“For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes1 and cherishes it,
even as Christ also the church.” – Ephesians 5:29
1 To nourish is to feed us with the living word of the Lord. To cherish is to nurture us with tender love and foster us with tender care, outwardly softening us through tender warmth, that we may have soothing, comfortable rest inwardly. This is the way Christ cares for the church, His Body.
In the service with the children we emphasize the need for the serving brothers and sisters to take the time to be nourished with the living word and to experience the cherishing of the Lord in their daily living so that they serve the young ones in a fresh and living manner. We stress the need for those serving with the children to coordinate together in prayer, fellowship and in appropriate preparation, considering the age of the children with whom they are working. Our goal is that the children would be nurtured in such a way that they would have soft and open hearts to the Lord while they are young. One of the songs we sing with the children is:
Lord today keep my heart, keep it all the day.
While I’m young keep my heart, soft dear Lord, I pray.
Lord, I would keep my heart through every day
Soft and open unto You.
Currently we have the following classes for the children:
- Babies (Main Hall, nursery)
- Toddlers (Main Hall, toddler room)
- 4-yr olds through 1st grade (West Hall, upstairs)
- 2nd and 3rd graders (West Hall, upstairs–downstairs for opening)
- 4th and 5th graders (West Hall, downstairs)
From 10-11am the four year olds through 5th graders enjoy an opening time of singing, games and free play. At 11am the children have a snack, lesson, and craft or activity in their respective classes.