Last year saw our ministry introduce a new, 3-week-per-month system of Sunday School classes, just weeks before the first lockdown arrived. What began as a plan to include our children in SOME of the adult worship turned into the unexpected format of children attending ALL the adult worship, or none. This has been a year of extreme challenges for us as we have wrestled to balance safe interaction with the current over-abundance of screen time. We are immensely grateful to our dedicated teachers for their support, as well as for their efforts to learn and grow with us. We are likewise grateful to those families we serve, for their patience and grace as we navigated the many transitions that have impacted our church and ministry.
Amazing Stories
In September, we transferred to a new curriculum, taking our lessons from a children’s daily devotional called Amazing Stories for Young Believers. A collection of studies highlighting the lives of various ‘heroes of the faith’, Amazing Stories provides a simple framework around which short, virtual lessons may be constructed. We began with pre-recorded videos for families to watch on their own time, and in January moved to a weekly, live Zoom format. Average participation has seen 20-25 students weekly, sometimes ranging from infant through 5th grade, and it has been a great encouragement to us and the children to see and interact with each other again after such a lengthy separation.
Virtual VBS
With Spring Hill and other in-person VBS programs out of the question last summer, but with a desire still to engage our children, we turned to a virtual VBS format. BOLT VBS was a terrific success. Over the course of three days, children heard the gospel story, played some crazy games, crafted origami, and memorized key Bible verses. Our children loved it, and our hearts were full.
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