When I posted a reminder on Facebook about our Church services, I included pictures of our Pastor and his wife, an eye-catching graphic with a message, the times for prayer and worship and “Children’s Church and Nursery available” at the end. After all, the advertisement was directed toward adults and parents. For our Wednesday night services, I add “Youth, and Children’s programs available. Again, the notice is directed at the parents or grandparents, who will hopefully bring their children to Church.
Though we don’t mention a lot about our Children’s Ministry, let me assure you, we are “not kidding around.” The number of people ministering to our children shows our commitment to their spiritual training. Sometimes on Wednesday nights the children and teachers outnumber the adults left in the adult Bible Study. These precious little souls are important to us and to GOD. JESUS said, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 19:14 KJV).
Sister Cathy is the amazing leader of our Children’s Ministry, and she has a dedicated group of teachers and helpers to share the load. They provide attention-grabbing lessons that get the children involved. My grandchildren are excited afterwards to tell me the activities they participated in and the lessons they learned.
One of our Christian School teachers is in charge of our Nursery, along with a grandmother helper from our congregation. Yes, most of their time is spent playing, but that allows their parents to relax and focus on the LORD, knowing their child is being cared for.
On Wednesday nights, our Youth Pastor and his wife have the Youth class. They are not getting leftovers; Brother Bob is also our Christian School Principal, and his wife is one of our teachers. Brother Bob often preaches in our Sunday morning and Wednesday night services. Their small group may be delving into important Biblical truths, or they might get in a quick basketball game. It’s all to bring them closer to JESUS.
Our Church takes children’s ministry so seriously, they have been operating a Christian School for over 30 years. My daughter and son-in-law graduated from that school and now my grandchildren attend. Yes, the school charges tuition, but it is a ministry of and supported by our Church. The Bible tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov 22:6 KJV). That means the training we are doing today is for a future harvest. Once a child has GOD’s Word in their heart, he can’t escape it. We aren’t just training children, we are training future adults, with eternal consequences hanging in the balance.
There is another part to this ministry, and it isn’t a responsibility of the Church. In fact, you are responsible to train up your children and those you have influence over. We can help you with this grave responsibility, if you will bring your children to Church and/or our school, but you are the one that will have the most influence on your children. This is a serious ministry, and we are not kidding around!
Wayne Lance (2020)…