Children’s Ministry

Children of Grace

What to Expect

Our goal in children’s ministry at Grace Church is to equip the next generation to fulfill the purpose for which they were created, namely to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever! To that end we focus on:

  • Teaching biblical truth even to the very youngest of childrenDSC01814
  • Emphasizing Scripture memory
  • Developing a God-centered worldview
  • Lessons that teach about what God is like and what he has done (rather than simple moral lessons)
  • Teaching to reach the heart; not merely to alter outward behavior
  • Encouraging parents to sit in Sunday School with their Children and assist them in learning from one of our primary teachers each week.

The Curriculum We Use

We use curriculum from Children Desiring God (published by Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN). It’s a wonderfully God-centered curriculum that will serve to come alongside our parents’ ministries in the home to further establish our children in the precepts of the Lord.

 

 

Philosophy

 

We believe that the most biblical way to enhance a child’s passion to find joy in life is to guide them to the One who gave them life (Acts 17:25). The God of the universe-who never began-must be the central figure in our pursuit of joy; “…for from Him and through Him and to Him are all croppedSDC11733things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen” (Romans 11:36). This God still speaks to His people today. The words of His testimony come to His people through one source, the Bible.

We believe the Bible to be the only source by which men can know God. The Bible testifies of the beginning, when God made the heavens and the earth out of nothing (Psalm 102:25; Colossians 1:16-17). Furthermore, it perfectly details all we need to know about the working hand of God amongst His creation. God is the central figure of the Bible. The words written in this Book focus on God, not the men created in His image. God alone is the One who can satisfy the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4) and bring us into a relationship with Him.

We believe that if we seek to build up man rather than God as the primary focus, we will be acting outside of what the Scripture teaches. Man-centered relationships are always going to falter due to the inability of man’s nature; while God-centered relationships will always succeed to His glory since He is the initiator of them. Our chief desire is to make God supreme in the eyes of your child; not to mislead them into thinking of man as the central being of the universe.

We are overjoyed with the privilege of joining you as we seek to guide your child to the only fountain that will satisfy them. Our desire is to help create a passion in your child for the fullness of joy that can only be obtained as we bask in the presence of God.

Disctinctives

1. Our Belief in the Competency of Children

We believe children are quite capable of both pursuing and grasping the deep truths of God at a very young age. This is the time in their lives when such truths should be deposited. The Bible is the fountain from which they will begin to construct the foundational truths by which they will croppedSDC11728live. All matters of any importance flow from the Scriptures. It is our prayer that they will embrace life more fully, living in a manner that testifies to    1 Corinthians 10:31: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

2. Parent/Teacher Relations

The Bible teaches that the parent is the dominant educator of their child. We embrace this truth and seek to make the very best use of the time allotted to us. Our hope is to provide a curriculum that will enable the church to assist parents in equipping each child with their God-given role. Each week your child will leave his or her class with what we call a “take home sheet.” This “take home sheet” is in essence, a review of the subject matter discussed during class, along with a weekly memory verse. We desire that these take home materials will provide fruitful interaction between the parents and their children.

3. Our Goal in Teaching Children

Much of the children’s curriculum that we find today is a repetition of Bible stories. As the children grow older, only the means by which the story is told changes. Our desire is to utilize a building block approach by which children will be exposed to new truths each year. We believe this format will constitute a broader and more insightful understanding of the God of the Bible (See “The Curriculum We Use” for details).

4. Our Teaching Structure

At this time God has blessed us with fathers who help teach our Children of Grace Sunday School on a rotation basis, and parents who assist in helping their children learn through hands on activities.  We believe that this fosters an atmosphere where the parent child relationship can grow, where mothers and fathers can be encouraged to carry out their role in teaching their children, and a place where children can see adults living out their faith before them.