Written by Rev Zheng translated by Wu Simin on 2 January 2022
In order to have a holistic approach in planning and laying a firm foundation of faith, shaping Christ-like character, and cultivating robust spiritual appetite, starting from 2019, all the work on children comes under the umbrella of the Children’s Ministry. Our church defines “children” as children who are in the age of primary one to five, which means the Children’s Ministry has five years to nurture each child.
There are six units in the Children’s Ministry – Children’s Worship, Children’s Bible Class, Children’s Fellowship, Children’s Catechism Camp, Children’s Prayer Meeting, and the Little Lamb Hymn Singing Class. Each of these works towards a common objective – nurturing a manna generation.
The Children’s Worship has been using six sets of materials constituting a curriculum of a seven-year cycle. The Children’s Bible Class uses the same textbooks written by the pastor of the church for the entire church. This is in hope that the family of saints could sit down together, talk about their learning and pray for transformed lives on the Lord’s Day evening.
Due to the pandemic, Children’s Worship, Children’s Bible Class, and the Little Lamb Hymn Singing Class were suspended. We hope to resume these three units in the second half of the year, following the vaccination for children. Nevertheless, thank the Lord for sustaining the Children’s Fellowship, Children’s Catechism Camp, and Children’s Prayer Meeting in the past two years.
The Children’s Fellowship uses a five-year cycle curriculum, which includes a series on heroes of faith in the church history and biblical figures, and an audio drama podcast series from the Focus On the Family on establishing children’s biblical values. With these materials, we lead our children in digging into the rich heritage of the Church! They will see that the Jesus Christ they trust is the same living God yesterday, today, and forever! We hope to also cultivate a good habit of listening in our children through the “audiobooks”, in preparation for them to concentrate on the Word in the main sanctuary.
The Children’s Catechism Camp is conducted two times a year, where children grasp and memorize the principles of faith – a fundamental for passing on the flame of faith in the Christian church after the Reformation. The materials we use are developed from the Westminster Shorter Catechism written in the 17th century. We thank God for our 3 graduates in 2021 – Hannah Luo Peixin, Edmund Looi Zhi Wen, and Brandon Qiu Zi Qian. We pray that the Lord may strengthen their faith through the catechism.
The Children’s Prayer Meeting seeks to build up young prayer warriors for the church. Not only would children learn how to pray according to God’s will for the different problems and needs in life, more importantly, they ‘witness’ how God answers the corporate prayers of the church in every situation. Through this, the precious promise of Lord Jesus to the church in Matthew 18:19 will come alive to our children: “if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”
There is one more integral component, which is the children’s godliness discipline at home. Habits are cultivated since childhood. This year, we specially acquired the Children’s Study Bible for children to read the Word of God by themselves after they enter primary school. We also brought in devotional books for children, authored by Rev Gilbert Beers, for parents to shape Christ-like character in their child during their devotion. Both books will be available at the church’s bookstall today.
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16)
The Children’s Ministry is a great work that would yield a manifold harvest in the future. We thank God for preparing and calling His own workers to serve tirelessly in the various units of the Children’s Ministry. Dear parents, make an effort to take hold of these spiritual blessings for your child! Together let us nurture the manna generation to enter the Kingdom of Christ!
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