Fuquay-Varina Baptist Church

The mission of Bridge Builders is to bring love and the gospel message of Jesus Christ to children with special needs and their families by creating a place within the church for acceptance, belonging, and support through discipline and equipping people without special needs to care for those with special needs. It is a program designed to help "build the bridge" between people with and without disabilities.

Bridge Builders is intended for any child with any kind of disability who prefers a self-contained Sunday school classroom setting or prefers to be included into a typical Sunday school class. An assessment is completed on each child to determine his/her needs. This assessment involves communicating with the parents of the child with special needs to determine the best environment in which to best meet the child's spiritual needs. Once this has been determined, the child is placed with a volunteer(s) to assist him/her throughout the Sunday school and worship hour.

Self-contained Class Structure

The self-contained classroom is structured in a way to provide the most learning for each individual child in a fun manner. During the Sunday school hour, the one-on-one volunteer engages the child in learning at a level in which he/she is most comfortable. Guidelines are in place to ensure a safe environment.

Sunday School Schedule

9:45am - 11:00am

Puzzles and other warm up activities
Story, memory verses, prayer
Arts and crafts, music

Worship and Extended Teaching Care Schedule:

11:00am-12:15pm

Praise and song in sanctuary
Children's sermon in sanctuary
Snack provided in classroom
Extended Teaching Care in classroom

During the worship hour, the volunteer encourages the child to sing, clap and praise the Lord in his/her own way. In addition, the volunteer may sit beside the child at the front of the sanctuary during the children's sermon and assist the child in returning to the classroom for extended teaching care.

Inclusion into a typical Sunday school classroom

Once an assessment has been completed, if a child with a special need is deemed most appropriate to participate in a typical Sunday school classroom, then a one-on-one volunteer will be assigned to the child to assist as necessary throughout the Sunday school activities provided by that particular classroom teacher.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is available to all children of many abilities, including children with special needs. Each child will have a one-on-one volunteer to take him/her through the Vacation Bible School schedule in a class close to his/her age group. The regular special needs Sunday school classroom (Room 209A) will be available for use if needed at any time during Vacation Bible School for the children who may need to take a break from the schedule. When registering your child, please list the grade in which you would like your child to participate.

Registration information for VBS will be available on the FVBC website as the registration period approaches.

No special degree is required to assist in this ministry. People who have a love for children and a willingness to learn and try will make excellent volunteers. Training is available upon request.

Often families that have children with special needs don't go to church because there aren't any services or provisions for their children. Bridge Builders is intended for any child with any kind of disability that prefers to be mainstreamed into a typical Sunday School class or prefers a self-contained Sunday School classroom setting.

Bridge Builders is a program designed to help "build the bridge" between people with and without disabilities. If you have personal experience in working with people with disabilities, this ministry may be for you. Or if you have no experience in working with people with disabilities, but would like to learn, this may be the ministry for you. Patience and perseverance are true bonus characteristics for being on the Bridge Building team. Individuals with a love for children and for bringing the good news of Jesus Christ in a creative and fun way are encouraged to sign up immediately!

Volunteers are needed every Sunday to make the Bridge Builders Program successful. There are two times in which volunteers are needed: the Sunday School hour from 9:45-11:00am and the Worship and Extended Teaching Care hour from 11:00am-12:15pm. If you are interested in serving, would like more information or have questions, please contact Ben Pearce at (919) 552-4144.

A background check is necessary to ensure each child is provided with a safe learning environment. To request a background check form, contact Ben Pearce via email at bpearce@fvbaptist.org or call at (919) 552-4144.