New Ministry to 5th/6th Graders
Right now, my desk is piled high with things to get done before fall activities begin. School starts for Hesston students next Tuesday. Our training for teachers begins Wednesday for Hide N Seek and then we kick off the year with a cookout on August 26th. Our new Sunday School teachers begin this Sunday as it is Promotion Sunday. I can now officially say that we have all of our positions filled. Praise God!
As a new pastor, I did not want to make a lot of changes in my first year. However, one area that I was praying for direction was the ministry to 5th/6th graders. At GracePoint Community Church (where I served as youth pastor in Colorado), I started a ministry specifically for this age group about 6 years ago. It was a lot of fun. I started seeing a need for something for this group at Hesston MB. I prayed and prayed and then God starting confirming the need for a change. I was planning a change in 2010, but people kept coming up and asking for ideas for something new for them. So, I proceeded to move forward with a change.
What is the change? Starting this fall, we have a specialized ministry to 5th/6th graders. They are not part of LIFE (our middle school ministry) nor a part of Hide N Seek (midweek children's ministry for 4 yrs. old to 4th grade). They are now their own ministry. They will be involved in coming up with a name as well as a logo design for a t-shirt. We have chosen a great curriculum called Grapple published by Group. I have great leaders! They will also work on developing their spiritual gifts through monthly service projects.
If you cannot tell, I am very excited about the potential for this ministry! My hope is it will help this group really grow in their personal walk with Jesus. I also hope that they will be excited enough to invite their friends to come as well. This is just one example of God's timing is always perfect. I was not ready to implement this ministry now, but God had other ideas. Every step of the process has been a blessing to me from choosing a curriculum to selecting leaders. I look forward to what God is going to do.
If you are a parent of a 5th or 6th grader, join us for a parent's meeting on August 26th at 8:00 p.m. I will go over the rationale for the change as well as introduce you to the curriculum and leaders, and answer any questions.
As a new pastor, I did not want to make a lot of changes in my first year. However, one area that I was praying for direction was the ministry to 5th/6th graders. At GracePoint Community Church (where I served as youth pastor in Colorado), I started a ministry specifically for this age group about 6 years ago. It was a lot of fun. I started seeing a need for something for this group at Hesston MB. I prayed and prayed and then God starting confirming the need for a change. I was planning a change in 2010, but people kept coming up and asking for ideas for something new for them. So, I proceeded to move forward with a change.
What is the change? Starting this fall, we have a specialized ministry to 5th/6th graders. They are not part of LIFE (our middle school ministry) nor a part of Hide N Seek (midweek children's ministry for 4 yrs. old to 4th grade). They are now their own ministry. They will be involved in coming up with a name as well as a logo design for a t-shirt. We have chosen a great curriculum called Grapple published by Group. I have great leaders! They will also work on developing their spiritual gifts through monthly service projects.
If you cannot tell, I am very excited about the potential for this ministry! My hope is it will help this group really grow in their personal walk with Jesus. I also hope that they will be excited enough to invite their friends to come as well. This is just one example of God's timing is always perfect. I was not ready to implement this ministry now, but God had other ideas. Every step of the process has been a blessing to me from choosing a curriculum to selecting leaders. I look forward to what God is going to do.
If you are a parent of a 5th or 6th grader, join us for a parent's meeting on August 26th at 8:00 p.m. I will go over the rationale for the change as well as introduce you to the curriculum and leaders, and answer any questions.
Awesome, JL! Thankful for this ministry. God is working and will continue--Kori can't wait!
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