We implement a variety of ways to share our faith with children knowing there are many other commitments families have, especially on Sunday mornings. Extra care is taken to involve children in a number of ways:
In Worship – Children are welcome throughout the service to participate as they feel comfortable and able.
We provide spaces within the worship service for children to participate in interactive activities that reinforce the worship experience, so they feel comfortable remaining in the service. We call these spaces Whisper & Wiggle Areas and they move wherever we worship.
Children’s Messages during worship help kids dig into the lesson for the day in a variety of interactive ways. Very often adults learn from these Children’s Messages too.
Our Meditation Tent provides a cozy, quieted space to explore our faith too. Some of our special worship services and festivals include interactive stations for a multi-sensory approach to faith formation that both children and adults enjoy.
Education – We understand how busy families are and how inconvenient traditional classroom education can be, so we provide an alternative to the Sunday School tradition and offer an array of experiences, not limited to Sundays, to teach children about the Christian faith while they grow their personal discipleship.
Creating videos where children act out biblical stories has been a very effective and engaging way to explore scripture.
Snippet of Jesus’ footwashing scene
Snippet of shepherds going to Bethlehem
Snippet of shepherds at the manger
The use of green screen has been particularly engaging.
Online learning, which began during the pandemic, offers an occasional opportunity for learning as well.
Outreach – Children are invited to participate in ministries that serve others and provide real-life opportunities to live out biblical lessons.