About Embrace Ministry
WC/Embrace is the special needs ministry of Woodlands Church. Our mission is to embrace all needs, and to provide a safe and loving environment molded specifically for children with differing abilities. We strive to meet the developmental needs of individuals by helping them to grow spiritually, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. We exist to encourage children with special needs to grow in the Lord and to be confident in their abilities. Finally, we exist to provide a place of restoration and comfort for the families of children with special needs.
Service Times
Meet Our Director
Anna Krieger, a native Iowan, moved to Texas in 2005 to pursue her career in Special Education. While hunting for a church home, she visited Woodlands Church. She quickly joined the church and began volunteering in the baby nursery. After becoming a member and dedicated volunteer she pursued different areas of volunteering in WC/Kids, Foster and Adoption Ministry, and Local Missions. Volunteering in different areas of the church grew her love and passion for Woodlands Church and their staff. Anna taught Special Education for 18 years with many of those years serving in The Woodlands, TX.
Anna, her husband Josh, and their two daughters Stella and Nelly have called The Woodlands home since moving to Texas. They love The Woodlands and enjoy meeting new families, creating connections in and around their community. In the spring of 2023, Anna accepted the calling to become the director of the new WC/Embrace Special Needs Ministry. She is looking forward to growing this specialized ministry to serve all the families in this church community.
Weekend Services
During weekend services your child will participate in a service designed especially for them. WC/Embrace is a self-contained area that provides four learning rooms, a sensory light room, and a motor room for those who would be best served in a inclusive environment. For those that are able to attend their grade-level children’s service, we will provide a Buddy volunteer to accompany them. All of our students will work with specially trained volunteers and staff, as well as have access to on-call medical personnel during service. On Sundays, we are currently serving birth through first grade in our self-contained area.
In the near future, we will add more grade levels and opportunities to our ministry’s services. Until our ministry grows, we encourage families who want to be a part of WC/Embrace ministry to attend the Sunday service at 9:30 am. During the 9:30 service, our specialized program will meet your child’s needs in a state-of-the-art environment designed to best meet their needs, and connect your family with our trained volunteers and staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Enrolling your child for the WC/Embrace ministry is completed in just a few short steps. We ask that you click the link below to fill out an intake form. This form will help us get to know your child’s needs, as well as the needs of your family. We will then set up an in-person meeting to discuss how we can best serve your family.
Yes! Enrolling your child into the WC/Embrace ministry includes a couple of extra steps. These extra steps help us learn your child’s needs, know how we can serve your family, and create the best environment for your child to learn the Gospel.
Each week we create a very specialized program for each registered child. Registering your child ensures we have everything in place so your child has may be successful, have fun, and learn about Jesus. Registering your child also allows us to pair up the perfect volunteer to your child. We realize this can be an extra step. But, we take your child’s needs and safety as a priority; registration will help ensure this happens!
Our ministry is dedicated to serving all of the families in our church and community. We believe that all children are a gift from God, and we need them to be a part of our church family. We have resources for all areas of special needs, in addition to highly trained staff, volunteers, and an on-call nurse during service times. We are ready to welcome and create the best church experience for all children!
The check in process begins when you RSVP for your child’s spot from the text message you will receive on Thursdays. Once you have reserved your child’s place, we will begin the process of placing them in an appropriate group with a specific volunteer who is trained to meet your child’s unique needs. Once you arrive at church, a friendly volunteer will be outside the yellow WC/Embrace hallway to greet you. You will give them your phone number to print out your child’s name tags and pre-assigned classroom tags. You will get 4 tags; a name tag, a pick-up tag, a locker tag, and a roster tag. The check-in volunteer can assist you with where to place these tags.
We are excited to provide your child a church service that is specially designed just for them. Your child will spend time in each of our four rooms, including the motor lab, learning lab, light room, and art room. Each of these rooms has a unique way of teaching the Gospel to your child. We have a multistory approach to learning about Jesus and want them to receive the message in the style they learn best. Your child will enjoy arts and crafts, play time, active stimulation, and a sensory calm down area. Along with the classroom rotations, your child will experience a children’s praise and worship service and bible lesson through a variety of individualized options.
The Buddy volunteer is a person that is highly trained to assist your child in our Kid’s Church service. This volunteer helps your child navigate church programming, develop needed skills in a large group environment, and will be a point of contact for needs that arise during the kid’s service. They will help with socialization skills with their same-aged peers, as well as give visual and verbal cues regarding expectations and rules during service.
