In a neighborhood where need is always visible and hope isn’t, a former factory contains a thriving ministry for at-risk kids. Located at the corner of Seventh Street and 13th Avenue, Rock House Kids is a Bible-based program for children and teens. It runs four...
Hello, my beautiful girl, I cooed to my baby daughter as I picked her up out of her carseat. Then, out of nowhere, someone quipped, You don’t want to tell her that too often or she’ll get a big head. Wait…what? I thought as a record audibly screeched in my head. ...
Every child has a story. For hundreds of children in the Rockford area, that story may be filled with the abandonment, loneliness and shame that comes from having a mom or dad in prison. First Free Rockford is hoping to share the love of Christ with 70 children who...
When Wednesday night Kids Club starts Sept. 8, much will look the same: fun and games, a large-group talk and breaking into smaller groups with leaders. But the lessons will look different, with a big emphasis on discipleship. Kids Director Kari Heckler...
In 2003, Josh Denhart was a high-school chemistry teacher in West Des Moines, Iowa. His department head asked if he could come up with a mad-scientist routine for a local elementary school. “I thought that sounded fun,” he remembers. “So I pilfered and pulled random...
First Free Kids Ministries are in full swing again, both on Sunday mornings and with special events starting this Friday evening. We spoke with Kids Director Kari Heckler about what this summer holds. It must feel great to be talking about all of this again. Kari...
