By Megan Engelhard
Three months ago, I was on my way home from my job at a large corporate office when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, so I let it go to voicemail. A few minutes later, a new message popped up on my phone from Melissa Nelms, the Director of Discipleship at Acts 2, asking me to interview for the position of Children’s Director. A few phone calls, interviews and many prayers later, I was hired and dove into the exciting life of children’s ministry.
As the Children’s Director, I am responsible for making sure the children in our church and community are provided with a safe and exciting environment to learn about Jesus. Whether it be at a large community event or during regular weekly classes, my goal for the Children’s Ministry is that every child who passes through our church experiences Christ and has fun while doing so!
In any given year, our offerings change based on the number of children in each age group so that we can ensure they have the best possible experience. This fall, there are many opportunities for children to plug in. Acts 2 offers three classes for children during each of our Sunday services and on Wednesday evenings. The children are split into Pre-K, first through third grade, and fourth and fifth grade classes. Acts 2 also offers classes for children during One Church worship on Friday evenings.
Each class is specifically designed to meet the developmental needs of the children and to be both fast-paced and engaging. Our classes have a healthy mix of calm, reflective time and high-energy activities. In any given class time, children will participate in a wide range of activities from reading their Bibles to singing and dancing to running in a Bible verse relay race!
In addition to regular classes, I will host a series of Club 45 events this fall. Club 45 was created specifically to meet the needs of the fourth and fifth grade students in our community. In July, Club 45 met for the first time with our new students and we watched The Incredibles on the back lawn. We ate popcorn and s’mores and we had fun breaking the ice and getting to know one another. The children in this group are at the age when they begin to ask the “big” questions about their faith. They are smart, silly and an absolute joy to work with. I am looking forward to continuing to build relationships with them and to challenge them to grow their faith as they prepare to move up into our Youth Ministry.
The reason we are able to do so much for our children is because of our wonderful volunteers, and we are always recruiting new people to serve God by teaching the children, even if they have never taught before. We provide everything our teachers need to lead their classes. Serving as a volunteer in the Children’s Ministry gives leaders a chance to have fun, to directly impact the growing relationship between the children and Jesus, and to learn from each of the children in our ministry.
Though volunteers in the Children’s Ministry are often placed in a teaching role, many volunteers share that they have gained knowledge and insight by working with the incredible children in our community. Amid the fun and games found in the classroom, volunteers will see that children have the innate ability to easily understand and accept Jesus’ teachings. They are not shy about sharing Jesus with others, and they talk about Jesus with a zeal that is often lost in adulthood. Working with the children in our church reminds volunteers what it means to have pure, unbounded joy in the Lord.
I am thrilled to be part of such a loving, engaging community, and I am excited to continue to build relationships with each of the children and their families here at Acts 2. Most importantly, I am honored and humbled to take on the important work of leading the children of this community closer to Jesus Christ.
