July 2024 - Volume 56 - Number 7
Fall Plans
I know Summer has just recently arrived (both by the date and the heat index), but we are already planning for the Fall. We know that three Fall events are being planned: 1) Youth Groups. A date to begin our weekly youth meetings has been selected—and will be revealed soon. 2) Small Groups. Sometime in the Fall, we will offer small group Bible studies. Exact dates, themes, and places will be announced in due time. But rest assured, we plan to have Fall small group studies. 3) Midweek with Brandon will resume.
We are also anticipating a new program in the Fall—extending children’s church to include up through fifth grade (we currently go up through third grade).
Why? Some of you may be thinking, “I didn’t have children’s church when I was a kid.” I hear you; I didn’t either. But today’s children never walked five miles to school, uphill both ways, sometimes in five feet of snow with wind chill factors of -50 degrees, often with no shoes or boots. Times have changed. And “doing church” has changed. For some of us, that means having air conditioning, loudspeakers, padded pews, projection units, newer translations of the Bible, nurseries, and other changes that have not changed who we are, just how we do it. Something else that is different these days, the majority of children in our community have not been raised in church. They have not developed the habit of sitting through a sermon quietly. (Come to think of it, many adults have not developed this habit, either.) We want to provide an opportunity for these children to learn about the Bible in a setting more conducive to children.
How? The children will go downstairs after the song service, as they currently do. Once downstairs, they will be together for a snack and a Bible story. After that, they will be divided into two groups for application and more age-appropriate activities. The age span now is 3 ½ years old through third grade. If we add two more years to that mix, that is quite an age span. What interests a preschooler may not interest a fourth grader. And what a fourth grader can do will be impossible for a preschooler to do. It makes life difficult for the teacher.
What do we need? You know the answer to this question. People. People willing to work with the older group to facilitate their application and activities. You will not be asked to teach the Bible lesson or provide snacks (although volunteers will not be refused). You will be asked to sit with the group during the snack and Bible story time, and then lead the older group for their application and activities time. All necessary materials will be provided for you.
How many people do we need? Look at it this way. If one person volunteers, then that person would be involved every Sunday. That is not ideal. If two people volunteer, then it would be every other Sunday. Again, not ideal. The minimum number we would like to have is four. That way, you serve one Sunday a month. We would be elated with as many as eight (one Sunday every two months). We may decide to keep the older children upstairs on the fifth Sundays, but that is to be determined.
Are you one of Four? Or perhaps one of Eight? Think about it. Pray about it. When you are asked to volunteer, be ready to agree. You have no idea how God may use you to impact the life of a child and draw them closer to Jesus.
Thanks for reading,
Rick
I know Summer has just recently arrived (both by the date and the heat index), but we are already planning for the Fall. We know that three Fall events are being planned: 1) Youth Groups. A date to begin our weekly youth meetings has been selected—and will be revealed soon. 2) Small Groups. Sometime in the Fall, we will offer small group Bible studies. Exact dates, themes, and places will be announced in due time. But rest assured, we plan to have Fall small group studies. 3) Midweek with Brandon will resume.
We are also anticipating a new program in the Fall—extending children’s church to include up through fifth grade (we currently go up through third grade).
Why? Some of you may be thinking, “I didn’t have children’s church when I was a kid.” I hear you; I didn’t either. But today’s children never walked five miles to school, uphill both ways, sometimes in five feet of snow with wind chill factors of -50 degrees, often with no shoes or boots. Times have changed. And “doing church” has changed. For some of us, that means having air conditioning, loudspeakers, padded pews, projection units, newer translations of the Bible, nurseries, and other changes that have not changed who we are, just how we do it. Something else that is different these days, the majority of children in our community have not been raised in church. They have not developed the habit of sitting through a sermon quietly. (Come to think of it, many adults have not developed this habit, either.) We want to provide an opportunity for these children to learn about the Bible in a setting more conducive to children.
How? The children will go downstairs after the song service, as they currently do. Once downstairs, they will be together for a snack and a Bible story. After that, they will be divided into two groups for application and more age-appropriate activities. The age span now is 3 ½ years old through third grade. If we add two more years to that mix, that is quite an age span. What interests a preschooler may not interest a fourth grader. And what a fourth grader can do will be impossible for a preschooler to do. It makes life difficult for the teacher.
What do we need? You know the answer to this question. People. People willing to work with the older group to facilitate their application and activities. You will not be asked to teach the Bible lesson or provide snacks (although volunteers will not be refused). You will be asked to sit with the group during the snack and Bible story time, and then lead the older group for their application and activities time. All necessary materials will be provided for you.
How many people do we need? Look at it this way. If one person volunteers, then that person would be involved every Sunday. That is not ideal. If two people volunteer, then it would be every other Sunday. Again, not ideal. The minimum number we would like to have is four. That way, you serve one Sunday a month. We would be elated with as many as eight (one Sunday every two months). We may decide to keep the older children upstairs on the fifth Sundays, but that is to be determined.
Are you one of Four? Or perhaps one of Eight? Think about it. Pray about it. When you are asked to volunteer, be ready to agree. You have no idea how God may use you to impact the life of a child and draw them closer to Jesus.
Thanks for reading,
Rick
YOUTH
