What’s up with Children’s Ministry?CHILDREN'S MINISTRY IS OFF TO GREAT START! WITH LARA LAHEY AS OUR NEW DIRECTOR. CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL HAS BEGUN! Parents, bring your children for Sunday School and bring your Bible and join the Adult class. Sunday School - 9:15 a.m. Children's Church - 10:15 a.m. (for 5th grade and below, meets during the Worship.) View the following Children's ministry pages: What's up?
Disciple
Behavior Policy 
Lara Lahey, our new Children's Ministry head, introduces herself to the community.
Here is a brief synopsis of my life...
I grew up in a Christian home right here in Central Florida. I was the youngest of five children and our family was very active in the church. My parents taught, our family went on mission trips both local and abroad, and first and foremost loving Jesus and obeying God were central principles of our home life. I experienced all types of schooling- public, private, and home school! I have to say I preferred my home schooling years.
I grew up very involved in music, art, and dance and these loves led me to my first two degrees from Rollins College- a bachelors degree in music and a master's degree in education, with a specialization in music. I had been teaching music (choir, band, piano) since high school (at church, piano lessons in my home, and at schools) and continued teaching after college. It is in those years that I was lead to pursue my final degree of a masters degree in counseling, with a specialization in child therapy from Seton Hall University. I did so because I saw such a great need for children to be understood better- from a physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional perspective. After this degree, I worked at the Florida United Methodist Children's Home as a child and family therapist. I also continued teaching music. This part of my life is when I met and married my husband Sean. We decided that we wanted to build our home on a one income family so that when children entered the picture I could be a stay at home mom. So, I resigned my therapist position and only taught music part time.
I became pregnant with identical twin boys in 2004, but lost them at 7 months in utero. God blessed us with 7 beautiful pregnant months with William and Andrew and then called them home. Our peace is in this: we would have loved to have raised them here on earth, but we know that we will have eternity in heaven with them one day. Their gifts to us are a stronger faith, a stronger marriage, a greater appreciation for children, and a daily reminder that life is precious!
And around the corner, we were blessed again! We had started the adoption process before my first pregnancy and halted it when we found out I was carrying twins. A while after we lost the twins, we got the process going again... and we were matched quickly! We had decided to adopt a child early in our relationship and so this was a HUGE blessing to us. Well, the same week we got the phone call of being matched, I found out I was pregnant! AGAIN... God blessed us!!! So, Noah was born in January 2008 and Clara was born in May 2008. Yes, life is hectic with infants four months apart... but oh, what a beautiful hectic it is!!! I know that God healed our hearts, blessed our souls, and filled us with joy with giving us two beautiful babies to raise.. our arms and our hearts are full! Noah is now 8 months old- crawling, pulling up, and working on walking and Clara is 4 months old and already talking up a storm.
SO.... lots of information about my childhood, college days, and marriage... but WHAT makes me trained for the job at St. Philips? A few things, with God's help:
Faith in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior
Education degree
Counseling degree
Creative Arts training
Child Evangelism Fellowship training
Many workshops on Christian Education Teaching and Leadership
Experience teaching/ supervision of Sunday School, Children's Church, Choirs, Bands, Lessons, Vacation Bible School
Missionary, both local and overseas
Belief that children need to be taught about Jesus, our Savior; the Bible and the truths inside for our daily lives; and our role as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Well, That is a quick look at the story of my life..
See you Sunday!
Lara
|
