The future of the church society is in the hands of the children of today. It is by the children of today that the future of society is to be determined, and what these children shall be depends upon the home. To the lack of right home training may be traced the larger share of the disease and misery and crime that curse humanity. If the home life were pure and true, if the children who went forth from its care were prepared to meet life’s responsibilities and dangers, what a change would be seen in the world. Jesus gave us clear instruction as to the importance of our young people when He said, “And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name receive me …
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 18:5, 10).
When His disciples would have sent the young people away, thinking that they were interrupting the important work of the Master, Christ said
“Let them come … for such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14).
Teenagers form a precious, most important part of God’s church. They are not only the “church of the future,” but also the church of the present.
Christ created the church to be a fellowship where people share in a common purpose and help one another grow in faith. The New Testament describes the church as “… his body, the fullness of him who filleth everything in every way” (Eph. 1:22).
God calls us into His body for the purpose of establishing a saving relationship with Him and supportive community with one another. The Children’s Ministries department takes the view that healthy families are foundational to a healthy church and a healthy church is foundational to a healthy society. We are convinced that those who are able to cultivate positive relationships, either as single people, couples, or families, can be powerful influences in today’s hurting and broken world. This department organises family ministry training, parenting courses, marriage retreats, family camps, educational workshops, as well as providing resources to support local church leaders.
The primary objectives of the department are:
· Train our children to love the Lord Jesus Christ
· Develop a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Encourage them to live disciplined lifestyles in all spheres of life
This is achieved through weekly Sabbath school classes based on the Gracelink curriculum, where members are grouped into various classes:
0 – 2 years – Beginners
3 – 5 years – Kindergarten
6 – 9 years – Primary
10 – 12 years – PowerPoint
13 – 14 years – Real Time Faith
The Sabbath school sessions are followed with the Divine hour when biblical stories, sermons, experiences and inspired messages from the bible are shared with the young ones. The Lord’s desire to have children trained in the right way and not to be victims of the world and its evil is clearly stated in the scriptures (Proverbs 22:6); and it is our aim as a department to seek the Lord’s guidance to work faithfully in His vineyard in achieving this mission.
We currently have a team of 14 volunteers who work tirelessly every Sabbath to ensure every child has fun in the presence of the Lord.