Word of the Week: Kids

This past Sunday’s worship service featured a key part of the ministry of Grace Community Church: ministry to children and youth. We baptized two of our infants, twins Samuel and Olivia Yang, and one of our youth group students, Florence Pinkston.  We expend a great deal of energy at GCC in ministry to children and youth. You may mistakenly think of children’s ministry as a type of glorified babysitting where children are kept under control while adults get the “real” ministry in their activities.  Youth group might seem like a kind of healthy socialization that is drug and alcohol free.  I want to pause to say, we have higher much goals than that.  Our goal is to assist parents in making disciples of their children.  Realistically the greatest part of this job is on parents.  We are here to help.

Throughout the Scripture this training of future generations is heralded. Here is one example:

We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (Psa 78:4 ESV)

The baptisms represented this calling of the church in that the congregation agreed to assist Isaac and Amy Yang in the Christian development of Olivia and Samuel.  This calling was represented in Florence in that our youth ministry brought her to a critical moment in her spiritual development.  Realize that a great deal of heavy lifting had been done in teaching her the gospel before that moment.  More work will be done in the future.  But it is important and substantial to be concerned for teaching our children and our youth the gospel of Jesus, and the expectations of discipleship.   It’s a significant part of our ministry here.  As it well should be!

In Him,

Don