WHAT IS KIDS FIRST ALL ABOUT?
About the Ministry
Since 2004, Kids First has been serving the children of Athens, GA. We minister to the children of two local government housing neighborhoods. Every week, we visit the children of both neighborhoods for several hours. We provide meals, teach biblically-based lessons, play games, and build deeper relationships.
The meals we provide are a critical element of our weekly ministry. The children we serve often do not have enough to eat and rely on Kids First to meet this very real need.
The lessons we teach are aimed at training children to apply the word of God directly to their lives. We work each week to build a biblical foundation through scripture discussion and memorization, creative object lessons, stories, and music.
The games we play are our opportunity to build relationships in a fun and relaxed way. Our goal for our time spent with the children is to build their trust in our love for them in hopes that this will be a reflection of the love of Christ.
In the summer of 2022, the idea for a mentor program was born and actually launched under a wonderful nonprofit called City of Refuge Athens. In the spring of 2023, the program was given to Kids First. Our aim is to meet the needs of the kids who attend our program from a wholistic standpoint. We provide dinner each night, tutoring using research based curriculum, consistent relationship with a mentor, weekly groceries for the whole family, and an occasional mom’s bible study breakfast!
Our ministry expanded to reach the children of Jamaica in 2021! Click here to find out more.
Meet The Team
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Lawson Boling Bauch
Hi, I'm Lawson! I am the daughter of Larry, the founder and director of Kids First, and the new wife of Noah Bauch!! I was eight years old when Kids First began, so I grew up watching my dad lead, building relationships with the kids, and developing a love for discipleship! I knew Jesus from a very young age, and always had great relationships with my parents and other mentors. I so badly wanted that for the kids we were serving at Kids First every week. I am so excited, after all these years, with the help of my husband Noah, to be directing our local operation and spending so much time ministering the kids and families we serve!
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Larry Boling
Hi, I’m Larry! I have served in ministry for over 35 years - first as a children’s pastor and then as the founder and director of Kids First Family Fellowship Inc. The vision for this ministry was birthed after months of prayer and a drive into one of the neighborhoods we now serve. In an act of faith, I passed out flyers, bought some food, and hoped some kids would show up. The children came, and Kids First was born. I now lead our overseas ministry in Jamaica, with my amazing wife Debbie!
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Debbie Currie Boling
Hi, I’m Debbie! Let me tell you a story. In the fall of 2021, God blessed Larry with an unexpected gift - a Godly lady who was also a recently retired educator with many years of experience working with students who had special needs. I’ll give you a hint, its me! My name is Dr. Deborah Currie Boling, or as I am now more affectionately known in Jamaica -Auntie Debbie. I became Larry's wife and ministry partner on January 30, 2022 and immediately joined him to serve the families of Jamaica. My prayerful willingness to follow God’s plan and guidance, and my extensive background in working with students and their families over many years, prepared me to help Larry in expanding the Kids First mission.
ABOUT THE PEOPLE
Kids First would not be possible without the help of PEOPLE. The three most impactful ways people help grow our ministry is by praying, serving, and giving.
PRAY
Satan has one goal: to separate the children of God from their Heavenly Father. Kids First exists to combat that and show the immense love of Christ to the children and families we serve. In order for this to be accomplished, we need PRAYER. Thank you to all of those who consistently intercede on behalf of the families and the team that serves them. Please join the effort by praying that the hearts of these children would be open to receiving God’s love and that we would have supernatural provision as we seek to share this message and grow disciples.
SERVE
In addition to prayer, we need people to physically work at our weekly program. Thankfully, we have never had a shortage of selfless individuals who consistently SERVE by setting up our facilities, preparing food, playing games, reviewing lessons, cleaning up, hanging out, and loving our kids. We meet on Fridays from 4:00-5:30pm and Sundays from 4:30-6:00pm. If you would like to join our team, please email us for more information at kidsfirstfamily@gmail.com.
GIVE
While it is vitally important for people to pray and serve, we also need people to GIVE. Click here to find out more.