SonCountry is all about loving God and loving others by sharing the love of Christ with children from birth through 5th grade. While we believe parents are the primary teachers and role-models for their children, we desire to support families through teaching and encouraging children to accept Christ by faith and follow Him in obedience throughout their lives. We do this in the following ways:

• Teaching during Sunday morning classes and programs
• Providing extra-curricular activities
• Encouraging children to build strong relationships with adults and students who love the Lord

We envision students who love to come to Crossing because here they find love and acceptance along with dynamic times learning about God and His Word that excites their minds and brings joy to their hearts and relationships. We want them to learn to love Jesus so much that they long to serve Him for a lifetime, as well as share His good news with those they love. We long for children to find the Word of God very real and practical in their lives, so that as life sends challenges their way, they find God to be a present help in their times of need and their faith to be amazingly real.

Our primary goal is to love the students God has brought to us and faithfully challenge them with the Bible concepts they need at the appropriate times of their lives. Early learners should experience the church family as a happy, safe place to grow, middle learners should know concrete concepts and scriptural truths, while older elementary students begin to internalize and own a Biblical worldview. What does this look like practically?

• We want our nursery children to love walking in the door of their class.
• We want our Kindergarteners to see how Noah built a boat because he obeyed God and to learn what children can do when they give what they have to Jesus, even their 5 loaves and 2 fish.
• By 4th and 5th grade we long for them to have developed the kind of character and faith that will prepare them for a life of loving Christ and serving Him all their days rather than bowing to peer pressure or dumping their faith for false arguments along the way.
• We want children to grow into adults who know why God has made them and how they can worship and add value to His kingdom.

Bette Jo Smith, Director of SonCountry

Being a part of children’s ministries has been a heartfelt love for me since my college years. Today, I realize that spending time teaching children to love God’s Word, encouraging them to accept Christ as their Savior, and showing them how to live for Him is really time spent for eternity. Not to mention it's lots of fun. Making an investment into children’s lives has fantastic returns in so many ways. I want to serve Jesus and He has given me the opportunity to do this at Crossing through SonCountry. I am so excited about the possibilities and potential of our kids to really make a difference in their world for Jesus today, not just when they are adults. I am honored to be a part of helping them grow.

I'm a mom to two boys, one of them with autism, and it's one of the greatest jobs I have ever had. I spend a lot of my time homeschooling my oldest son. Since I was a teacher before I became a mother, I've had a lot of practice for this position! I enjoy using sign language with my younger son and have taken classes to get better at my signing with him. Through the years, I've enjoyed playing the guitar and I love that my oldest son has started playing so we can play songs together. I enjoy tennis and going out with my husband and with friends. Laughing and hanging out with people is one way we love to spend our time.