We don’t offer childcare. Instead, we do something better.
Childcare means, “the care of children especially as a service while parents are working.” Our kids-events are not meant to free parents from children, but to unleash the parents for their children.
Note what this looks like in Psalm 78:
1 My people, listen to my teaching.
Pay attention to what I say.
2 I will open my mouth and tell a story.
I will speak about things that were hidden.
They happened a long time ago.
3 We have heard about them and we know them.
Our people who lived before us have told us about them.
4 We won’t hide them from our children.
We will tell them to those who live after us.
We will tell them what the Lord has done that is worthy of praise.
We will talk about his power and the wonderful things he has done.
5 He gave laws to the people of Jacob.
He gave Israel their law.
He commanded our people who lived before us
to teach his laws to their children.
6 Then those born later would know his laws.
Even their children yet to come would know them.
And they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God.
They would not forget what he had done.
They would obey his commands.
So here are the three Psalm-78-inspired reasons that our kids-events are not childcare:
1) We believe in God’s plan for parents. How do kids put their trust in God? They learn about God’s work and Words. And who is commanded to tell them? The parents. So when our church gathers, we want this to be an opportunity for parents to partner with other believers in obedience to God’s design. So we don’t have kids-events to give parents a break; we want to give parents a microphone, a platform, a team, and a system for faithfulness. Every week is a chance for parents to get busy with their Father's business.
2) We believe in God’s work through the gospel. The gospel is the power of God for all who believe it (Rom 1:16). It is not an adult thing. Jesus didn’t much appreciate the disciples trying to adultify his ministry (Mark 10:14). He wanted kids to come. With that heart, we offer kids-programs to give parents (and other church partners) a place and time to teach the gospel to kids. As Jerome said, “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for theologians to swim in without ever touching the bottom." The gospel is for kids too. And the church is for the good of kids.
3) We believe in God’s plan for missions. Children are every parent’s main mission-field. Parents “tell their children.” And then what happens? The children “put their trust in God,” remember the Lord’s works, and obey Him. Psalm 78:7 is a parent-targeted version of the Great Commission: “Go! Make disciples of your kids, baptize them, teach them everything, and remember God is with you.” So our kids-programs exist for missions mobilization. They are weekly mission trips to the unreached people-group in our building—the kids. Not one baby in the nursery has trusted in Jesus. Few in the preschool have done so. And some in the elementary-age group are following Him. By and large, the locations where our kids gather are our in-house 10-40 Window. And we have designed the program so that parents are empowered and enabled to lead their kids toward Christ at church gatherings.
So it is important to understand that our church’s kids-events are not childcare. Our major goal for these programs is not to free parents from kids, but to free them for their kids. So, if it’s not childcare, what is it? Gospel missions to kids by parents (and church partners).
That is something worth getting on-board with. Want to sign up to join the mission? Do so here. We need your help. And, if you are a parent, you need this opportunity.
Parent Partnership: Wednesday (3/15/23) and Sunday (3/19/23)
Everything a parent/volunteer team-member needs to know about this week is below. You’ll find the Scripture passages, the specific pages in our children’s Bible, the teaching video, and some questions to use at home. We use The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible and RightNowMedia for teaching and Planning Center Services for scheduling.
On Wednesday, we will have KidsOnMission and kids choir. Dinner is $3 for individual kids with a $7 max for families. Kids choir is at 5:15pm (for 5k-5th grade) and KidsOnMission officially starts at 6pm.
We will be the Last Supper (LUKE 22:14-20, REVELATION 19:6-9).
On Sunday, there are exciting things happening as well! At 9am, our kids get into the Word in Sunday School. Our kids are under the Word during the Gathering:
Preschoolers will continue moving through the The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible. We are looking at Story 12: What Is the Lamb For? (Ex 11-12; 1 Jn 2:2)
Elementary students will dig into Philippians 1:27-30. Here is the teaching video and lesson.
Questions for Families to Discuss (before/after Sunday):
In the Old Testament, God passed-over the homes of his people because they had been marked with the blood of a perfect lamb. That was a picture of how God passes-over those who put their trust in Christ and are marked by his blood. What does it mean to trust in Jesus?
The Good News is that anyone who puts their trust in Jesus will be saved. What is one way that you can try to share the Good News about Jesus with someone else?
Sometimes sharing the Good News and living for Jesus will be hard. How do we know that it will be worth it to follow Jesus even when it is tough?
Family Prayer Prompt: God, we thank you for the blood of the Lamb—Jesus! Thank you for the way that He lived and died so that we can be forgiven. Help us to trust you and to point others toward you too.