from the desk of Kim McAllister

What is our purpose?  Why do we continue to work weekly with our
children?  As a church, and as a children's department, we need to
know why we're doing what we're doing.

I believe the Early Church focused on five purposes, and as a children's department, we can do the same.

1. Discipleship - Our children should know why we believe what we believe.  We want our children to come to
   church, but more importantly, we want them to know more about God and have a closer relationship with Him
   as a result of their church experience.
   

1. Faith Foundation Blocks - memorization of scripture in Sunday School classes from birth through
   grade 6.  These verses include the Beatitudes, the books of the Bible, Psalm 23, and more.
   
2. Teacher Training - We are planning some teacher training meetings in order to help our teachers
   teach more effectively.
   
3. Quizzing - I  would love to start quizzing again on Sunday nights.  This would involve the sermon time
   during the Sunday night service.
   
4. Foundation Basics - During Children's Church, the service will be focused on basics of our Christian
   faith.  Although telling Bible stories, these lessons will focus on "big" issues, like the Fruit of the Spirit,
   the Ten Commandments, the Love of God, How to become His Disciple, etc.
   
5. Increased emphasis to bring Bibles - Beginning this fall, children will earn Zone Bucks for bringing
   their Bibles.  Hopefully, this will reinforce the importance of God's Word.
   

2. Fellowship - We want a place where our children feel welcome, where families are offered opportunities to
   meet with other Christian families, where children want to invite their friends to attend.
   

1. Family Activities throughout the Year -
   
2. Increased Emphasis on communication among the department -
   
3. Interaction among children -
   

3. Opportunities for Service - How important it is for us as children's leaders to model service for our
   children.  Starting a service-oriented emphasis at an early age should encourage a service-oriented
   emphasis for these children as they grow older.
   

1. Sunday morning program -
   
2. Missionary book reading
   
3. Caravan Projects
   

4. Evangelism of our children and young families - Although it's great to be excited about each new family
   that attends our church, many times they're "transplants" from another church.  We continually need to
   search out ways to reach the unsaved in our community.
   

1. Community Events -
   
2. Increased communication with new/missing families -
   
3. Discipleship on Evangelism
   
4. Divorce Care/Divorce Care 4 Kids -
   

5. Increased understanding of worship and opportunities to grow closer to God - Worship is more than
   singing.  Worship is the act of magnifying god, enlarging our vision of him, observing how He works.  We want
   our children to have a personal relationship with Him and to encounter Him when they come to church.  How
   can we do this?
   

1. Children's Worship -
   
2. Children's Choir -
   
3. Modeling/Sharing - I think the number one way we can help our children know God more closely is to
   model it with our kids.  What is God doing in your life?  Encourage teachers to share some of their
   everyday miracles with the kids.
   

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers
were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had
need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to
their number daily those who were being saved.
- Acts 2:42-47