s Bible lesson in an age-appropriate manner.

You will be helping the children do a craft each night and helping them practice their memory verse. Please have your craft ready to go before each group comes in your classroom.  You will also be leading the kids in some activities to practice the memory verse. Please bring each team’s craft baskets to their final station before check-out.

You will be helping the children explore our daily Bible themes and our outer space theme through indoor creative play.  Please engage yourself with the kids in their play and don’t just sit back and watch. The kids will also be given a brief lesson each night to help them understand the Gospel at their level.

You will be helping the children explore our daily Bible themes and our outer space theme through outdoor creative play.  Please engage yourself with the kids in their play and don’t just sit back and watch.

You will be helping serve the snacks. Please be aware of kids with allergies by checking their nametags. You will also be helping the kids practice the songs they learn in the Opening Meeting.

ADVENTURE WEEK FAQ

Please save on-campus parking for visitors and those with small children. You are invited to park in the Absolute Dollar Store lot on the corner of Imperial and Santa Gertrudes. Do not park in the restaurant lots. Thanks for helping to serve our Adventure Week guests in this way.

Please arrive no later than 5:30pm each night. Team Captains are to meet their teams at 5:40. Opening programs begin at 6:00.  Stations begin at 6:50 (K-6th) and 6:40 (Preschool).  Pick-up is at 8:15 (K-6th), 8:00 (Preschool), 7:45 (Infants/Toddlers).

Head to the Volunteer Room in C4, just outside the lower playground gate. Pick up your nametag and read the announcement board. Then head off to dinner or your job!

Great question! Come to the Volunteer Commissioning on May 22 from 7-9pm in the main sanctuary. Next, READ YOUR VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK thoroughly. This is the main way we communicate everything that you need to know. Please take the time to read it carefully. You will get a handbook at the Volunteer Commissioning, the AW table on Sunday mornings, or you can download it from the “Training and Commissioning” section of this website.

Another excellent question!  I’m so glad you asked! Check-in the Volunteer Room each evening.  That’s how we know you’re on campus and ready to go. Wear your name tag and AW shirt every night.  That’s how we know who is trained and trusted to care for our children. No cell phones please, and absolutely no picture taking of the kids unless they are your own. Only women can take children to the restroom – 2 girls or 2 boys at a time. Check that the bathroom is empty, then prop the door open and wait outside.  Kids are not allowed to sit on your lap. No tickling, wrestling, or throwing/swinging children. Come with a heart ready to serve!

If you get sick or need to have a sub, contact our volunteer coordinators at [email protected] to let them know.  If you will be late, please contact your team members to have them cover for you until you arrive.

Yes! We have trained and loving volunteers to care for your littlest ones as you serve (ages 0–3). Childcare opens at 5:50 each evening. Please pick up your infant/toddler as soon as possible at the end of the evening or pass your claim tag to a trusted friend. Childcare officially closes at 7:45, but we know our volunteers will get there as soon as they possibly can!

One of our ministry values in Grace’s Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry is that parents are the main spiritual leaders for their child. The leadership at Grace seeks to provide opportunities to come alongside parents to assist them as they disciple their children. 7th and 8th graders may serve as Assistant Volunteers alongside one of their parents at Adventure Week. Volunteering with your child at Adventure Week is an excellent way to disciple them in service, leadership, and sharing the gospel. We look to you to model to your child what serving and leading the younger children looks like, as you encourage them to also interact with the AW kids themselves.

We require that Assistant Volunteers have a Parent Sponsor that they serve alongside for the ENTIRE evening (this includes the Opening Meeting). If a parent has already been placed as a LEAD of a particular area of Adventure Week that would not be the best place for a Middle Schooler to serve, then YOU, the parent will need to recruit a sponsor for your student (core group leader, Grace Group friend, another parent, etc.). We ask that there is only one Assistant Volunteer per Sponsor. Our volunteer coordinators cannot assist with finding sponsors. Parent Sponsors must complete the regular Adventure Week volunteer form for themselves.

Regular adult attenders (including high school and college students) of Grace EV Free who complete our registration process and training are invited to volunteer at Adventure Week. Middle School students of regular attenders who complete our Middle School Application Process are invited to serve alongside their parents or mentor.

All children must be officially checked out though our system.  This is such an important part of providing a safe place for the kids.  Because of complicated family/custody situations, kids may seem eager to leave with an adult, but we still need to follow our procedures to be certain that kids are only picked up by the appropriate adults.  Elementary parents should be directed to the Information/First Aid Booth on the patio.  Preschool parents should be directed to the Childcare Check-In Desk.

For the safety of the children, teams cannot be changed mid-week.  Our emergency procedures are built around knowing who is on what team and where that team is throughout the night.  Team Leaders do not have the authority to approve any team changes.  Please send the parent to the registration table for any questions related to team placement.

We ask that volunteers enjoy the snacks provided in the Volunteer Room so that the Parent Café has enough dessert for visiting families.

Excellent questions.  All of these answers and MORE can be found in your Volunteer Handbook.  You can download a copy from the Volunteer Website under “Training and Commissioning.”

Contact the lead of your area if you know who that person is.  You may also contact our Volunteer Coordinators at [email protected].

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