KidStep
Our mission is “Joining Children on their Spiritual Journey.” The purpose of KidStep is to intentionally focus on ways we can help children spend time with Jesus on their own and experience God’s love so that we can help children from birth through fifth grade take next steps of faith.
What to Expect
Small groups, bible teaching, and singing are all part of what happens on a Sunday morning in KidStep. We are excited to welcome your children to a safe and kid-appropriate environment. We have a check-in and check-out process for security purposes. Look for the check-in stations to receive name tags and ask any questions you may have.
Online Resources & Needs
Volunteer Needs
The nursery and check-in teams are the first faces many of our families see each week. If you have a passion for welcoming and supporting families or want to deepen your connections, then we have a spot for you on one of these teams. Check-in is a great place to use your computer skills, plus you get to meet lots of people! By serving with the nursery team, you’ll be impacting lives and contributing to the growth and vitality of the entire church community, allowing parents time to worship and learn from God’s Word, knowing their kids are in a safe and loving environment.
Moms Connect is a wonderful opportunity for moms of littles to come together and grow in their faith. The upcoming session begins September 10. The theme this year is “Beholding and Becoming” - Looking at the “I AM” statements of Jesus and becoming more like Him! Moms enjoy a time of refreshment and fellowship, while the children play and learn more about Jesus through lessons and activities. KidStep is looking for volunteers to serve in the kids’ classrooms and nursery.
KidStep often needs midweek administrative help – flipping classrooms, cleaning toys, filing, craft preparation, and other random tasks. These varied tasks can be adjusted to work with your schedule during regular church office hours.
For more information on any of these opportunities, or to sign up for a NO OBLIGATION test drive, please reach out to Jill Bennett. Thank you for prayerfully considering ways to help!
Child Dedication
Child Dedication is an important part of the life of Hershey Free Church. We value our partnership with parents in joining their children on their spiritual journey. Our child dedication process consists of a required class for the parents held prior to the dedication ceremony.
Upcoming Events
Passage Ceremony | September 7 | 12 PM | Auditorium
The Passage Ceremony is an opportunity for us to encourage our incoming 6th and 9th grade students as they prepare to enter the next phase of their faith journey. It is a way for us to celebrate students and to remind them that we will always be in their corner as they move through KidStep and CORE. The Passage Ceremony allows families to gather together and encourage their student in intentional ways. A more detailed email will be coming out specifically to 6th and 9th grade families with additional information. Lunch will be provided. Please sign up by August 31 to ensure we have enough for everyone.
Moms Connect | 9:30 to 11:15 AM | Auditorium
Moms Connect of Hershey Free Church is a wonderful opportunity for moms of young children to connect with God and each other through the journey of motherhood. The group provides an environment to meet the needs of moms whose youngest child is preschool age or younger. Each mom will be joined with a group of other moms. The sessions include time for moms to fellowship and connect, support and encourage each other, and learn from mentor moms and speakers in the name of Jesus Christ. Our first session this fall will be September 10.
Back-to-School Bash | September 20 | 2 to 4:30 PM | Back Parking Lot
As a church, we desire to create environments that equip you to strengthen your relationship with Jesus and also to go out into the community to show the love of Jesus to others. An easy on-ramp for community engagement is during the start of a new school year. To this end, we are hosting a Back-to-School Bash on September 20, from 2 to 4:30 PM, in the church back parking lot. We encourage you to join us by bringing your family, inviting your kids’ friends, or volunteering at the event. We will have carnival games, a petting zoo, snack food, and community tables. The event is free and open to all kids from birth to those entering 5th grade.
KidStep Parent Connect | Sundays | 9 AM | room 302
Each Sunday at 9 AM, parents of children who attend KidStep have the opportunity to connect for Bible study and fellowship at KidStep Parent Connect. What a joy it is to meet together as parents of children who are in KidStep! We share so many of the same joys, as well as challenges, as we seek to lead our children to know and love Jesus better.
KidStep Offering Opportunity | We are currently supporting David & Denise Love, who work with several groups. They work with Afghan refugees who have needs from mattresses to sewing machines. David also helps obtain Bibles and solar players for various people groups in South America.
Hilltop Christian Nursery School
Since 1979, Hilltop Christian Nursery School, a ministry of the Hershey Free Church, has been welcoming children to learn, to have fun, and to grow in their knowledge of Jesus. We invite your family to join the Hilltop family as we work together to create a learning environment tailored to the age and developmental stages of our students. We believe a child is a total person, designed by God to be well-rounded and maturing in every dimension.
We believe that the experience of each child should be consistent with his or her individual stage of development and, therefore, learning should be achieved in a way that is comfortable and natural for him or her. This can be reinforced with Godly principles through daily experiences.
Hilltop Christian Nursery School serves children ages 3, 4, and 5. Children should reach the classroom age as of October 1st of the admission year.
Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is open!