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Children's
Ministry
God delights in Children. He takes great pleasure in them.
When we think of children, our minds go to Matthew 19:13
-14: Then little children were bought to Jesus for Him to
place his hands on them and pray for them. But the
disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, "Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for
the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Our minds go to that verse…but our hearts must also go to
it. Jesus was telling us how important children are. To
share the love of Jesus with a child is such a privilege and
it is really quite simple too. Sometimes we make it too
difficult. We just have to be willing to give our time and
love them right where they are. Just like our Heavenly
Father does with us!
Over the years of sharing with children, I have had many
times of feeling a little frustrated…thinking that what I
was doing and sharing was not making a difference. Some
Sundays the class would seem out of control. I would think I
am not going to do this anymore. Our Heavenly Father has a
sense of humor. He probably was laughing at me many times. I
would have several crazy weeks ~ then all of a sudden one of
the kids would say something from a lesson we had weeks
before.
I remember one time I was ready to step down from
teaching. The next Sunday I was doing a lesson on prayer. I
asked if anyone had something they needed prayer for. A
little girl began to share about her mom. This child was
living with her grandparents at the time. All the other kids
in the room that day surrounded her and started praying for
her. All I could do was weep. I was making a difference just
being with these kids. Later that day I said, "Okay, Lord, I
can do this a little longer.”
I am so passionate about the lives of children because of
this verse. I recognize the importance of it. I was raised
by a believing mother. She took me to church and Sunday
School every week. I had several ladies (yes, ladies…Lord,
touch the hearts of more men to share with the children)
through the years that were my Sunday School
teachers. They helped my mother to insure Proverbs 22:6 was
a reality in my life. When I moved out of my mom's home I
walked away from the church for a season. As the years went
by…my life became a real mess. One night I was sitting alone
depressed and crying. My mind was racing. I felt out of
control. All of a sudden, songs I had learned in Sunday
School many years before came to my mind. I began to sing
them and felt a peace come over me. That night was the
beginning of me finding my way back to my Heavenly Father.
Prayers that those ladies and my mother had prayed were
answered that night. I am so thankful for those ladies who
gave their time to me as a child. The seeds had been
planted. It took time for the fruit to be seen. By this time
many of those ladies had gone on to be with the Lord
already. But I am sure that night they were rejoicing.
Presently, the Kids will be going to classes by
certain age groups again:
The 3-5 year olds will be doing a curriculum of Sharing
God's Love: in our Family, with Friends, at Church, in our
Community, in our World and during Holidays. Titles of a few
of the lessons are: Families Can Pray, Families at
Home, Families Forgive, Loving Friends, Praying Friends,
Believers Together, Sing Praises, Faith in Jesus, Good
Neighbors, Bible Communities, Helping Others, Christians
Everywhere and Light of the World.
The 6-11 year olds will begin a curriculum of Getting to
Know God covering the following Foundational Themes:
Exploring His Character, Learning His Many Names and
Experiencing His Nature in Our Lives. Knowing God's
character is such an important concept. Kids will get a
take-home paper for each lesson, designed to support the
Bible Truth for that day. Some of the activities invite the
involvement of the whole family. My hope is that parents
will encourage their children to complete the activities.
Church should be a delightful place for everyone, and
especially for God's kids! What could be more fun than
taking a journey of faith?
Sunday School teachers make a difference for Eternity. I am
living proof of that. If you are interested in helping with
the Children's Ministry, please contact me, Trish
Grossnickle, at 301-694-1218 or
trishgrossnickle@aol.com. |
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Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he
is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 |
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