Life Kids

CLICK HERE to register for Life Kids 2017-2018

Click here to download a calendar for Life Kids 2017-2018

Life Kids is our Children’s Faith Formation Ministry for children ages Pre-K (age 4) through 5th grade. Our goal is to bring kids closer to Christ and pass on our faith in genuine, relational, fun “faith communities” within each class. Join us anytime throughout the school year.

Life Kids sessions begin September 24, 2017 and go through May 20, 2018. Sessions are Sundays from 9:30 – 10:45 am, in between the Masses. Life Kids also includes preparation for Reconciliation and First Communion (in the 2nd grade). Preparation for Reconciliation take place the first half of the year and First Communion preparation begins at the beginning of the new year. If your child is older than 2nd grade but wanting to receive First Communion, please contact Ann Barba and we will make arrangements for you.

Questions about Life Kids, please contact Ann Barba at (503) 638-1579 ext. 123, email abarba@rcparish.org, or set up an appointment to meet.

About Catechists & Core Teams: Join Our Team!

What makes Life Kids meaningful for kids is when adult leaders are committed enough to develop personal connections with the children in their classes. Children build a relationship of trust with these adults that facilitates a rich environment for learning and for faith discussion. Ultimately, this creates a sense of community within each class, which is so valuable to all of our faith journeys. This “mini community” is unique from all other groups such as sports teams, schoolmates, etc., because these kids will grow in their faith together and establish a sense of stability in a parish they can always call their home. Our goal for Life Kids is to build a “Core Team” of 4 committed adults for each class. This would result in:

Every Core team member not having to commit every single Sunday–This is the most common comment I get from parents who are more than willing to help but can’t do it every week.
Children being able to build relationships of trust with the adults and other members of their class
Adults learning each child’s name in their class
Core team members creating a mini community of faith with each other, and building a sense of “teamwork” instead of individuals trying to “do it all” themselves
Core team members can bounce ideas off of each other and split up tasks within their team
The Faith Formation Coordinator not having to scramble to cover classes when a catechist is absent

This model of leadership has been used successfully for many years with our Life Teen high school ministry and is also being implemented with our Edge middle school ministry. I’m excited to have it be a part of Life Kids as well. If you feel that you feel called to be part of one of our Core Teams for Life Kids, please don’t hesitate to contact Ann Barba.

Volunteer Information

Life Kids takes a lot of people and effort to run smoothly. We very much encourage and appreciate the generous gift of your time and talent for our children. There are online sign-up sheets for parents or other adult parishioners to easily volunteer for special tasks or projects, like the Christmas Pageant or First Communion Reception. After reviewing the Volunteer Requirements, please scroll to the bottom for volunteer opportunities. These sign-up sheets will be monitored by the Children’s Faith Formation Coordinator. Thank you in advance for investing in our children’s faith journey, and lessening the load for our very dedicated volunteers. If you have any questions about the different volunteer roles, please contact Ann Barba. These opportunities will be updated regularly as needed.

Volunteer Requirements

1. Called to Protect In-Person Training

Called to Protect is the safe environment/child safety course required by the Archdiocese of Portland for certain employees and volunteers of parishes. If you volunteer or work with children four times per year or more, you are required to complete the Called to Protect in-person course, which takes about 2 1/2 hours and is offered at several parishes and schools throughout the year. Currently, the archdiocese only requires that the in-person Called to Protect course be completed once; it does not have to be renewed. The archdiocese also highly encourages (but does not require) anyone who works with minors even one time to take the course. The course is offered free of charge, but you must pre-register for it. The archdiocese recommends that all individuals starting in the fall complete this in-person course before Dec. 1st.

Schedule of in-person Called to Protect Trainings in the area for 2017-2018
Trainings at Resurrection (these are not listed in the above schedule)

2. Criminal Background Check

Archdiocese policy states: “Service in any activity involving direct personal contact with minors requires a background check.” To run a background check, we need two things: your full legal name, and your valid email address. Once we order the background check, the company who we partner with will email you a link. You will need to click on that link and complete the online form, including your social security number. Please rest assured that your sensitive information is secure in this online platform. Your background check must be renewed every 3 years.

3. Annual Called to Protect Online Training

To keep everyone informed and up-to-date, the Archdiocese of Portland requires all volunteers and employees to complete an online video training module every year; each year focuses on a different topic. They typically announce the training they will be focusing on each fall. New this year: once you complete your online video training, you will receive a certificate of completion, which you need to either email to Ann Barba in an attachment, or print out and turn into the parish office.

How to complete this year’s (2017-2018) online video training

Adult Volunteer Opportunities for Life Kids

Click on the links below to volunteer for various tasks related to Life Kids. Thank you for your gifts of time and talent!