Published: May 04, 2009 12:19 pm      

Little school, big blessing

Flatwoods Church of Christ completes 22nd year of ministry to youngsters and their families

Flatwoods — It’s never too early to learn.

For the past 22 years, Little School has been taking place on Friday mornings at Flatwoods Church of Christ.



Little School is for ages 4 and 5 who have not entered school. Classes meet for about three hours.

“Our objective is to get them socially ready to start kindergarten,” said Janet Rose, who has been teaching in the program for 11 years. “I retired and started volunteering to do this. It’s quite a blessing.”

Little School is free and open to all, Rose said. Donations are accepted, but the church supplies the program.

Graduation day was Friday for this year’s class of about 15. Little School begins the day after Labor Day and goes for 30 Fridays until spring. It usually finishes up the first or second Friday in May, Rose said.

The graduation ceremony was complete with caps and gowns, along with a reception.

“The children demonstrate some of the songs they’ve learned, recite the alphabet and memory verses,” she said. “We give them a diploma and a Bible with their name on it.”

Little School is a ministry of the church, Rose said. There are four teachers.

Mostly, the teachers sing songs, teach the alphabet, teach the children to count, teach Bible verses and tell Bible stories, Rose said.

“It gives you interaction with the children and their families,” she said. “We have a family that’s very active here (in the church) whose children went through the program. It’s a good ministry for the church.”

MARK MAYNARD can be reached at mmaynard@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2648.