Wesley United Methodist Church

Children and Youth Ministry

Infant-5th Grade

God's Garden Sunday School
Infant through 5th Grade
Hatty Lin, Director

Middle School

Christian Adventure Fellowship (CAF)
6th through 8th Grades
Lauren Takaichi, Director

High School

Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF)
9th through 12th Grades
Kasper Kimura, Director

Karugamo
カルガモ広場

Families with young children gather seasonally to enjoy the fellowship and exchange child-rearing information.

Acolytes

Children can help serve in the church as an acolyte at the beginning of worship.

Scouts

We have a Cub Scout Pack for K-5th graders and a Scout Troop for 11-18 year olds. Open to girls and boys.

God’s Garden

 God’s Garden is Wesley’s Children Ministry for children from infancy through 5th grade. We have 4 classrooms based on age and grade: Sacred Seedlings (nursery), Super Sprouts (preK-Kindergarten), Best Buds (1st & 2nd grades) and Giving Tree (3rd-5th grades). Classes meet Sundays at 10am in the Education Building. 

The call of our God’s Garden Children’s Ministry is to provide a safe, nurturing and loving environment as children begin their journey of faith and relationship to God and the church. It is a place to build a foundation of faith that expresses a concern for God’s world through opportunities for service and discipleship. God’s Garden is a safe and affirming place for children of all backgrounds, ethnicities and genders. All children are welcome as they are. All kids are embraced through God’s love and grace and the caring hearts of our Sunday teachers! 

The Children’s Ministry Director is Hatty Lin, who can be reached at godsgarden@wesleysj.net. Please reach out with any questions about God’s Garden and Wesley’s Children’s Ministry programs. 

 
 

CAF

Christian Adventure Fellowship (CAF) is Wesley’s ministry for youth in 6th through 8th grade. We meet every Sunday morning from 10 AM-11 AM in the CAF Classroom in the Education Building. We generally follow a lesson plan consisting of reading scripture, participating in activities and games, and answering small group discussion questions. We also help with God’s Garden through prayer buddies and collaborate with MYF, the high school youth ministry. The transition from childhood to adolescence is a crucial developmental period of changing identities and values, including faith. One of our year-long goals is to introduce youth to a tangible relationship with God. We encourage your youth to grow in faith through community outreach and service, spiritual discussions, and fellowship with one another. CAF is a safe and affirming place for all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, faith experiences, or economic situations. All youth are welcome to come as they are.

The CAF director is Lauren Takaichi, who may be reached at caf@wesleysj.net. Please contact with any questions.

Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF)

Wesley’s Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) is our ministry for high schoolers! We meet every Sunday morning at 10AM in the MYF room on the second floor of the Fellowship Hall. We are a group of high schoolers from all across the Bay Area who worship together, grow together, and walk together. We welcome high school teenagers to join us from wherever they are in their journey with God. On Sundays, we don’t just sit down and study the Bible quietly. We help with God’s Garden, spend time with CAF, do art, work on service projects, worship in the chapel, spend time in fellowship with each other and talk about how God is moving in our lives. We also gather outside of church for fellowship activities, such as bowling and hiking, and for service projects. The MYF director is Kasper Kimura who guides MYF with the assistance of MYF’s Youth Leadership Council, a group of high schoolers who want to take a more active role at Wesley. Kasper can be reached at myf@wesleysj.net for more information on MYF and how Wesley serves our high school youth.

MYF is a safe and affirming space for high school youth of all genders, sexualities, ethnicities, disabilities, and nations of origin. We recognize that every teenager is wonderfully made in the eyes of God. If you have an open heart and are curious about God, you are welcome with MYF.

Karugamo カルガモ広場

Families with young children gather seasonally to enjoy the fellowship and exchange child-rearing information.

 

 

子育てに関する情報交換や親同士·子ども同士の交流を深めることを目標とした親子の集まりです。

季節ごとに戸外での集会を企画しています。ご興味のある方は案内を送らせていただきますので、こちらまでご連絡ください。

Mikiko Kaniike Ball, mkaniike@gmail.com, 408-431-7732

Acolytes

Children and youth serve as acolytes at the beginning of worship service and light the two candles on the altar table. They carry the lights into the worship service as a symbol of Jesus coming into the presence of the worshiping community. The presence of the light reminds us of Jesus coming into our world and into our lives.

If you are interested in your child or youth serving as an acolyte, please contact Hatty Lin at godsgarden@wesleysj.net.

Scouting

Pack 201 Cub Scouts Cub Scouts is a family and home centered program that develops ethical decision making skills for boys and girls in the kindergarten through fifth grade (or who are ages 5 through 10).  Activities emphasize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

Troop 201 Scouts Troop 201 is a Scout troop for boys.  Eligible youth are age 10 with completion of 5th grade, or age 11 up to 18.  The focus of Scouting is to teach youth the skills required to be productive citizens though a variety of outdoor activities, leadership development and nature conservation practices.  We focus on being a youth led troop, while following the practices of servant leadership.  Plans are being developed to start up a Scout troop for girls. More information can be found here.