“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
The first and most important missionary field in our church is the children. It is of the utmost importance that the good seed of the Word of God is sown into the hearts and minds of the children in the church, that it might, in time, be watered by the Holy Spirit and germinate in full grown faith in their lives.
For this reason, we have a dedicated section of the main service where ministry is tailored towards the younger members of the congregation, in which the children are invited to come to the front and are taught as part of the service.
There is a memory verse that is learnt over a series of weeks, accompanied by sign language. A lesson is given, aided by an animated PowerPoint presentation illustrating what is being taught so that both eyes and ears are stimulated. The children are encouraged both to read Scripture and interact in the teaching.
Following the ministry in the service, the children continue to be ministered to by a dedicated and fully DBS checked team of Sunday School teachers in a separate room, while the core teaching to the adults continues in the main meeting.
The Sunday School typically incorporates games, craft activities and teaching that complement and solidifies what has been taught in the main meeting.
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4
The Bible is clear that it is the responsibility of the parents to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Thus, the children’s ministry serves to support and supplement the raising of children by the families of the church.
We exhort all parents to have times of family worship and instruction in their own home, and for fathers to be both the spiritual head and shepherd to their family.
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed… 1 Corinthians 15:51
We understand how newborns and very young ones find church a difficult thing to sit through, and that parents can feel self-conscious about their children and any disruption they may bring.
For this reason, we provide a creche area, with toys and freedom to move so that if the young ones need a break, they have a place they can go. Again, this is manned by a dedicated team of people who are fully DBS checked.