Big Stuff

We've turned a big corner, we have.

We've been talking for months about expanding our children's ministry at Gospel Light. For years, we simply had "Kid's Church" and "Sunday School." Kid's Church was once a month on a Friday night, where the kids would watch a movie or something. Sunday School was two parts - before service and during the preaching. These would be bible lessons, arts and crafts and things like that. Great ministries in their own right, but they didn't really challenge the kids.

Gospel Light is all about leadership and growth. Our vision is "Every Believer a Leader." Our goal is to disciple people to function in the full annointing of their gifts, and to eventually get them to the point where they can disciple others. To that end, we have our Cell Networks. We have a network for men, for women, for youth, and for the last year, for children.

We give the children the same challenges that we give to everyone else - that they can disciple, evangelize, teach and minister to others. We do this mainly through our cell network, where we currently have two cell groups, just for children.

This week, we launched the next phase. We call it Kidzport. It's a ministry time, but it's more than that. It's a place. We have a building that used to be our parsonage - it's a hundred-year-old two family house. The first floor was used as meeting and office space, and the upstairs is where the pastor's family lived, two floors. Well, the pastor was blessed with the ability to buy a home last year. So we've taken over the building. We recently cleaned up and reorganized the second floor, and made a classroom, play/media area, craft room and office. Plus plenty of storage for props, costumes, arts and craft supplies.

This week we had our first session, and the kids were so excited to see the new space. But Kidzport is much more than just room. It's a whole new ministry, with it's own identity and vision. The main point is to develop an environment where kids can be kids, but can also know they are loved, that they are safe, and that they are children of God.

Being a city church, we deal with a lot of issues. Children should not have to shoulder those kinds of burdens alone. When you think of us, keep us in prayer as we move forward and expand this ministry.