C.O.R.E

At the core of most fruit are the seeds that make that fruit what it is. The seeds are planted and
nurtured, and the plant grows that bares the fruit. Core is about planting seeds of the gospel in
the hearts of children so that they grow into the people God created them to be. C.O.R.E!
stands for four seeds that we hope to instill in the lives of the kids who come through this
program:

• C – Christ
  “Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” Luke 2:52 (NLT)
  First things first, it always starts with our savior Jesus. The scripture says that
  Jesus grew into the man who saved the world, which is an important reminder for
  everyone at C.O.R.E! – becoming like Jesus takes work. It took work for Jesus himself!
  As the kids come to C.O.R.E! they will learn about the life Jesus lead and what God
  hopes for all of his children. They will learn that they can rely on the Holy Spirit to help
  them make good choices that honor God and that they have been given the grace to
  live a life that looks like Jesus’ life. Bible lessons will be an integral part of the C.O.R.E!
  curriculum, but kids will be able to do more than hear about God’s love for them, they
  will have the opportunity to show that love to others.

• O – Outreach
  “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" Matthew 25:40 (NLT)
  At C.O.R.E! kids will be participating in outreach or community service projects
  regularly. We believe that God works through all of his people, big or smaller, or
  smaller. There are lots of things that kids can do to show the love of Jesus to their
  community, in their schools, or church. The evenings that we dedicate the program to
  outreach will involve things like prepping and packaging gifts to deliver to shut-ins,
  nursing homes, or homeless shelters. One night we will pack shoes boxes for Operation
  Christmas Child, which donates Christmas presents to kids all over the world. We
  partner with local foster homes to find opportunities to have our kids serve other kids.
  There are simple things that we believe will help plant the seed of service and outreach
  into the hearts of the children who attend C.O.R.E!

• R – Relationships
  “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 (NLT)
  Building one another up in love is one of the seeds C.O.R.E! hopes to plant in the
  hearts of the kids who come to the program. The Bible often is addressed to a group of
  people, not individuals. While we will teach the children that Jesus loves them
  individually, and that they are able to have a personal relationship with God the Father,
  the Son, and the Holy Spirit, they will also learn that they were created to be in
  relationships. There are three important relationships that we will seek to cultivate: a
  relationship with Jesus, with adult mentors, with their peers. Statistics show that people
  leading their friends to Jesus is one of the most effective ways that anyone comes to
  know Christ, and that includes kids sharing with kids. Our hope is to encourage kids to
  be emboldened to talk to their friends about their relationship with Jesus. This
  encouragement will be reiterated by their adult mentor/small group leader. Studies also
  show that children with multiple positive role models in their life, outside of their home,
  become more successful and well-rounded adults. C.O.R.E! will seek to provide positive
  Christian role-models for the kids in the program.

• E – Everyone!
  “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
  Jesus loves everyone, and so do we! There are so many passages of scripture
  that talk about how at the foot of the cross the things that divide us are no longer
  important. At C.O.R.E! every child is welcome and so we will be actively creating
  programs that are enjoyable and inviting for different types of children. We know that
  there are different types of learning, and so that will shape our teaching times. We know
  that some kids love active games and some kids like quiet artistic activities, so we will
  do our best to offer a variety of options. We know that kids are coming with differing
  levels of ability, whether that is physical or emotional or cognitive, we will take all of
  those factors into account and while every week may not be suited for all the children in
  the room, our intention is to offer a diversity of activities and teaching strategies so that
  everyone feels welcome, safe, and loved. This is also one of the reasons C.O.R.E! will
  always be a free program.