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One Room Classroom
Our church’s smaller in person attendance means that we now operate with a one room classroom. We average 3 kids for the Traditional Service, and 8 kids for the Contemporary Service. Our kids ages range from 8-16 years old. The age range means that some days our lesson is geared for the younger kids, and some days toward the older kids. I am very pleased to say that the kids bear with it well. The older kids are great helpers and leaders for the younger, and Wow, sometimes the younger kids really surprise us with their insights.
Prayer
Class time always begins with a time of sharing. The kids bring problems they are worried about which run the gamut of “My dog has diabetes”, or, “I have a test Monday”, to concern for war torn countries. We also take time to look at previous prayer requests and give praise for the answers to those prayers.
Lesson Style
Having a small group means we can customize our lessons. Last winter while teaching a lesson from the Old Testament one of the kids wanted to know “When, exactly, during world history did this happen?” This question resulted in a series of lessons giving the kids a broad chronological overview of the whole Old Testament accompanied with notes on what else was happening in the world at that time. After our lesson we always break and have a craft, game or team building exercise. Kids need to build friendships and connections with others their age who love God and are trying to follow Jesus. This time together of freer interactions with their brothers and sisters in Christ is very important.
Current Lesson Theme
Every lesson that we have, no matter where in the Bible it is, no matter the subject, always is viewed through Jesus. “Every story whispers His name.” This summer we began a study of the New Testament, emphasizing Christ our Redeemer. It will cover- The Life of Jesus Jesus’ Sacrificial Death and Resurrection Early Church Paul’s Ministry One Church and the Reformation Prayer for our Kids Every child in our program has one adult non-family member dedicated to praying for that child. The kids have an envelope on a board in our entryway where they can leave a prayer request for their adult to take and pray over for them. Sometimes the adults also leave encouraging notes or verses for the kids so they know that they have an ally in their church home.
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