17 Apr Counting My Blessings While Serving in Redemption Kids
My husband and I started attending Redemption Bible Chapel in July 2011, when we moved here from New Brunswick. I began serving in Redemption Kids as soon as I was able, and I have been incredibly blessed by the opportunity to participate in this vital and thriving ministry. I have served in several roles since I joined the ministry including Classroom Assistant, Classroom Facilitator in several different age groups, Service Coordinator, and most recently, Kids Ministry Coordinator, a role to which I am thrilled and privileged to have been called. As I reflected on the past 8½ years, I was encouraged to think about the many ways I have been blessed by participation in Redemption Kids.
1 Seeing kids grow in the knowledge of God is a privilege and encouragement: It is amazing to watch the way that kids learn and grow over time. My time serving as a classroom facilitator happened before I was a parent, so I really wasn’t all that aware of the rate kids learn information and apply it to their lives when you least expect it! It was such an encouragement to see the kids retaining the information that we had discussed in previous lessons. Don’t get me wrong, there were lots of times when I had blank stares when I asked a question, but it made the times when they knew the answers and applied it to different situations in their lives that much sweeter!
2 When I prepare to teach kids, I grow in my understanding of scripture too: I recently read a quote by Charles Spurgeon that said “Nobody ever outgrows scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” No matter how many times we have read or heard the stories in scripture, there is always something we can learn about God and His character.
3 Sharing the gospel with a receptive audience is good practice: It’s pretty amazing to be able to sit in a circle with a bunch of Grade 1 students and share the gospel with them knowing that you have eager ears waiting for the information you are about to tell them (of course, there was the odd interruption such as “Stop rolling around and come back to the circle, please” or “ Please don’t stick your finger in Martin’s ear” or “Yes, I do have a baby in my belly. I didn’t just eat a lot of food”)! It’s good practice to get your gospel presentation down pat for the times you need to share it and you are a little more nervous.
4 I am encouraged to see the way that God is working through families in our church: Children aren’t always stellar at filtering what is appropriate to tell others, so I may have heard some interesting stories about you. However, I have also heard many encouraging stories about the way a family had to rely on God through a difficult trial, and how God answered the prayers that we had prayed for that child and her family. It’s a great reminder for me of God’s faithfulness through trials, as well as the growth we can experience when God puts us through trials for our good and His glory.
5 God has provided relationships through this ministry: Over the years, I have served with numerous dedicated volunteers in Redemption Kids. In my role as a Service Coordinator, I enjoy moving around the building and greeting the volunteers in each classroom every other week. I have met and cultivated relationships with many church members, who I may never have met in a church of our size, unless I was serving. If you are feeling disconnected from others in the congregation, I encourage you to start serving! It doesn’t necessarily have to be in Kids ministry, (although we welcome your application wholeheartedly!) but there are plenty of serving opportunities in our church that can be used as a way to enter into and grow relationships with other believers in order to encourage one another in our faith.
