Friends Ministry

The Friends Ministry at East Cooper began around fifteen years ago, primarily as a support system for parents of children with special needs. The goal was to allow parents to worship on Sundays, knowing that their kids were in a safe and comfortable environment. Since the ministry started, it has continued to grow as an integral part of the East Cooper congregation. Not only does this ministry serve to support parents with childcare, but it also offers adapted Bible lessons that teach these children about God and what His Word tells us about Him and His kingdom. While the Friends Ministry is caring for these children, their parents are able to attend worship services, take classes, and serve in other areas of the church. “Families can now dedicate their Sabbath to receiving refreshment from the Word and from the Body of Christ,” Kids Ministry Director, English Preston, explained.

This ministry has continued to grow and now offers a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program during the summer, respite nights for parents to drop off their children and enjoy a date night, and events off campus for families to grow in community together. Last year, our Friends Ministry partnered with another local church for VBS. This church brought children from their special needs program to be a part of the week, as well. This created a space for even more kids to learn together and grow in community. As the Friends Ministry continues to grow, the hope is to continue welcoming families and creating more ways for this ministry to be integrated into the body at East Cooper. “These families are an integral part of our church and we want them to know that,” English shared.

Sidekicks

On day one of English’s new role as Kids Ministry Director six years ago, she understood there was a need for trained volunteers to come alongside individual children to provide additional care and attention. During her 20+ years as a member of East Cooper, she has been involved in serving with kids in various capacities. The Lord used this experience serving as a church member as she moved into the role of the director of this ministry. She saw that some kids with sensory or neurodivergent behaviors would benefit from having a buddy in the classroom. “It was a matter of timing and the ability to create a program that was going to be sustainable.” This led to the development of the Sidekicks program. The hope is that providing a sidekick will help these children adjust to Sunday mornings and slowly integrate into the mainstream Kids Ministry program. These kids attend the teaching, worship, and activities but are given a break or time to step away with a trusted team of volunteers when needed.

A family recently reached out to the Kids Ministry team to find out more about this program. Due to the specific needs of their child, this family had not been able to attend church in person but consistently watched from home. They craved a time to worship and be unified with the Body of Christ. English and her team prepared for their visit and walked alongside them from the moment they arrived on Sunday. The parents were comfortable because they knew their child was in a safe and comfortable environment. This allowed the whole family to worship together in person for the first time in 5 years. English shared about this experience, “You can see the appreciation and refreshment on families’ faces every Sunday. This is very much behind-the-scenes work, but there is tangible and immediate fruit of how we are serving like Jesus.”

How You Can Pray & Get Involved

The goal in both of these ministries, Friends and Sidekicks, is for kids to learn the importance of worship and to receive God’s Word. “Everything above and beyond that is an extra for us. We provide accommodations for them to feel comfortable, safe, and loved,” English shared. As these ministries continue to grow, the need for volunteers also increases. “This need will only ever increase, and we are only able to provide as much ministry as God increases it through His sovereignty, but also by touching hearts to serve. The more people we have serving, the more people we can welcome.”

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-13