Adullam’s kids…
Two alarming statistics inform how we approach God and our kids. One confirms that the best time for someone to develop a natural love for God is before their 18 years of age. The other is that most kids leave their faith at the age of 18.
We interpret this to mean, that kids are just like big people. They want to love God but don't just want to go to church, learn lessons, or recite Bible verses. We think they need to see God make a difference in real life too. Just like us, we want them to learn by doing instead of hearing. We want them to learn scripture with friends. Most, we want them to see their faith make a difference in how they see life and people around them.
We consider each child as a significant member of the Adullam community. We recognize that Sunday morning is simply one aspect of how the children’s lives are being molded. Therefore our desire is to recognize and foster the work that God is doing in each child by joining with the families. The hope of our children’s ministry is to encourage and help prepare children to continue their own journey of faith.
Workers’ Schedule Click Here
Grades K-2
Our primary aim is to help children internalize the unconditional love, acceptance, and value they have in Christ through the warmth, acceptance, encouragement, and personalized experience that we provide in our children’s ministry. Also believing that children thrive and grow when provided with structure and safe boundaries, parents are encouraged to work side by side with leaders in an effort to help enhance their child’s personal character development. Because we create an environment where children are free to participate and come to Jesus on their own volition, our greatest goal and responsibility is to prepare the soil so that the seed of Christ may readily take root in their hearts and lives.
In addition, weekly lessons are planned
in accordance with children’s developmental and cognitive levels. Without distorting or watering down the message of truth,
less is typically more when it comes to “talking at” children. Rather than simply teaching a lesson, we allow children to actively engage and
experience what they are learning.
In congruence with the lesson, we integrate games, activities, and crafts. In addition, we include Scripture, a theme or memory verse, and prayer. Children gain experience talking to God as they excitedly pick out a flower from the flower pot that provides a topic for prayer, such as family, church, community, and school. More specifically, for our current curriculum, children are in the midst of a scavenger hunt on their search for God, discovering how they can find his presence through their families, the body of Christ, his creation, and through various other people, places, and times in their lives.
Grades 3-5
We aim to create an environment in which each child feels known and welcomed. The discussions are designed toward affirmation and strengthening their unique contributions within the group. From week to week, we bring a story or lesson from the Bible to a place that meets them in their own lives. Recently, we have been looking at what Jesus valued and exploring how we could reflect his love for people. One of the ways we have made this tangible is by getting involved with Love, Light and Melody which serves a school located in a trash dump in Nicaragua. As we have talked about ways to help, the children at Adullam have been praying for the school, creatively raising money, and putting together boxes of supplies to send down there. It is incredible to watch how excited the children become to serve the people they know as well as around the world!
How do we pick our teachers?
We haven’t perfected our ways yet, but we work hard to provide really fun & gentle people to lead our kids when they come together in the Gathering. We also provide help for parents in learning how to spiritually lead their own children during the week. We include our kids in our worship, communion, and glocal mission and benevolent action.
If you are interested in working with our kids as part of your experience at Adullam, we would like to encourage you to speak to Matt Smay at . You will be asked to fill out a background check form. It is a simple way for us to insure the safety of our kids in the classroom.
How can you help us with the kids?
If you’d like to help out, please also email Julie Wagner at . If you want to find out what you can do during the week to help you children grow closer to God, find us on Sunday morning or send an email. We believe the family is the greatest classroom of all. We’re here to help you.
