Huntington Woods Lutheran Church, at 12935 West 11 Mile Road in Huntington Woods, is known for a straightforward pattern of Sunday worship and child-centered ministry that includes Huntington Woods Christian Preschool. The church's motto, Receive - Grow - Share, expresses its stated aim: receive God's forgiveness, grow in grace, and share His love. Around that mission are two Sunday services, Bible Study and Sunday School, and a preschool that builds early learning around play, Christian values, and family participation.
Two Sunday Services with Study at the Center
The congregation's regular Sunday pattern begins at 8:00 a.m. with a service, followed by Bible Study and Sunday School at 9:00 a.m., and another service at 10:00 a.m. The first and third Sundays of each month are Communion Sundays. This rhythm gives families an early and a later worship option while placing Bible Study and Sunday School between the two services.
Receive - Grow - Share
The three-part motto gives the church's work a clear shape: Receive is tied to God's forgiveness, Grow to grace, and Share to love for others. The church's words from Acts 20:35 add another emphasis: It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Christian Preschool for Children Ages Three to Five
Huntington Woods Christian Preschool offers a warm and nurturing environment where children can build confidence and skills for a healthy start in school. Learning takes place through play, theme-based projects, stories, art, music, Spanish, and games. The curriculum is supported by a caring staff and emphasizes awareness of God's presence in daily life. Families of children ages three through five can select half-day or full-day schedules, along with latchkey options before and after preschool.
Admission begins with age and readiness. A child must be three years old by September 1 of the school year in which preschool begins and must be toilet trained. Families also receive a health form that must be completed by a doctor before a child attends. The preschool's admission policy extends all rights, privileges, programs, and activities to students of any race, color, or national or ethnic origin. When a child has special needs, the school evaluates each case individually.
Half-Day, Full-Day and All-Day Choices
The weekly program is structured around the needs of working families. Morning sessions are offered Monday through Friday, while afternoon sessions and the all-day program run Monday through Thursday. Optional extended care is available before the morning program from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. An additional block from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Families can combine a classroom session with care before or after the regular preschool hours.
Learning, Music, Stories and Outdoor Play
A typical school day moves among several kinds of activity, with planned blocks for discovery, worship, and physical play:
- Self-directed time, 40 minutes. Children choose activities such as art and role play that also build large- and small-motor skills.
- Calendar time, 15 minutes. The group discusses the calendar, weekly theme, Spanish word of the week, and letter of the week.
- Music and story time, 30 minutes. Children sing, play instruments, join movement activities and parachute play, and hear stories.
- Snack time, 15 minutes. The school provides a snack. Families are asked to send one from home if a child has severe dietary restrictions, and the school is nut free.
- Teacher-directed time, 20 minutes. Teachers lead theme-related projects and skill-development activities tied to the week's theme.
- Outdoor play, 30 minutes. In suitable weather, children use the playground. When they cannot go outside, they use the church gym or remain in the classroom for dramatic play.
These periods are followed by dismissal at 11:15 a.m. or 3:00 p.m., unless a child is using extended care. Preschool families are also invited into the church for brief programs marking Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and graduation. The practice connects classroom routines with the congregation's yearly rhythm of holidays and gives families a shared role in celebrating the year's milestones.
Faith Woven into the School Day
The preschool models Christian values by treating everyone as they would like to be treated. Prayer before snack and special holiday programs in church make faith part of ordinary routines and the wider life of the congregation. Its stated goal is for children to leave the program with confidence, a strong sense of self-worth, and a foundation for entering an academic setting. The curriculum deliberately combines play with structured activities, using stories, art, music, themed projects, Spanish, and games to build that foundation.
Director Megan Quisenberry and the Teaching Team
Director Megan Quisenberry became the preschool's director in 2016. She holds a teaching certificate from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in Reading and Language Arts from Oakland University, and previously taught in Taipei, Taiwan. The teaching team brings a range of professional backgrounds. Kim Short, a teacher since 2016, holds an engineering degree from Michigan Technological University. Cindy Stanley, who joined in 2010, has an education degree from the University of Iowa and taught middle and high school social studies. Amy Bluhm joined in 2023 after working as an office manager and paraprofessional. Kristy Devine, a teacher since 2022 and a nursing graduate of Western Michigan University, divides her time between the preschool and the church office. Natalie Keast, who joined in 2024, earned her nursing degree at Eastern Michigan University.
Learning, Faith and Community in Huntington Woods
Huntington Woods Lutheran Church brings worship and early childhood learning together. Sundays are organized around two services, Bible Study and Sunday School, and monthly Communion. Weekdays are filled with the preschool's mix of play, music, stories, projects, prayer, and outdoor activity. The church's identity is visible not only in its worship rhythm, but also in a school program that invites families into the life of the congregation.