At Sutton Vineyard, we are firm believers in the fact that children should get to do ‘the stuff’ just as much as grown ups. We believe that God wants to have a deep and meaningful relationship with them and that they are never too young to start being Jesus’ hands and feet. Therefore, as we’re looking at ‘going deeper’ as a church family, this applies to our under 11s as much as anyone else.
For our Big and Mini Kids, there are three main areas in which our children have the opportunity to deepen their relationships, knowledge and faith:
Going Deeper at Church
While our kids are at church on a Sunday, our Kids Team are constantly working to make our children’s ministry a loving and welcoming space in which our kids can learn and build relationships. The church family is such an important part of the Christian journey and we’re seeing our kids develop deep and significant relationships with their peers which are spilling out of the Sunday morning setting. The consistent age groups they are in allow them to build on these friendships week on week and they are becoming a community of people who can support, love, encourage and trust each other as they develop and learn.
Additionally, the topic of invitation is a focus in Kids several times a year, and our children are becoming more and more confident in inviting their friends from outside of church to our special events and services. The more our kids practise invitation, the deeper their confidence and boldness will be to share their faith and the more people they will see coming to Jesus. Our kids are putting the Great Commission into action!
Going Deeper at Home
As a church, we follow the Orange Philosophy, as we understand the church and the home need to work together in the faith development of our children in order to have the biggest impact. Parents and carers play the most significant role in the faith journey of a child and as a church, we want to support parents as they raise their children to love and follow Jesus.
Our termly family prayer trails give parents and carers creative and varied ways to pray with their kids and provide a dedicated space to connect with God as a family. The majority of our children have at least one parent or carer involved in the Kids team at church.
The significance and value of this should not be understated and this bridge between homelife and churchlife can give parents a deeper insight into their child’s faith, as well as giving them stepping stones of topics, activities and techniques they can use at home to help their children get to know God and the Bible on a deeper level.
We now have a Whatsapp Community group for parents and carers where we will send ideas of conversation starters and activities linked to our Kids sessions which you can do at home with your kids, further strengthening the link between home and church.
Going Deeper with God
Of course, our ultimate goal is for our children to experience the love of God in a deep and personal way. In Big and Mini Kids, we worship, pray and study the Bible in ways that are accessible and relevant to our children’s ages and stages.
We know our children are capable of connecting with God, experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit and having a real relationship with Jesus but we also know that we have to introduce these things to them in a way that is comprehensible, interesting and usually lots of fun! Silly actions to a song are actually an introduction to worshipping God with our whole bodies; a frantic race to find a Bible passage is the start of developing a strong understanding of God’s Word; and a beautifully crafted picture or gift for a family member is step towards becoming someone who is compassionate and caring and shares the love of Jesus in all aspects of their lives. Our kids are all on their own journeys with God and it is a privilege and a joy to support them and encourage them as they go deeper and deeper into the plans our Father has for them.
If you’d like any more information on how to help your child go deeper with God or want to know more about our children’s ministry, feel free to email kids@suttonvineyard.org.
