it takes a village...

​You're probably familiar with this old African proverb, if not, it goes "it takes a village to raise a child." This is true in any culture - especially the Church! Jesus invited the children to come to him (Luke 18:15-17), showing us that they are close to his heart and demonstrating our need (even adults!) to come to him with simple faith believing that he can save.
We come to the point in our church year that the appeals begin to go out for volunteers to teach our kids. Between KidsAlive (our Sunday ministry), Boys club and Girls club, there are many opportunities to be a part of this village required to raise our kids. Unfortunately, sometimes it feels like these appeals fall on deaf ears. Some people will volunteer, sure. But not enough. Did you know that every Sunday morning we need a minimum of 8 adults and youth serving in KidsAlive? If I asked you face to face, do you believe that kids ministry is important, I’m certain you would say yes. But then if I followed it up with a question about volunteering, I’m afraid we would have an awkward silence. This wouldn’t be the case with everyone, and for those of you who have been faithfully serving in our Kids ministries, THANK YOU!
However, I know that it’s the case with many people in our family. Maybe you’ve done it before and you think you’re too old to do kids ministry. Maybe someone has told you that you aren’t gifted in kids ministry, or maybe you’re afraid you don’t have the patience to serve with kids (believe me, sometimes I get that!). But the fact remains that our kids need our adults to be spiritual parents along with their natural parents!
In 2 Timothy 2, Paul exhorts Timothy to teach faithful people who will be able to teach others. The goal is to make disciples who will teach other disciples. This is God’s mission for us at Sunshine Ridge. This means telling our unsaved friends about Jesus outside of the church, but it also means teaching about Jesus inside the church – formally and informally! Whether you study, work full-time or are enjoying retirement, this mission is yours as well if you follow Jesus. Will you join us in teaching our children about him? Will you take part in growing our church and preparing our kids for a lifetime of knowing and growing in Jesus? It’s not easy work, but it is so important.
Our ministry to kids involves a variety of ages, from babies and toddlers to Grade 6. There is a week by week need for teachers with small groups, leaders for the large group, music leading and working one on one with some of our kids in KidsAlive or club programs. You may also have gifts in music, crafts or even just putting up a bulletin board on a seasonal basis. How can you invest in the lives of our kids and their families, as well as make this a more inviting place for new people to visit?
If you are willing to follow Jesus into kids ministry, would you contact the church office and let us know? We will pass it on to the leaders and they will be in touch.