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August 4, 2012

Nickles to lead children and family ministries at First Presbyterian

Submitted by First Presbyterian Church, Dalton

— First Presbyterian Church, Dalton, welcomes Elizabeth Nickles to its staff this week as the new director of Children and Family Ministries. Nickles will be responsible for programming for children ages newborn through fifth grade, and will also develop family ministries programming for the church. This is the first full-time position focusing on these areas of ministry at First Presbyterian.

“We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth to our ministry team. We know she will be a valuable asset not only to our congregation but to children and families throughout our community,” said Jean Strain, director of Educational Ministry, First Presbyterian.

Nickles is originally from Greenville, S.C., and is a 2012 graduate of Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. She double majored in Christian Education and Religion with a focus on family ministry.  

“The Lord has always given me a love for children and has without a doubt called me to love, teach and nurture the faith of children and their families, and I’m so thrilled it’s here in Dalton,” Nickles said recently. She went on to remark about the importance of children’s ministries within the church and stated, “Children’s ministry is important because it helps our children come to be known. It’s where they can show up, their name is known, and they get plugged into the life of the church. Often children are overlooked when it comes to their spiritual well-being. I’m super excited about building the pastoral care aspect of children’s ministry here.”

The family ministries component of Nickles’ role at First Presbyterian is an entirely new area of ministry First Presbyterian has recently sought to develop.

“Family ministry is key because parents and grandparents can come to church and are provided with tools to allow them to better relate to other parents and grandparents, as well as their own children. It is done well when people get involved and encourage and equip one another in their own faith. But family ministry is not specifically for people who are linked and related to a biological group of people. I believe it is for the church universal to encourage, teach and love one another including the youngest generation,” Nickles said.

Asked about her goals for the church and her new position, Nickles stated, “First off, I want just want to build relationships and love on these sweet kids that have been placed in my path. I want to be the go-to person for ideas and tools for families to use in the home to grow the whole family’s spiritual formation. My goal is to unite the church body. That may sound so simple and far reaching, but I would love to develop intergenerational small groups and mentoring for parents. The possibilities are endless in how the family of First Presbyterian can join together and better the Kingdom.”

The regular children’s schedule at the church for the 2012-2013 school year resumes after Labor Day. Children’s programming includes Sunday school and Children’s Church on Sunday mornings, supper, fun activities and choir on Wednesday evenings, and special events throughout the school year. 

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