Mennonite Church USA shares details pertaining to children’s programming at Follow Jesus ’25, the denomination’s national convention.
By Jessica Griggs for Mennonite Church USA
Children playing games at MennoCon23, in Kansas City, Missouri.
ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Church USA) — Mennonite Church USA will offer programming for children, infants through 12 years old, during the Follow Jesus ’25 national convention, which will take place in Greensboro, North Carolina, July 8-13.
“Parents are free to fully participate in everything the convention offers, when they know their children are safe and cared for,” said Colleen Whigham-Staples, Follow Jesus ’25 childcare program coordinator.
“When you have a good childcare program, children look forward to convention as much as parents do!”
The children’s programming will be offered July 9-11 from 8:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and 2:15-5:00 p.m. There will also be an open house for families to become acquainted with the volunteers and classrooms on Tuesday, July 8 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Each class of children will be overseen by a convention volunteer with a current background check. Infants and toddlers, ages 0-2 and 3 year olds who aren’t potty trained, will be in classes of four children. Older children, ages 3-12, will be placed into classes of 8-10 students, by age.
During program times, the children will participate in open recreation time, crafts, story times, children’s worship sessions and lessons related to convention themes, as prepared by returning children’s program volunteer Carolyn Tice. They will also meet new friends from across the country, and if they attended MennoCon23, they may even see some of the friends and volunteers they met in Kanas City, Missouri!
Children will enjoy a snack during both the morning and afternoon children’s programming sessions and will join their families during mealtimes. Children will also be encouraged to attend convention worship with their families, as no children’s programming will be offered at that time.
Families have the option of allowing their children to participate in a field trip to the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum, in Greensboro, on Thursday, July 10 from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Caregivers are also welcome to attend with their child.
Children’s programming is now at capacity, so children’s registration is closed.
Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org